‘The magnitude of the award is significant’ – Winnipeg Free Press

Manitoba’s manufacturing sector is not the largest in the country, nor the most automated, nor does it have the largest employers – but it is probably the most diversified and export-oriented sector, and its trade association, CME Manitoba, is the most involved and supportive of its members. .

With the recent retirement of Ron Koslowsky, former vice-president of the Manitoba division, the national organization of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters decided to take advantage of the local operation’s depth and breadth of services by putting his successor, Terry Shaw, in charge to give about Saskatchewan and Alberta. , also.

This week, Shaw started his new job as CME regional vice president for the Prairies.

Chad Brick, Chairman of the CME Manitoba Advisory Board and President of the Eastside Group of Companies, said, “We are extremely proud of the CME team here. We definitely punched above our weight.”

He also said there is high confidence in Shaw’s ability to deliver on the broader mandate.

“We’re fortunate that Terry accepted the offer,” Brick said. “In the past I have had to recruit for these types of positions. It is not easy, but there are no worries about the choice that has been made. I can sleep peacefully.”

With a workforce of about 40 people at CME Manitoba in Winnipeg – compared to fewer than 10 in Alberta and Saskatchewan combined – Manitoba’s manufacturing community was spoiled for choice with the country’s best information on lean manufacturing, leadership training and safety infrastructure.

It also operates Protein MB, the province’s industry-led hub for Manitoba’s sustainable protein industry, and operates Made Safe, a health and safety certification program designed specifically for the needs of manufacturers. (Made Safe has a large, dedicated staff and is booked months in advance.)

Dennis Darby, president and CEO of CME, said the organization wants to expand Manitoba’s market offering to its two nearest western neighbors, effectively increasing its impact on the industry fivefold.

“We believe a lot of things have been done successfully under Ron’s leadership and the board really wanted to say, we’ve had so much success in Manitoba, let’s see if we can’t extend that to the rest of the Prairies,” Darby said. “The magnitude of the prize is significant.”

In his first week on the job, Shaw already sounds like an old hand. He knows how to run trade associations, having done so for a decade with the Manitoba Trucking Association.

“I know the rules of the game, human resource management, nonprofit management, program development and implementation,” he said. “I have the skills. I am working on the knowledge set.”

Shaw also knows how to lobby the government for a good cause. But instead of one provincial government, he will now have to oversee regulations and policies in three provinces. “Don’t forget, CME is also a lobbying group, and that’s my favorite part,” he added.

No one seems to know exactly how CME Manitoba has such a greater presence than the organization in other regions.

Shaw thinks it may have something to do with Manitoba being so centralized in the main district and not having the push and pull like between Calgary and Edmonton or Regina and Saskatoon.

Darby said both Alberta and Saskatchewan have suffered significant downturns in the oil and gas sector, which have taken a toll on their respective manufacturing sectors.

In the meantime, it will be business as usual for operations in Manitoba.

Brick said it will not weaken programming in Manitoba in any way. The plan is to add resources in Alberta and Saskatchewan as demand requires.

“We’ll make our money,” Darby said. “We can offer more services to our members in Alberta and Saskatchewan and it will help increase the efficiency of the investments we make.”

They don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Manitoba is a pioneer in CME’s training and promotion of lean manufacturing – the rigorous methodology that focuses on minimizing waste while maximizing productivity – and its Made Safe safety program is the industry standard. The leadership training and support groups for executives are easily exportable.

Shaw doesn’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but with Saskatchewan’s manufacturing sector about the same size as Manitoba’s, and Alberta four times the size, there is the potential to tap into a market five times the size.

“Five years from now, the CME Prairies region will be dramatically different than it is today, with Manitoba serving as a service provider to Saskatchewan and Alberta,” he said. “It is no secret that there is an opportunity to grow our membership base and that will come through increasing and expanding our service offerings.”

Shaw is beginning to become aware of regulatory issues impacting the industry.

Manitoba’s NDP government has already announced one change affecting manufacturers, reducing the ratio of journeymen to apprentices to one to one. He said there is a general feeling in the industry that the regulatory environment in Manitoba makes it less competitive than, for example, in the U.S., where members say it is easier to expand operations.

Shaw believes that promoting automation and implementing advanced technologies will likely be an ongoing issue for him.

“At CME we have a strong focus on continuous improvement,” he said.

[email protected]

Martin Cash
News reporter

Martin Cash has been writing columns and business news for the Free Press since 1989. During those years he chronicled a number of business cycles and the rise and fall (and rise) of the fortunes of many local businesses.

Read the full biography