Vanguard Magazine

Through its Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) obligations, Lockheed Martin is investing in four SMEs in Canada. The news was announced today in Ottawa by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, at CANSEC, Canada's premier defence and security trade show. "The investments that result from the Government of Canada's Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy create high-skilled, well-paying middle-class jobs for Canadians," Minister Bains said. The minister pointed out that the ITB Policy helps Canadian busi- nesses to grow, innovate and export, which plays an important role in Canada's economy. The ITB Policy, which was formerly called the Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy (IRB), requires successful suppliers to make invest- ments in Canada equal to the value of the defence contract they have been awarded. This has con- tributed to investments of $30 billion in Canada's economy since 1986. Since that time there have been over 130 contracts with more than $41 bil- lion in obligations to invest in Canada, with over 90 per cent completed or have started. As part of its ITB obligations for the in-service support of the C-130J Super Hercules, Minister Bain announced that Lockheed Martin is making investments in four Canadian companies that will generate jobs and grow the economy. Lockheed Martin invests in four companies as part of its ITB obligations Marine and defence industries to benefit from new 3D printing centre The four companies that will benefit from this investment are: • Gastops Ltd., an Ottawa firm that provides state-of-the-art sensing equipment for use in advanced fluid testing • Contextere, an emerging Industrial Internet of Things software company in Ottawa that is de- veloping a new wearable and mobile technology to help industrial workers be safer and more ef- ficient • Metamaterial Technologies Inc., a Halifax com- pany that is designing and developing new multi-functional materials to help solar panels absorb more light • Solace Power Inc., a wireless power research and development company based in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador "Under this policy, Lockheed Martin is supporting research and technological breakthroughs that will help these firms grow and become part of 10 JUNE/JULY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com s sIt rEP supply chains here and abroad," Minister Bains said. This is seen as a win-win situation as it supports the development of new products and emerging technologies that will aid Canadian companies to meet the future needs of the CAF and also compete globally. "We are using invest- ments in the Canadian Armed Forces and Coast Guard to drive the kind of innovation that will grow small businesses and boost our economy as a whole," he added. Minister Bains also took the opportunity to un- veil the Innovation Wall at CANSEC, which is spon- sored by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries. The Innovation Wall covers the last century in Canadian defence and security in- novations with a photo and story collage highlight- ing a significant innovation in each decade. The defence industry in Canada comprises of over 650 firms, employing more than 63,000 full-time workers and contributes $9.4 billion in revenue to the economy. May 25th marked a momentous day for the ma- rine and defence industries in Canada. It was on this day that Canada's first research centre for 3D printing for these industries was launched. Named the Marine Additive Manufacturing Cen- tre of Excellence, this new centre is located on the campus of the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton and is the first such centre in Canada, according to a press release, that will "combine research, commercialization and workforce de- velopment and training." The $5-million centre became a reality due to the hard work and collaborative efforts of the University of New Brunswick, Custom Fabricators and Machin- ists (CFM) and community colleges in New Bruns- wick and Nova Scotia, with funding from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. The research and development element of the centre will be led by Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, director of the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UNB, who said that the technology that will be used is greener and more efficient than conventional methods. CFM will manage the commercialization phase while the New Brunswick Community College, Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Nova Scotia Community College will take the lead in workforce development and training. Through this partnership, the centre will be the first in Canada to use 3D metal printing technology for manufacturing certified and cus- tom parts for the marine sector with the aim of remaining at the leading edge of 3D printing by developing new methods, procedures, and effec- tive training programs. As part of its industrial and regional benefits ob- ligation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has contrib- uted $2.7-million to the centre. Charles Bouchard, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Canada said that they are very pleased to see their ITB being used to support innovations such as 3D metal printing, which is the way of the future. "Our Value Proposition commitments allow us to invest in game-changers like this one," Kevin McCoy, President of Irving Shipbuilding Inc., said about Irving's investment of $750,000 as part of its Value Proposition commitments under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This, ac- cording to McCoy, will "help achieve the National Shipbuilding Strategy's goal of creating a sustain- able and vibrant Canadian marine industry." The Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence is expected to triple its funding in the coming year with new partners looking to participate. "The investments by Irving Shipbuilding and by Lockheed Martin show how we can leverage military procurements to generate support for the new ideas and highly skilled workforce that will sustain our marine sector for years to come," said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Sci- ence and Economic Development.

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