FEATURES

The convention, held June 11–13 under the theme Built to Lead, brought manufacturers, suppliers, inspectors, specification writers, architects and association leaders into the same room at a moment when the industry is being asked to manage…

Canadian secondary wood manufacturers entered 2026 with less work moving through the system than a year earlier. Shipments were down, new orders were weaker and backlogs had declined in both major industry groups covered by Statistics…

Residential renovation work took on a larger role in the first quarter of 2026, while new construction continued to carry several major categories. The national figures show a construction sector moving unevenly, with different pressures in…

The national totals show the split clearly. Multi-unit housing is absorbing better at completion than detached product, with 73% of completed multi-unit units absorbed at completion, compared with 64% of completed detached homes. Finished…

A new study of British Columbia’s secondary wood manufacturing sector by Lili Sun, Rico Chan, and Bryan Bogdanski examines how efficiently firms convert inputs into outputs, and how the sector’s productivity has changed over time. For…

Canada’s housing-start figures remained positive through the first quarter of 2026, but the underlying construction cycle continued to lose momentum beneath the headline totals.

In a market defined by pressure to expand, adapt, and differentiate, the most effective manufacturers are not those doing more. They are the ones doing the right things with greater clarity, control, and intention. Across this issue, that…

In a sector where many shops are under pressure to widen their offer, Trueline Moulding Group has taken a narrower route. The Kelowna, B.C.-based manufacturer, incorporated in 2012 after acquiring Rise & Run Manufacturing, has built its…

Herminia Ibarra and Morten T. Hansen’s “Are you a collaborative leader?” identifies four leadership capabilities that are especially relevant for business owners and managers: connecting people and ideas, engaging diverse talent, modeling…

Leadership is usually measured by visible business outcomes: meeting targets, controlling costs, solving problems, and keeping operations on schedule.  While those measures matter, research Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis suggests that…

For business owners, especially those leading lean companies, the idea lands close to home. The problem is not only that too much work exists. The problem is that constant input, interruptions, and responsibility can quietly erode judgment…

In small and mid-sized manufacturing environments, leadership expectations are often compressed into a single role. Owners, supervisors, and production leads are expected to interpret market shifts, manage people, drive strategy, and solve…

It might just be the most important piece of equipment in the shop: it supports every department, it’s reliable with near-perfect uptime, it’s universally adopted and requires little-to-no training.

Canada’s construction investment profile in Q4 2025 reflects a familiar but intensifying dynamic. Residential activity continues to carry overall growth, driven increasingly by renovations and multi-unit construction, while non-residential…

Family business succession is often framed as a future leadership milestone. In practice, research suggests it is a current operational concern. Studies on family firms show that only about 30 percent survive the transition from the first…

Pour les propriétaires, les directeurs généraux et les superviseurs d’atelier, la question centrale n’est pas seulement de savoir si les employés approuvent une décision. Il s’agit plutôt de savoir s’ils croient que cette décision a été…

For owners, general managers, and shop supervisors, the central question is not only whether employees approve of a decision. It is whether they believe the decision was made through a process that was understandable, consistent, and…

For many small and growing companies, innovation is essential to staying competitive. Whether it’s adopting new technology, entering a new market, or rethinking processes, forward-thinking investments often determine long-term success.…