COLUMNS

By Alain Albert There comes a time in any manufacturer’s journey where the factory he or she gave birth to grows to become an unwieldy, out-of-control, tangled mess. Where it once was so easy for one person to know what inventory was…

I really like maple trees, but the tree that I’m the most familiar with is actually the most common tree in Canada, the Populus tremuloides, more commonly and (apparently) more properly known as the quaking aspen. We just called it the…

By Munish Mehta It is no secret that Canadians have been caught up in the start-up culture that has emerged across various industries. According to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s small business statistics, there…

An often-overlooked aspect of digital manufacturing is how to hold down the material while performing the machining operation. Over the years and after talking to various manufacturers large and small at one end of the country or the…

It was harder than I had anticipated. But that’s because I didn’t think it through. I wanted to visit a furniture factory in Cambodia, and that isn’t what the tour operators usually handle. I’m not sure they quite believed that was…

Going to court can be expensive. However, in some circumstances, a lower-cost option is available. The Small Claims Court is a branch of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that is designed to be a people’s court and a “court of…

Where manual and fine art meet By Paul Epp I go to a lot of museums. I see it as professional development. I’m kind of in that business myself. I design things and I try to do a good job. Museums collect and display things that are done…

As 2018 is just barely poking its head out on a cold January morning, there is no doubt that we are living in a technological revolution the likes of which humanity has never experienced before. Chances are that some form of technology…

At this point, many of us have heard about the increases to the minimum wage that have taken effect across the province of Ontario. This change is part of the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, also known as Bill 148, which is intended…

New software can transform a business, increase productivity and improve the bottom line, all the while making the work of the team members easier — when it’s done right, of course. We all must come to grips and accept that woodworking is…

I hate being embarrassed. Most of us do. Our dislike of that self-conscious sting is part of what keeps us behaving in a socially acceptable way and that’s a good thing. But we tend to remember when we get caught out. Years ago, I was…

Rocky residential real estate landscape Joseph and Anna Canuck are retired and living mortgage-free in their 2,100-square-foot bungalow in Vaughan, Ont. After years of home ownership, they have decided to downsize by mov- ing into a…

If you manufacture a custom or a customizable product, you have probably wondered how it could possibly sell online. We’ve all seen those fancy flash websites where you can design a wardrobe or put together all the options and build a new…

ELIMINATING SOME INCOME TAX ADVANTAGES On July 18, 2017, the Federal Department of Finance announced proposed changes to the Income Tax Act (the ITA) in Canada that are intended to “level the playing field” by removing certain tax…

I was recently helping another designer with a project — a kind of DIY project — and in this case I was playing the role of fabricator, not designer. At a certain point, I told the designer that we had a problem, that there was an issue…