In this edition:
Feature article
Facility Expansion Doubles Manufacturing Capacity
Advance Millwrights has completed their major renovation and expansion project, adding 20,000 sq. ft. of new shop space and overhauling the existing shop and office areas. The additional space and equipment upgrades will facilitate the rapid and continued growth after years of success, allowing us to grow our team and add new equipment to better serve our customers.
This expansion included a significant enhancement to our painting department, home to a new paint and bake booth.
Our painting process now includes a phosphate wash that is used to prepare equipment or parts, ensuring that it is free from dirt and grease, helping the paint to adhere to the surface. This process greatly improves the quality of the application and longevity of the end result. The paint and bake process then decreases the drying time to 45 minutes, reducing downtime caused by waiting for paint to dry and expediting the overall process from fabrication to shipping.
To accommodate the increase in work capability, we have also expanded the department, hiring a new team of painters. This new team is eager to get started and joins our growing team of fabricators and general labourers in our shop.
The expansion will also be bringing a new in-house 6KW Trumpf TruLaser 3030. This piece of equipment will be instrumental in improving efficiency and expanding our offerings to customers as we gain the ability to cut parts in-house. This impressive piece of machinery is capable of cutting stainless material up to 1.125” thick and can handle sheets or plates up to 60”x120” in size. The BrightLine Fiber technology guarantees the highest edge quality and uses CoolLine technology to ensure cutting precision. The new laser is expected to arrive later this year.
A new HVAC system was also installed for improved air quality along with four 10-ton overhead cranes in the new space. These cranes will be paramount in moving large pieces as they proceed through the various stages of completion.
The office was renovated as well, adding new offices, a larger boardroom and lunchroom for all employees, additional parking, and refreshing the existing space.
We are excited to be able to take on more complex projects and reduce turn-around times to better serve our customers across North America with these new improvements and upgrades.
Industry Trends
Influx of E-commerce Weighs Heavy on Distribution Centres
2020 shaped up to be a transformative year in the world of e-commerce – especially in Canada. When compared with sales from May 2019, e-commerce sales have more than doubled with a 110.8% increase, reaching a record high of $3.9 billion.¹
This doesn’t come as a surprise given the circumstances of the pandemic. In 2020, the percentage of consumers who make at least 40% of their purchases online had already doubled by April 2020 according to a report by JP Morgan.²
The rise in e-commerce is expected to continue to rise beyond the pandemic and it is predicted that Canada will run out of warehouse space, needing forty million square feet of additional space, within the next five years.³
Already feeling the pressure to keep up with demand, distributors are left with deciding to undergo major renovations, expansions and robotics upgrades, or leveraging smart conveyor systems and integrating new technology into existing operations to increase efficiencies and avoid falling behind. Many have already begun expanding their current operations by way of adding mezzanine levels and additional lines to grow output capabilities and upgrading equipment with barcode readers, diverters, and buffer systems to drastically reduce stoppage time.
Although there has been some talk of automation removing jobs, the data shows that the jobs aren’t disappearing but have merely shifted, with the new automated processes doing the heavy lifting. Workers work alongside these automated processes to keep operations running in smooth order.4 The influx of automation has also increased the demand for high-paying positions in programming and engineering. If you’re looking to automate systems, renovate and expand current operations, or build a brand new facility, our team at Advance Millwrights can help. Visit our website or send us a message at sales@advancemillwrights.com to find out how we can help with your industrial and logistics operations.
1. https://www.150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28- 0001/2020001/article/00064-eng.htm n.gc.ca)
2. https://www.jpmorgan.com/merchant-services/ insights/reports/canada-2020
3. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-23/e-commerce-explosion-to-fuel-warehousebuilding-boom-in-canada
4. https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/why-thee- commerce-boom-could-mean-more-jobs-1.3653960?cache=%3FclipId%3D89750
New at Advance Millwrights
Advance Millwrights Welcomes Western PM & Estimator
Advance Millwrights is thrilled to welcome Johnathon Sundberg to the team as Project Manager and Estimator in Western Canada. Based in Alberta, Johnathon will lead our efforts out west, providing the region with an accessible physical presence and improving the customer experience from conception to installation.
Johnathon comes to Advance Millwrights bringing a wealth of industry knowledge with over 30 years of experience in the light and heavy industrial construction sector, primarily in agriculture, as both a Millwright and Project Manager. He has worked with household names like Cargill Ltd. and Burnbrae Farms and recently completed his Project Management Professional designation.
This growth into Western Canada comes after years of increasing sales in the region, resulting in a desire to better serve these customers. Grain production has seen significant growth in recent years with no real signs of slowing down. Production – plus carry-in from the previous year – jumped 60% from 2001 to 2018 and has continued to see growth since then, especially in barley, oats, and soybeans.¹ ²
We are thrilled to have Jonathon on the team and are excited to make our expertise more readily available across Western Canada as we continue to provide world-class service in fabrication, automation, project management, installation, and maintenance.
As always, our sales team is ready to help you complete your project and can be reached at sales@advancemillwrights.com.
1. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00064-eng.htm n.gc.ca)
2. https://www.jpmorgan.com/merchant-services/insights/reports/canada-2020
Industry Subsidies
Agri-Innovate to Subsidize Manufacturing & Automation Upgrades
Now in the middle of its five-year investment, the Canadian Agriculture Partnership continues to bolster Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector. The partnership’s funds cover six priority areas within the program:
- Science, research and innovation
- Markets and trade
- Environmental sustainability and climate change
- Value-added agriculture and agrifood processing
- Public trust
- Risk management
The program has positioned itself to benefits a wide range of improvement efforts within the industry.
The Agri-Innovate Program focuses on improvements that will “accelerate the commercialization, adoption and/or demonstration of innovative products, technologies, processes or services that increase sector competitiveness and sustainability.”¹ Among the list of priority areas are upgrades that will increase productivity through manufacturing, automation or robotics.
Eligible to businesses, corporations, and co-operatives, now is the time to apply to help subsidize automation upgrades. Projects must be completed by 2023 with funding covering up to 50% of total eligible costs up to a maximum of $10 million. ¹
When it comes to agriculture automation, Advance Millwrights’ Certo-Tech palletizing does it best. Our Certo-Tech systems are built with the highest quality, offering solutions from individual pieces of equipment to total turn-key projects.
To learn more about our Certo-
Tech automation solutions, visit our website.
Project Showcase
Distribution Warehouse Expansion Complete
Advance Millwrights recently completed an expansion project in a warehouse for a leading office supplier in Canada, to increase output capacity and storage capabilities. The project included sourcing and installing the equipment for a two-story pick line to integrate with current site operations.
An increase in online sales has resulted in warehouse, fulfilment, and distribution facilities everywhere upgrading and expanding capabilities to meet the influx of demand. Knowing these online sales show no signs of slowing down, this office supplies retailer reached out to Advance Millwrights to take their operation to the next level and meet their upcoming demands.
To start, Advance Millwrights installed a conveyor system for a pick line, complete with a camera diverter that includes a barcode reader to increase speed and efficiency. Along with the camera system are sensors to stage boxes to mitigate the risk of jam-ups and avoid downtime.
This multilevel system includes a spiral decline conveyor to bring boxes to the lower level which also uses the camera and sensor system to move boxes along the lower pick line. The electrical work and programming of the PLC system were completed by Industrial Contracting Solutions, our sister company with who we partner to provide full-service solutions.
Advance Millwrights is well-versed in fabricating, sourcing, and installing complete conveyor systems, platforms, and more for manufacturing and distribution facilities – whether it’s building a new system from scratch or integrating into current operations.
Get in touch to find out how we can help: sales@advancemillwrights.com.
A Message From Our President
2021 is well underway and has been an exciting year for us so far. We are putting the final touches on our building renovation and expansion, and have begun settling into the new space. Our increased shop space and upgraded equipment will help to serve all of our incredible customers even better. We have also grown our efforts in Western Canada with the hiring of Jonathan Sundberg, his expertise will be integral as we grow
across Canada and we couldn’t be more thrilled for what the future holds.
Our incredible team has been working diligently to continue to work to put out the highest quality of product, even during this pandemic. We are so thankful to both our employees and all of our customers for their continued support.
As we carry on this year, I look forward to filling out our new facility and continuing our upwards trajectory. Thank you for joining us on this journey and for reading this edition of IMPACT.
Brad Shantz
President
Advanced Millwrights Inc.