MAGAZINE The official magazine of Automate Canada.Issue 8, Spring 2026 Canada Post Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 Learning from the Past, Empowering Canada’s FutureThe official publication of Automate Canada |www.automatecanada.ca 5 contents 10 Thirty-Five Years of Change: What the Automation Industry Has Learned – and Where It’s Going 14 Smart Solutions: Navigating Growth in a Changing Automation Landscape up front 7 Greetings from the Chair of Automate Canada 8 All About Automate Canada 9 Board of Directors 9 Why Should You Join Automate Canada features Member Showcase 16 POW Engineering: Strength Through Innovation, Integration, and Resilience 20 Con-Syst-Int: Three Decades of Resilience, Process, and Adaptation Cover photo courtesy of ONYX Engineering. 22 Index to Advertisers Issue 8, Spring 2026 Published For: Automate Canada Institute for Border Logistics and Security 3475 Wheelton Drive Windsor, Ontario N8W 0A6 Email: info@automatecanada.ca Tel: (519) 817-6260 Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Return all undeliverable addresses to: 309 Youville Street Winnipeg, MB R2H 2S9 Toll-Free: (866) 999-1299 Toll-Free Fax: (866) 244-2544 sales@matrixgroupinc.net www.matrixgroupinc.net President & CEO Jack Andress Operations Manager Shoshana Weinberg sweinberg@matrixgroupinc.net Senior Publisher Jessica Potter jpotter@matrixgroupinc.net Publishers Julie Welsh, Christine Scarisbrick Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net Editors Paul Adair, Jenna Collignon, Rich Cowan, Kaitlin Vitt Finance / Administration Lloyd Weinberg, Nathan Redekop accounting@matrixgroupinc.net Director of Circulation & Distribution Lloyd Weinberg distribution@matrixgroupinc.net Sales Manager Jeff Cash jcash@matrixgroupinc.net Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Account Executives Layout & Design Kayti McDonald Advertising Design James Robinson © 2026 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. To advertise in the next edition of Automate Canada Magazine, please e-mail sales@matrixgroupinc.net or call (866) 999-1299.The official publication of Automate Canada |www.automatecanada.ca 7 UpFront Dave Fortin Chair, Board of Directors Automate Canada y now, everyone has seen videos of humanoid robots doing work, dancing, running, and other miraculous feats! If you have not, then I would like to know what rock you are living under. (I joke, of course). Some of these videos are fake, some have the robots controlled remotely via a virtual reality headset, and some are 100% real. Concentration of technologies in U.S. and China Humanoid robot companies are popping up all over the world and, not surprisingly, the heaviest concentration of these companies is in the United States and China. In the U.S. the three largest of these are, arguably: 1. Tesla due to the vast amount of capital they are spending on development and manufacturing. 2. Boston Dynamics (owned by Hyundai) with their relatively new Atlas robot. 3. Figure AI with their Figure 02 and 03 robots. They are also coming off a 40B valuation round. In China, there are a dizzying number of companies in this space. A couple worth noting are Unitree, which has been at most of the larger industrial trade shows, and Agile Robotics , which has recently bought Thyssen Krupp System Are We at the Cusp of the Age of Humanoid Robotics? Engineering out of Germany (with a large facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and well known in the automotive machine building circles). In Canada we have two companies (that I know of), Sanctuary AI , out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Mirsee Robotics , out of Cambridge, Ontario. Convergence of factors With the convergence of miniaturized motion control, advanced materials, 3D printing, advanced mechanical engineering design techniques, and mass production to bring the cost of business down and, most importantly, artificial intelligence (AI), we are on the cusp of seeing humanoid robots as common. Getting these robots to autonomously or semi autonomously do tasks is not necessarily easy. A lot of work is – and still needs to – go into teaching them, ensuring safety around humans, and situational awareness (like not falling off a step or bumping into a post). Initial humanoid applications will be in dangerous or remote environments, as well as to augment labour shortages in industrial settings, and then niche applications will follow, such as robots in hospitals to do routine tasks, and routine material handling. Potential uses and responses Imagine a fleet of robots, each continuously learning new skills in the field. As soon as one robot masters something new, it sends that knowledge back to a central AI hub. That hub then distributes the newly acquired skill across the entire fleet. The result? Learning doesn’t happen one robot at a time – it scales instantly. You move from linear progress to exponential capability growth, unlocking an ever- expanding range of applications and use cases. So, what should we do with this information? Here are some options: 1. Ignore it and assume that AI and humanoid robotics will never quite deliver, as we have all seen in sci-fi flicks. 2. Invest in some of these companies. 3. Begin looking at applications and opportunities (for your businesses) that perhaps are one to two years into the future. 4. Wait and see before deciding on options 1, 2, or 3. Future uses I recently talked to Tarek Rahim, CEO of Mirsee Robotics, and he said, “The humanoid industry represents a pivotal opportunity to leverage our world-class AI expertise and transform it into tangible manufacturing leadership on the global stage. By fostering this emerging sector now, we can position ourselves at the forefront of the next industrial revolution while creating high skilled jobs and sustainable growth for generations to come.” Good luck in making your decision. While all indications point to wide scale manufacturing and adoption, we still may need another year to be certain. A large part of the success in the wide adoption of humanoid robotics will depend on the capability and utilization of AI to ensure safety and localized awareness. I’m interested to see where this lands! With the convergence of miniaturized motion control, advanced materials, 3D printing, advanced mechanical engineering design techniques, cost effective mass production, and artificial intelligence, the emergence of Humanoid Robots as commonplace does not seem so far off in the future. 8 Spring 2026 utomate Canada is a Canadian industry association representing Canada’s industrial automation sector, service providers, and suppliers. Founded in 2018 by the Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMM) and supported by Invest Windsor-Essex and NRC-IRAP, Automate Canada is an informative community of vibrant industry leaders who are facilitating the development and adoption of technology. Canada has established a reputation as a hub for innovation in manufacturing automation and we are proud to be a part of such an impressive industry. Representing one of Canada’s most essential technology industries, industrial automation contributes an estimated $7 billion to Canada’s economy yearly and creates approximately 40,000 jobs per year. Our industry contributions continue to grow and expand as technology continues to advance. Automate Canada leads, advocates, and showcases the Canadian automation industry strengths and capabilities. We assist and promote our members and engage in activities that support business success and innovation expertise. We invest in market and industry research to identify emerging trends and issues within our industry and assist our members with any challenges. We have fostered relationships with trade commissioners, government officials, and international companies to ensure our place as a voice for our members and industry. Our strategic pillars provide a roadmap to represent our industry locally, nationally, and globally and structures our focus when advocating to government and developing new programs. Our pillars and roadmap also ensure that we are addressing the needs of our member companies. One of our pillars is Skill and Talent Development within which we work to address skilled labour shortages and provide our members with the knowledge to transition to Industry 4.0 practices and digital transformations. Our efforts are geared towards methods of developing a talent pipeline of skilled and ready personnel interested in advanced manufacturing. We work with partners, such as We Build a Dream and the YMCA, to attract under- represented groups to our industry and to develop All About Automate Canada UpFront programs to encourage their involvement. We create and provide access to learning and training programs for our members and promote upskilling and reskilling opportunities to ensure our members and their employees are ready to adopt new technologies. Automate Canada also embraces equality, diversity, and inclusion practices and provides information for our members to adopt these practices. We work with federal and provincial governments to advocate for the importance of skill development in our industry. We develop youth-focused initiatives and work with secondary and post-secondary institutions on curriculum development to ensure the training being provided is keeping up with innovation and preparing youth to enter the workforce, while cultivating an interest in advanced manufacturing. Another one of our strategic pillars is Branding and Collaboration. Within this pillar we develop partnerships to promote ‘Made in Canada’ products as good value with high quality. We work with our partners to ensure Canadian industrial automation maintains their reputation as innovative and reliable while promoting our members to increase global relationships and foster business opportunities. Our strategic pillar, Technology and Innovation, aims to support our members in their transition to Industry 4.0 practices and digital transformations. We promote a culture of innovation and ensure our members have access to funding information, resources, and tools to facilitate their transition. We promote and participate in research and development projects, as well as emerging technologies. We work with our members while developing new technologies and IPs, while performing research and development activities or commercialization plans. We continue to add programs and services for our members including discount and affinity programs, training and development opportunities, and marketing and promotion support. We have a full calendar of upcoming events, including networking opportunities, trade shows, and learning and training events. We will continue to develop creative and innovative ways to benefit our members. Please contact info@automatecanada.ca if you have any questions. The official publication of Automate Canada |www.automatecanada.ca 9 Dave Fortin Chair Dino Oliva Vice-Chair Frank Culmone Treasurer Chris Bladek Director at Large Mike Sirrizotti Director at Large Yashaswini Pagadala Director at Large Steve Del Duca Director at Large Stephane Boucher Director at Large Robin Levesque Director at Large Board of Directors Connect With Automate Canada! www.automatecanada.ca info@automatecanada.ca www.facebook.com/AutomateCan https://x.com/AutomateCanada www.linkedin.com/company/automate-canada Canada has an established global reputation as a hub for innovation in manufacturing automation. Automate Canada leads and advocates for the Canadian automation industry, assisting and promoting our members. Automate Canada is a national association representing companies involved in the industrial automation industry as well as service and supplier companies which provide specialized technologies to our industry. Our mandate is to: • Promote and develop the global exposure of the Canadian industrial automation industry. • Be the voice of our industry to all levels of government. Automate Canada will focus on trade discussions regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) / the United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement (USMCA), the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canada-Mercosur, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as well as on intellectual property, research and development, and commercialization issues. • Encourage the development and adoption of technology in the manufacturing sector as a whole, as well as in the industrial automation industry, and in partnership with post-secondary educational institutions. • Develop the next generation of highly skilled personnel through youth-focused initiatives. • Assist small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the industrial automation industry to grow their businesses locally and globally. • Be committed to working with other organizations and associations to build global relationships. • Assist members to identify opportunities for export. • Invest in market research and industry research in order to identify emerging issues and trends affecting our industry and to target growing markets. • Support Canadian SMEs in their path to prosperity, increased competitiveness, and improved capacity domestically as well as in the international marketplace. • Showcase our industry’s capabilities and strengths on a domestic and global stage through a range of direct activities and materials, like printed and digital directories, online presence, trade shows, B2B meetings, and site visits. LEARN MORE AND JOIN ONLINE! WWW.AUTOMATECANADA.CA/ JOIN Why Should You Join Automate Canada?Next >