There has been a lot of activity in Mississauga surrounding advanced manufacturing this month that will add to the size and strength of our sector, and elevate Mississauga’s profile as a city that spurs innovation and produces leading technologies and world-class products.
Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC), located in Mississauga, is identified as a strong contributor to the rise of corporate innovation in North America, and I was fortunate to tour the facility and learn about the exciting projects that they are working on.
Through the leadership of Paul Smith, Vice President and Centre Director, XRCC is not only recognized for their work in pioneering advanced materials, but the nurturing of an innovation hub that provides start-ups with co-located space with access to labs and scale-up engineering pilot plants. This hub is also home to the Research Innovation and Commercialization (RIC) Centre, Green Centre of Canada and the Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE).
Adding to the momentum of innovative activity in Mississauga is the development of the National Research Council (NRC) Mississauga Research Facility, currently under construction. This is very exciting because this is NRC’s first investment in an R&D facility in the Greater Toronto Area and will adjoin the XRCC campus. The facility will become a hub for advanced materials and development in Canada and a catalyst for advanced materials innovation and commercialization. The facility is anticipated to complete construction in the spring with an opening in the fall of 2019. It will be a great contribution to our expanding innovation ecosystem.
Today, Mississauga is home to a diverse and robust advanced manufacturing sector that includes aerospace, automotive, food and beverage and clean technologies. In fact, Mississauga has the largest aerospace sector in Canada with over 320 companies employing over 27,000 people, and this sector continues to grow.
It was just announced that Bombardier signed a long-term lease of approximately 38 acres of property at Toronto Pearson International Airport on which Bombardier is planning to open a new centre of excellence and final assembly plant for its Global business jets. This investment is one of the largest developments in Mississauga’s history and further strengthens Mississauga’s position as a global leader in aerospace.
Mississauga also has a strong food and beverage sector that generates $9.3 billion in economic impact, and continues to expand with the recent investment from Campbell’s Soup. Campbell’s will be relocating its head office to Mississauga that will include a food centre of excellence, adding to the size and diversity of the sector.
This cluster of activity in the advanced manufacturing sector is very exciting and reinforces that Mississauga is at the forefront of being an innovative city. We have a supportive ecosystem that supports innovation and all the right ingredients to continue to attract high-value, knowledge based companies.
