The RACE:
Survival of the Fastest
“The RACE: Survival of the Fastest” was the title of the the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association or APMA Annual Conference & Exhibition that took place in June in Windsor. This Canada’s premier event for OE (original equipment) suppliers, provides the largest networking opportunity for those involved in the Canadian automotive industry.
In photo: Jonathon Rodzik
The event was supported by Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMKM) in close collaboration with the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation (WE EDC). It featured a ONE DAY format event of industry leading speakers addressing key issues facing the industry while sharing strategic insights to focus on the opportunities.
APMA’s Concurrent Sessions highlighted and discussed key strategic areas of focus for automotive suppliers that shape the next generation of the auto industry. As the automotive industry rapidly evolves, manufacturing processes, technologies, materials, future propulsion systems and vehicle designs all impact the future factory, future vehicles and future infrastructure.
The APMA Annual Conference and Exhibition embodies all facets impacting the industry today and in the future. Canadian companies are on the leading edge of many of these technological disruptions and the event featured key executive presentations from Honda of Canada Mfg., Toyota Motor North America Research & Development, Yazaki and Linamar to name a few.
In the new world of the automotive industry, the one where ACES (Automated, Connected, Electric and Shared) is driving the global OEM (original equipment manufacturers) to rapidly transition and transform their business models from selling and financing vehicles to selling kilometers, services and electrons, the connectTEC Conference – The In.tel.li.gent Network aspires to bring together Canada’s leaders in auto, industry and infrastructure to discuss the challenges and identify the opportunities that lie ahead for Canadian manufacturers.
The day before the conference, the APMA offered B2B meetings for manufacturers and manufacturing technology companies in the OE automotive space. This year’s speakers like: 
Flavio Volpe – APMA President (pictured on left), John McElroy from Blue Sky Productions, Inc, Peter Hall, Vice President and Chief Economist, Export Development Canada, Tom Lake, Executive Vice President, Honda of Canada Mfg. Inc., Michael Robinet, Executive Director, IHS Markit Automotive Advisory, Greta Cutulenco, CEO & Co-Founder, Acerta Analytics Solutions, Linda Hasenfratz, Chief Executive Officer, Linamar Corporation, Bo Andersson, President & CEO, Yazaki North and Central America; President, Yazaki Europe Ltd., Bernard Mangler, Senior Vice President, Automotive Solutions, Siemens AG and Jeff Makarewicz (pictured on right), Group Vice President, Vehicle, Quality & Safety Engineering, Toyota Motor North America Research & Development, made this event additionally valuable and their automotive insight was highly appreciated.
Besides the many other exhibitors including two universities was The Narmco Group in Windsor and Jonathon Rodzik. As usual a few hundred people from Canada, the USA, and others from all over the globe came to the 2019 APMA conference. In this group was the first time participant Dr Arunvnay Prabakaran, from India, who found the event very informative and saw it as a great chance for future cooperation. He was invited by Canadian Moldmakers during their February 2019 visit in his company.
And, in the end, let me quote the executive market share prediction by 2040:
30% (BEVs – battery electric vehicle)
25% (HEVs -hybrids)
23% (FCEVs – fuel cell vehicles) and
23% (ICE – internal comb. engines)
(Source: https://apma.ca/)
Arleta Sziler
Windsor-Detroit.
