Manufacturing Innovation In Atlantic Canada Executive Contents Summary 3 Manufacturing in Atlantic Canada Manufacturing Innova- tion In Atlantic Canada 4 SYSPRO in Atlantic Canada investigates manufactur- ing trends, government 5 Local Insight, Flexible Software, incentives, academic Global Results and private alliances and growth with a collection of SYSPRO customer stories, 6 Incentives and Innovation local insights and future predictions. 7 Innovation in Action: Customers Stories With over 500 manufactur- 7 Innovation in Action: ing and wholesale custom- SYSPRO and Crosby Molasses ers in the region, SYSPRO, a leading provider of en- 8 Innovation in Action: terprise resource planning SYSPRO and BioVectra software and services, has been at the frontline of the 9 Innovation in Action: evolving manufacturing SYSPRO and SureShot Dispensing Systems sector in Atlantic Canada for more than 15 years. 10 Innovation in Action: John Fahey, SYSPRO and SABIAN Cymbals President SYSPRO CANADA 11 Future of Atlantic Canada Manufacturing 12 About the Author – John Fahey 12 About SYSPRO 2 Manufacturing Innovation In Atlantic Canada | www.syspro.com Manufacturing in Atlantic Canada Traditional industries continue to evolve and thrive. Oil, gas and hydroelectric resources remain evident in Newfoundland and Labrador. Agricultural success continues in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). Nova Scotia, often referred to as ‘the gateway to Canada,’ continues to produce and invest in world-class shipbuilding. New Brunswick, Canada’s only official bi-lingual province, remains an important area for forestry, food processing and fishing. Against a backdrop of traditional in- dustries – new, innovative manufac- Atlantic Canada’s coasts, turing companies have also emerged natural resources and to serve local, national and global culture have made it markets. an important part of Canada’s history and Atlantic Canada continues to breed development. manufacturers and businesses that withstand the test of time including family businesses that transcend mul- tiple generations. Manufacturing Innovation In Atlan- tic Canada, features four businesses that are redefining the manufacturing landscape. All of the businesses are local success stories. Each company is a global market leader. Every company profiled relies on SYSPRO software to run its business. Our customer spotlights include: BioVectra, a supplier to the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries Family-owned and operated molasses manufacturer, Crosby’s Dispensing pioneer, SureShot Dispensing Systems, and Cymbal designer and manufacturer, SABIAN www.syspro.com | Manufacturing Innovation In Atlantic Canada 3 SYSPRO in Atlantic Canada A global leader in Enterprise Resource Planning tinual focus to service a mid-market manufacturing (ERP) software and solutions, SYSPRO is an indepen- and wholesale distribution customer base has al- dent company with 35 years’ experience helping lowed SYSPRO to develop software that truly makes small and mid-sized manufacturing and wholesale sense for smaller companies – we’ve focused on companies simplify success by improving control building a simple, scalable solution from day one,” and operational efficiency. said John Fahey, President of SYSPRO Canada. With more than 500 Atlantic Canadian custom- “We know that small and mid-sized companies gain ers, SYSPRO and its Halifax-based team have been competitive advantage from speed and flexibility. integral to the success of manufacturing in the re- gion for nearly 20 years. With more than 500 Atlantic Canadian customers, SYSPRO and its Halifax-based team have been integral to the success Richard Dyke who leads of manufacturing in the region for nearly 20 years. SYSPRO in Atlantic Cana- da explains, “you would be hard pressed to go anywhere in the region that isn’t serviced by the SYSPRO supply chain. Our customer base is diverse - a real mixed bag.” With customers in aero- space, co-operatives, electronics, emergency vehicles, fish and food processing, furniture, gambling, health ap- plications, industrial dis- tribution, machinery, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications – SYSPRO’s ERP software is The ability for our customers to add, upgrade and flexible and therefore frequently tailored and inte- adopt functionality as they need it, not before, is a grated with many different mission-critical applica- strategic advantage. tions across accounting, manufacturing and distri- bution. SYSPRO’s open architecture is in stark contrast with the closed architecture of many of our ERP com- “Our flexible, open architecture software allows us petitors. It’s important for companies to understand to individually partner with each of our customers as that closed architectures will negatively impact, if we help them extract and create value. Our con- not eliminate agility,” continued Fahey. 4 Manufacturing Innovation In Atlantic Canada | www.syspro.com Local Insight, Flexible Software, Global Results Four years prior to becoming a SYSPRO partner in tirelessly to understand our customers’ businesses, 1988, I was working with my colleagues in Halifax challenges and opportunities. to help manufacturing and distribution compa- nies in Atlantic Canada run their businesses better We embrace being local and continually invest in through custom software solutions and consulting our understanding of businesses, industries, families services. We then became aware of a packaged and culture. Atlantic Canadians are fiercely inde- solution from SYSPRO which worked very well for pendent. We see this independence ring true with us and also suited the growing diversity of our cus- many of our jack-of-all-trades customers. tomer base here in Atlantic Canada. My team and I will continue to roll-up our sleeves With such a mosaic of Atlantic Canadian custom- with new potential clients. We create value and ers across industries we needed to meet the needs of a huge range of companies. Increasingly, we recommended SYSPRO as the ERP platform of With such a mosaic of Atlantic choice. Canadian customers across industries we needed to meet In 1988, we took the opportunity to strengthen our the needs of a huge range of ties with SYSPRO and gain exclusivity in Atlantic companies. Increasingly, we Canada – becoming a value-added reseller (VAR). recommended SYSPRO In 2006 we became a wholly-owned subsidiary as the ERP platform of of SYSPRO. It was clear to us that SYSPRO values choice. quality over quantity of its partners and it invests Richard Dyke, resources and effort to make its partnerships suc- Vice-President and General Manager cessful. SYSPRO Business Solutions Inc. Twenty years on, our customer relationships con- tinue to grow – working as the sales and services insight by working in partnership with our custom- arm of SYSPRO in the Atlantic region, our 500-strong ers – from the shop floor to the management and customer base has retention rates of 98%. executive level. In 2014, our ‘20-year class of customers’ will come Working as a relatively small player in the global forward. 20-year customer relationships are impres- software market, we love to help our clients punch sive in any industry, but it’s fair to say that length of above their weight – as we also continue to bat- relationship is particularly impressive in the software tle in situations and markets where we’re not sup- business. posed to win. We attribute our continued success, which we thank our customers for, to truly understanding lo- Richard Dyke, cal market dynamics and being able to build re- Vice-President and General Manager, lationships with our customers over time. We work SYSPRO Business Solutions Inc. www.syspro.com | Manufacturing Innovation In Atlantic Canada 5 Incentives and Innovation in Atlantic Canada Many manufacturers in Atlantic Canada have “Our Government is committed taken advantage of government incentives to helping innovators in to modernize, improve and grow their busi- Atlantic Canada Succeed.” nesses including many technology-led initia- tives. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Since 2006, The Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF), which is designed to help Canadians com- pete in the global economy, has invested over $500 million in commercial and institu- tional projects. Peter Mackay Member of Parliament for Cen- tral Nova and Minister of Justice and Attorney General in the Cabinet of Canada explains the goal of the AIF, “our Government is com- mitted to helping Atlantic Canada’s business- es to move innovative ideas from the lab to the marketplace.” Support from the AIF has included resources to aid the development of two SYSPRO customers have also benefitted from the generic drugs by SYSPRO customer BioVectra. federal Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program (DTAPP). Provincial opportunities Specifically focused on increasing the productiv- also exist ity growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), DTAPP is part of the Government of Cana- In Nova Scotia, the Productivity & Innovation da’s Digital Economy Strategy. The program is de- Voucher Program continues to provide small busi- signed for incorporated firms with 500 employees or nesses with less than 100 employees funding op- fewer that are interested in speeding up their rate portunities to acquire direct assistance from Nova of digital technology adoption and skills develop- Scotia universities and colleges. ment. The vouchers “SYSPRO applauds the Canadian Government’s effort to “As Canadian are designed support innovation through technology and continuous business lead- to drive in- improvement such as