Kerrwil-PassingOfElizabethAnneKerr

Kerrwil Mourns the Passing of Elizabeth Anne Kerr, Former President & Director

Kerrwil Media announces with deep sadness the loss of Elizabeth Anne Kerr former President and Director of Kerrwil.  She passed away on April 17, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 68. Elizabeth began her career in the media and marketing industry in 1979, taking on positions of increased responsibilities with various firms. She also founded and owned The WIT Corporation. Joining the family business, Kerrwil Publications Limited Liz served as its President and Director as well as serving as Publisher of Canadian Yachting. Elizabeth was passionate about helping others and most recently volunteered as a mentor at Covenant House, and Verity as a program. She was an integral part of the growth and success of Kerrwil, and was admired for her total dedication to its customers, partners, and employees.

April 24, 2025 - Proax Wins SMC 2025 Automation Innovator Award
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Proax Wins SMC 2025 Automation Innovator Award

Proax Technologies is thrilled to announce that they have received the 2025 Automation Innovator Award from SMC, a global competitor in pneumatic and automation solutions. This prestigious award recognizes Proax’s outstanding contributions in delivering innovative pneumatic systems, custom-engineered solutions, and energy-efficient automation technology to manufacturers across Canada. As an SMC Elite Distributor, this achievement reflects the strength of Proax’s collaboration and the engineering expertise behind every solution they offer.

IPEX Launches New Centre for Advanced Research in Mississauga to Drive Innovation in North America
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IPEX Launches New Centre for Advanced Research in Mississauga to Drive Innovation in North America

IPEX has announced the grand opening of the IPEX Centre for Advanced Research, an investment of over $30 million in a state-of-the-art facility, dedicated to accelerating product innovation and reinforcing the company’s manufacturing operations across North America. Located at 6760 Campobello Rd., the new Centre consolidates IPEX’s innovation processes and will enable the company to bring new products to market faster, while continuing to develop sustainable and reliable piping solutions. The facility will serve a range of customer needs across municipal, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. The facility features over 50,000 sq. ft of operational space dedicated to testing and developing new products, trialing new material formulations, office space, and a training and collaboration area where customers can co-create and experience new product innovations firsthand. IPEX will employ advanced technologies, including 3D printing and AI to further streamline product development.

Canada Stands Tall at Hannover Messe 2025
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Canada Stands Tall at Hannover Messe 2025

Canadian skills and talent were highlighted at Hannover Messe earlier this month Canada had a strong presence as the host country with a wide variety of companies and programs focusing on the development of advance technology. The presence was accentuated by numerous halls hosting Canada pavilions. Partner Country Canada presented itself impressively at HANNOVER MESSE. The innovative role of Canadian companies and institutions in key areas such as artificial intelligence, digitalization and renewable energies is particularly noteworthy. The close cooperation with international partners and the strong focus on sustainable technologies underline Canada’s importance as a dynamic player in the global markets of the future.

Powering Up: How Canadian Innovation is Changing Motor Control
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Powering Up: How Canadian Innovation is Changing Motor Control

SmartD Technologies is a Canadian startup company that has created what they say is the world’s first clean power VFD. Industries around the world stand to benefit from their clean sine technology, which eliminates the negative effects of harmonics and pulse-width modulation found in traditional systems. Simon Leblond, CEO and co-founder of SmartD Technologies, discusses how they are navigating the evolving geopolitical environment to manufacture and deliver their product. SmartD’s clean power VFD uses silicon carbide (SiC) chips. These groundbreaking materials offer faster switching speeds and lower energy losses than conventional semiconductors. SmartD’s VFDs generate a clean sine wave both on the grid and the load side, eliminating the destructive effects of harmonics on the motors and ancillary equipment. This revolution in motor control with a global impact is proudly a Canadian innovation.

Beckhoff: Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz Tested AI-Assisted Engineering for Programming Industrial Control Systems Accompanied by Stéphane Dion, Canada’s Special Envoy for Europe & European Union
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Beckhoff: Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz Tested AI-Assisted Engineering for Programming Industrial Control Systems Accompanied by Stéphane Dion, Canada’s Special Envoy for Europe & European Union

The Beckhoff TwinCAT control software plays a central role in powerful automation solutions. It transforms almost every PC-based system into a real-time controller and, with its modular structure, unites all the necessary control functions, including PLC, motion control, machine safety, measurement technology, image processing, and artificial intelligence. AI in particular opens up immense potential, for example in developing machines and systems faster and more efficiently. TwinCAT CoAgent, the powerful Beckhoff tool for AI-supported engineering, is crucial here. TwinCAT CoAgent is a personal digital assistant for engineers that revolutionizes the entire engineering workflow, as Chancellor Scholz was able to see for himself: by entering a simple prompt in TwinCAT CoAgent, he created a control program that made a Beckhoff XPlanar mover hover in a circle. The Federal Chancellor and Canadian Minister were impressed.

Mar 17 - Hannover Messe_ See How Canada Is Shaping the Future With Technology
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Hannover Messe: See How Canada Is Shaping the Future With Technology

As the exclusive partner country for Hannover Messe, Canada is showcasing 220 of its brightest companies and research organizations in automation, digital transformation, alternative energy, hydrogen, and green technologies. See how Canada is shaping the future. It is home to the world’s top-rated lithium-ion EV battery supply chain, it is a top 10 green hydrogen producer. Unbeknownst to much of the world, it’s all happening in Canada. That’s about to change. At Hannover Messe 2025 the theme this year is Unexpected Canada to show the world what it didn’t know. Canadian dominance across several advanced industries aside, many business leaders don’t know that Canada has the world’s most diverse workforce, decades of economic and political stability, a welcoming culture, and an abundance of natural resources. For the uninitiated, this is why Canada is uniquely positioned as an ideal place to do business.

Promotion of Marcus Graham to the Role of National Channel Manager for Pilz Automation Safety Canada L.P.
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Promotion of Marcus Graham to the Role of National Channel Manager for Pilz Automation Safety Canada L.P.

Pilz Automation Safety Canada L.P. is pleased to announce the promotion of Marcus Graham to the role of National Channel Manager. Marcus will continue his role as Senior Technical Sales Representative for the Southwestern Ontario region, while also taking on the responsibility of overseeing nationwide partnerships with distributors and integrators. In this expanded role, Marcus will not only drive sales in Southwestern Ontario but also strengthen relationships with our valued partners across Canada.

NOARK Launches a 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy to Foster a Diversified Future
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NOARK Launches a 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy to Foster a Diversified Future

This month, NOARK Electric joins their parent company, the CHINT Group, a global smart energy solutions provider, in unveiling their global 2030 sustainable development strategy, marking a milestone in their commitment to building a diversified future. The strategy was launched in collaboration with thousands of supply chain partners and Chief Sustainability officers (CSOs) of the Group’s key subsidiaries.

Gary Martins Joins Weidmuller Canada as Managing Director
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Gary Martins Joins Weidmuller Canada as Managing Director

Weidmüller Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Martins as the new Managing Director for Canada. Gary brings an impressive 28 years of experience in the automation industry, making him the ideal leader to drive Weidmuller Canada’s growth and innovation. Gary’s distinguished career includes key leadership roles at B&R Automation, Murrelektronik, and Phoenix Contact, where his strategic vision and dynamic leadership consistently delivered outstanding results. Renowned for his ability to transform challenges into opportunities, Gary has played a pivotal role in fostering business growth and operational excellence throughout his career.

Main Disconnect – Requirements for Operation in Emergency
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Main Disconnect – Requirements for Operation in Emergency

What are the detailed requirements regarding the main disconnect in terms of operation in emergency? In this webinar the focus is on the requirements of the IEC 60204-1 standard “Electrical Equipment of Machines” and the requirements for Emergency Stop and Switching Off functions​. Siemens’ experts will cover several topics on the subject, and you will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the webinar.

Strategic Partnership Launched: SICK and Endress+Hauser Join Forces in Process Automation
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Strategic Partnership Launched: SICK and Endress+Hauser Join Forces in Process Automation

SICK and Endress+Hauser are bringing their strategic partnership in process automation to life: SICK’s advanced gas analysis and flow measurement technology is now an integral part of Endress+Hauser’s comprehensive instrumentation portfolio. The collaboration is designed to offer customers in the process industry enhanced support in increasing plant efficiency, protecting the environment and reducing carbon footprint.

Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Revival: Repurposing and Extending the Life of Aging ATE Systems
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Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Revival: Repurposing and Extending the Life of Aging ATE Systems

Automated Test Equipment (ATE) and Automated Test Systems (ATS) serve the critical purpose of ensuring that electronic devices operate according to specifications in the field. As such, these systems are widely utilized for testing automotive electronics, batteries, telecom infrastructure, renewable energy systems, and consumer electronics. The aerospace and defense sectors also make substantial investments in ATE due to the criticality of electronics utilized in military equipment such as aircraft, naval vessels, and ground vehicles, as well as in various systems like weapons, radar, and wireless communication.

Legrand Acquires Power Bus Way, a Provider of Fully Customized Power Feeder Systems for Data Center, Industrial and Large-scale Commercial Applications
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Legrand Acquires Power Bus Way, a Provider of Fully Customized Power Feeder Systems for Data Center, Industrial and Large-scale Commercial Applications

Legrand has recently announced it has acquired Power Bus Way, a Toronto-based premier provider of custom-designed cable bus solutions for data centers, industrial facilities and commercial projects. Due to increasing demand for more digital infrastructure, Legrand estimates the North American data center market will continue to grow. This accelerated growth is further bolstered by increasing power needs, particularly in relation to the rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

ITC Electrical Components Celebrates 30 Years of Service to the Electrical, Automation and OEM Market in Canada
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ITC Electrical Components Celebrates 30 Years of Service to the Electrical, Automation and OEM Market in Canada

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, ITC Electrical Components has recently launched its new and improved website. After a successful 15-year career in the electrical components industry Luca Fontana founded ITC Electrical Components in 1994.  Since that time the company has grown from a home-based operation to a successful business with 15 employees and a new warehouse 12,000 square foot facility at 50 Mural Drive, Richmond Hill. Today ITC stocks over 10,000 specialized parts including enclosures, DIN rail, control and protection devices, cable management components and wire and cable tools to name a few.

NOARK Enclosed Breakers: Guardians of Electrical Systems
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NOARK Enclosed Breakers: Guardians of Electrical Systems

In the world of electrical safety, enclosed breakers play a pivotal role. Imagine a robust fortress protecting your electrical circuits from the chaos of overloads and short circuits. That’s exactly what NOARK’s enclosed breakers do. These circuit breakers are housed within a protective enclosure, designed not just for functionality, but for maximum durability.