Manufacturing Matters 2026

Thursday, October 1, 2026, RBC Place London, 300 York St, London, ON N6B 1P8 Manufacturing Matters is a must attend, half day conference for manufacturers and service providers. Delegates will learn valuable information from industry leaders, keynote speakers and peer-to-peer networking. The conference will deliver essential advice applicable to all manufacturers in the London region. This is a FREE event for manufacturers, but registration is required! Non-manufacturers are invited to attend for a nominal fee of $113 Theme: Trade Diversification Agenda: 8:15 AM Welcome & Introductions • Jason Bates, Manager - EMC Southern Ont. & GM - London Region Manufacturing Council Greetings • Kapil Lakhotia, President & CEO, London Economic Development Corporation • Mayor Josh Morgan, City of London • London Hydro Update 8:30 AM Keynote Presentation • Heather Damaren, P.Eng. - Director Manufacturing - Canada Operations; General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada 9:30 AM - Exhibitor Showcase – Manufacturers and service providers to manufacturers. 10:15 AM Concurrent Sessions (Sessions are 45 minutes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A) SALON E Cyber Trends in Canadian Manufacturing Presented by MNP; Speaker: Eugene Ng This session will review recent cyber security attacks affecting manufacturing organizations in Canada and examine the latest threat trends including the latest in social engineering tactics and techniques. The session will also discuss evolving cybersecurity expectations and requirements from regulators, customers, insurers, and supply chain partners. Drawing on current threat intelligence and observed attack patterns, the presentation will also help outline practical recommendations to reduce cyber risk. SALON F Building AI You Control Presented by Evormore, John Galbraith, Co-founder & R&D Lead Most manufacturers now rent the AI their business depends on rather than own it. This session steps back from the hype to ask who controls that AI, and what changes when the answer is you. It covers the economics of owning versus renting, what recent events reveal about relying on foreign providers, and the practical steps for building AI capability in-house. SALON G Funding Training Programs Presented by EMC Canada, Tiffany Robbins, Marketing & Communications Manager SALON H How to Access the Mining Supply Chain Presented by MineConnect, Heather Johnston, Director of Operations SALON J Supply Agreement Pitfalls Presented by Siskinds 11:15 AM SALON F Funding Your Tariff Response: Unlocking CapEx, OpEx & Tax Credit Opportunities Presented by Ryan, Speaker: Eric Pini, Director Client Services SALON G Strengthen Your Workforce with WILL: Employer Success Stories Presented by WILL Employment Solutions, Celeste Gray, Team Lead Employer Engagement For more than 40 years, WILL Employment Solutions (WILL) has assisted more than 42,000 job seekers in their search for meaningful employment. WILL's specialized recruitment team provides subsidized services to hundreds of employer partners in Southwestern Ontario to discover, hire, and retain international talent. We help employers and workers to develop necessary tools and resources that result in successful long-term employment, ultimately bridging the gap between Canadian Labour Market Needs and newcomer talent. SALON H Shift Happens: Smarter Recruiting for Manufacturing Presented by Ladder HR Solutions, Wendy MacIntyre SALON J Roadmap to Becoming a Supplier to the Defense Sector Presented by the Ontario Defense Association, Heather Pilot, Co-Founder, Ontario Defence Assoc / Founder Best Defence Conference - general overview of the defence sector and ODA John Ball, President, Ballvale Strategy who will talk to what Primes are looking for in their supply chains Joe Noss, CEO, Publicus.ai - an ai software platform regarding procurement opportunities. 12:15 PM Event Concludes Afternoon Plant Tours (Full ) -- Tours will be starting at 1pm & 3pm (limited space) • URSA Manufacturing - 1477 Sise Rd, London • Amstead Automotive - 3745 Commerce Rd, London • Jones Healthcare Group - 3000 Page St, London _________________________________________________________________ Heather Damaren, P.Eng. is Director of Manufacturing – Canada Operations at General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada (GDLS–Canada), where she oversees manufacturing operations supporting the delivery of Light Armoured Vehicles and other critical capability solutions to the Canadian Armed Forces and allied customers around the world. Exhibitors: • ADJ Industries Inc. • Ahria Consulting • AIM Industrial Inc. • ALLUKRA — Ukrainian Pierogies Inc. • Andriani S.p.A. • Arkal Plastic North America Inc. • Armo-Tool Ltd/Abuma • Attica Manufacturing • Avion Technologies Inc • AXYZ Tailored Router Solutions • BDC • BW Packaging • Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters of Southwestern Ontario • Centerline • Central Machine & Marine • Centre for Research & Innovation, Fanshawe College • DAIFUKU Manufacturing Canada Corporation • Dajcor Aluminum • Dee Tag • Easy Way • EMC • Enbridge Gas • Epicor/Six S Partners and ShiftWorx • ETBO Tool & Die Inc. • EVM Group • EXI-Plast Custom Moulding • Fero International Inc. • Fischer Canada • General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada • Givens Engineering • Global Stamping • Green Integrations Inc. • H&H Wood Products • Hudson Entry & Automation Inc. • Hydmech Canada Corp. • Industrial Drive Service (IDS) Inc. • International Name Plate Supplies Limited • Ionic Automation • ITEC Group • J-Tech Design LTD. • Jones Healthcare Group • KNK Mechanical • Konnexio Inc. • Ladder HR Solutions • LCB Manufacturing • Lerners LLP • Lynch Fluid Controls • London Hydro • London Regional Employment Services • Mac Weld • michael + clark Construction • Militex Coatings • MineConnect • Minuteman Press International • Miura Canada • MNP • MPI Solutions • Neatco Engineering Services Inc. • Nothers The Award Store • Onyx Engineering Ltd. • PartnerIT • Phil Mauer & Assoicates Inc. • PowerCo Canada Inc. • Priority Tooling Solutions • Progressive Industrial Fluids • Purifics • Quantify Environmental Ltd. • Ramsden Industries Limited • Ryan • Sacco & Associates • Shield53 |Cyber Defense Services • Siskinds The Law Firm • SLEEGERS • Step Sciences • Stratus Plastics • TCA Technologies • Tiercel Technology • TriHQ • Toyota Tsusho Canada Inc. • TrueLight Machine Vision Solutions Inc. • Ursa Manufacturing • Volt Carbon Technologies Inc. • Western Continuing Studies • Western Innovation & Partnerships • WILL Employment Solutions • Vuteq Canada _________________________________________________________________ Thank you to our Sponsors: Gold: • EMC • London Hydro • Siskinds The Law Firm • Shield53 |Cyber Defense Services Silver: • BDC • Lerners LLP • michael + clark Construction Bronze: • Enbridge Gas • Green Integrations Inc. • Ladder HR Solutions • London Regional Employment Services • MNP • Quantify Environmental Ltd. • Ryan Interested in becoming a Sponsor? Explore sponsorship opportunities here: Sponsorship Package Accomodation: See preferred Hotel Rates for the event below: Residence Inn by Marriott London Downtown for $169.00 CAD per night Book Now Rates include free breakfast, free Wi-Fi, and a kitchen in each suite.