Technology Visits Program

"learn from the best"

Seeing is believing --- and understanding. If you're considering new technologies and processes that can help increase production, reduce costs, improve quality or get your products to market faster, you may want to visit a manufacturer who is already using that technology or process.

The Technology Visits Program (TVP) sponsored by the Canadian Manufacturer's Association and the National Research Council/IRAP, provides a unique opportunity to give business owners or managers a first-hand look at how another company is using technology. The goal is to prompt Canadian firms to increase their use of technology to become more competitive.

If you would like to experience a "shop floor" tour and see up close how some of Canada's leading companies are using leading edge technologies and processes, participate in TVP. It operates in every province, organizing over 50 tours annually.

Anyone who directly influences manufacturing policy and processes in 'their' company, is welcome to participate at no cost. Visitors are responsible for their own travel expenses.

Through direct contact with other individuals who have already specified, installed and are operating new equipment or processes, you can get an unbiased view of the costs and benefits. Visits generally take about a half-day and cover various major technology or management themes from manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) to automated guided vehicles, from robotics to bar coding.

To protect proprietary information, the hosts themselves are responsible for the content of the visit; they decide what subjects to include and exclude. Before the visit, the host receives a complete list of visitors and the companies they work for. They can reject any of the visitors, no questions asked, and they can establish "house rules" for the visit, such as a ban on cameras and tape recorders.

The program began in mid-1994 and all tours were quickly over- subscribed!Visitors declared it an unqualified success and requested that the program be expanded in 1995.

If you would like to participate, call 1-800-798-0210 or fax 416- 798-9174.

Go to the "Technology Developement and Diffusion Centers" page