Manufacturing
Week
Manufacturing
Creating
New Opportunities and Innovation in Southwest Saskatchewan
May
26-30 was proclaimed Manufacturing Week across the province
of Saskatchewan .
Through
the Action Southwest partnership, the southwest region celebrated
industry by hosting a workshop entitled "Competition and
Collaboration-Businesses Can Have Both".
The
purpose of the workshop provided a forum for manufacturing and
agriculture businesses and support agencies to learn about some
of what is produced in the Southwest and what is being done
to add value to it. Manufacturing is one of the three
key wealth-generating sectors in the province, along with agriculture
and resource production.
The
manufacturing sector offers much promise and opportunity for
rural Saskatchewan . In March 2008, Saskatchewan 's exports
totalled $2.2 billion, up 36.3 per cent from last March, and
the highest percentage increase in Canada (seasonally unadjusted).
The first three months have been exceptional for exports, with
Saskatchewan recording an increase of 36.4 per cent to $6.3
billion when compared to the first three months of last year-also
the highest growth rate among the provinces. Tthis
sector presents opportunities to reverse the rural depopulation
trend, revitalize rural areas, and create new employment.
In
2005, Action Southwest conducted a Competitive Advantage Analysis
of the southwest region. This form of analysis classifies sectors
according to their concentration of employment and assesses
their growth / decline compared to provincial trends. The manufacturing
sector was identified as an emerging strength of the southwest.
From 1991 - 2001 the employment growth rate was 49% compared
to only 9% provincially. This clearly demonstrates that the
manufacturing sector offers new opportunities to the southwest
region and should be celebrated.
To
celebrate southwest manufacturers in 2007, an action team was
pulled together and the concept of producing a video that would
profile manufacturers and the industry in the southwest was
developed. With the growth of this sector, availability of skilled
labour is a concern and so the idea of a tool to assist in promoting
its offerings was identified by the partners. Five larger manufacturers
were selected from across the region to participate in the production.
They received a video profile on their company that can be used
as a marketing tool on their websites and emails or for promotions
at tradeshows and job fairs.
Manufacturing
Week Action Team
Lead: Sandra
Blyth, Action Southwest
Support/Advisory:
- Monique
Lischynski, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Chandra
Mark, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Scott
Summach, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Jim
Dixon, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Dianne
Sletten, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Dawn
Odegard, Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation
- Karen
Bonesky, Southwest Centre for Entrepreneurial
Development
- John
Parker, Southwest Community Futures Development
Corporation
- Jay
Meyer, Cypress Hills / Southwest Regional Economic Development Autthority
- Marty
Salberg, City of Swift Current
- Robert
Carignan, Conseil de la Cooperation de la Saskatchewan
