Ontario invests $651k to build mechatronics lab at Seneca College
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Seneca will purchase state-of-the-art equipment in a partnership with Siemens Canada
TORONTO—The Government of Ontario and Siemens Canada have partnered with Toronto’s Seneca college to create the first Mechatronics Simulation and Demonstration Centre (MSDC) in the province.
With a $651,000 investment from the province announced in the budget, Seneca will purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the new Centre and will also make substantial investments to support renovations and curriculum development.
“We thank the Ontario government for this funding that will transform Seneca’s current lab facility and feature the best of manufacturing innovation, research and training,” said David Agnew, Seneca President. “With support and expertise from Siemens, this innovative initiative will not only strengthen Ontario’s manufacturing skills and expertise, but will also help modernize and regenerate industries province-wide.”
Technologies become more complex each year, particularly in systems integrating electrical, mechanical and computer engineering—also known as Mechatronics.
This initiative builds on the partnership established between Seneca and Siemens Canada in February 2015 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at collaborating on program development, research and teaching in the field of mechatronics.
“By bringing faculty, students and partner industries together under one roof, the Mechatronics Simulation and Demonstration Centre will capture the enormous synergies of applied learning, research and demonstrations of mechatronics “at work,” said Robert Hardt, President and CEO, Siemens Canada. “A defining feature of this initiative is showcasing Ontario’s most promising examples of mechatronics excellence in an exhibition-style space that both informs and inspires innovation in companies of all sizes.”
