Supply Chain Canada, York Region and municipalities partner to assess manufacturing supply chain

TORONTO — Supply Chain Canada, in collaboration with Supply Chain Alliance, has partnered with York Region and the City of Markham, City of Richmond Hill, and the City of Vaughan to study the resilience of the manufacturing sector supply chain in York Region due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Building Supply Chain Resilience is a report in its exploration of the resilience of the supply chain in one of the nation’s largest manufacturing regions and supports Supply Chain Canada’s mission to provide leadership to the Canadian supply chain community and elevate the supply chain profession.

“Supply Chain Canada is proud to have brought together the expertise and collaborative spirit to deliver such an important report with York Region and its member municipalities, and I want to applaud the Region for its innovative approach in partnering with us. Partnering to deliver this report with Supply Chain Alliance and York Region is a model for other jurisdictions across Canada. Bringing together our community of experts has delivered a report that not only supports the supply chain resiliency of manufacturers in the Region but has meaningful insights for supply chain leaders throughout the country and for policy makers at all levels of government who want to foster the supply chain conditions for economic recovery and future prosperity,” said Christian Buhagiar, President and CEO of Supply Chain Canada.

There are over 2,500 manufacturing businesses operating within York Region’s nine cities and towns, making it the third largest manufacturing cluster in Ontario and fifth largest in Canada. The Building Supply Chain Resilience report provides key recommendations for manufacturers to safeguard their businesses in times of uncertainty, plus actions all levels of government may take to support this industry.

Thirty York Region-based manufacturers from five manufacturing sub-sectors were consulted to form the basis of the analysis and recommendations of the report, including:

• Electronics and Electrical
• Agriculture and Food and Beverage Processing
• Building Materials
• Automotive Components
• Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices

“We know many businesses, including those in the manufacturing sector, have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “Supply chain resilience is fundamental to economic recovery at local, provincial and national levels. Assessing our manufacturers’ state of readiness will help us better understand business recovery.”

Key findings of the report include:

MANUFACTURERS

• Focus efforts on business continuity planning and supply chain resilience measures such as dual sourcing, split volumes, critical components inventory, alternative manufacturing and labour capacity, and explore nearshoring feasibility
• Accelerate supply chain digitization, which can allow technology to share demand signals with trading partners and automate communications
• Secure systems and data against cyber attacks

GOVERNMENTS

• At the municipal level, continue to strengthen relationships with local manufacturers, bring the manufacturing community together to share best practices and resources, facilitate the move to ecommerce and digitization.
• At the provincial and federal levels, increase cybersecurity funding and resources, establish a supply chain focal point within government and a national early warning system, introduce smart, enabling supply chain policies, review emergency financial programs for effectiveness, and invest in workforce training programs aimed toward future economic activity.