Building Canada’s smart textile and wearables industry takes a team effort
By Peter Kallai
Last month, we launched intelliWEAR—a wearables and smart textiles accelerator program and Leadership Council modeled after our highly successful intelliPACK program for smart packaging and connected retail.
If you are pursuing product development or research related to wearables and smart textiles, if you want to integrate such technology into your product line, or if you are part of the traditional supply chain for textiles and want to understand what’s next, we have a seat for you at the table.
Why has the intelliFLEX Innovation Alliance placed its bets with smart textiles and wearables as the next key industry sector to support?
- Most of us wear textiles and some kind assistive device almost every minute of every day. Low-tech garments and wearables like the classic wristwatch, eyeglasses or hearing aid are being supplanted by smartwatches, smart jewelry, fitness trackers, skin patches, hearables, medical devices, smart clothing.
- Textiles are all around us in cars, airplanes, home furnishings, interior design elements and more, creating substantial opportunities for interaction through electronic textile applications.
- Industrial applications in our ecosystem include bomb disposal suits and other first-responder gear, uniforms and gear for pilots, safety gear for remote and risky jobsites like oil and gas and mining, and defence.
- We have already seen applications such as haptic controls and prosthetics.
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intelliFLEX and MEMBER NEWS
We have made it easy for you to submit your news to us for the News and Events sections of our website and this newsletter. Please use the online form to submit content to the intelliFLEX site.
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 intelliFLEX Members Sun Chemical, GGI Solutions, NRC partner on molecular inks
Sun Chemical, GGI Solutions and the National Research Centre of Canada have entered into a license agreement to introduce a new family of molecular inks for the printed electronics market. Based on ionic molecules processed through a reduction process, the new IPS family of products will offer a viable alternative to conventional polymer thick film conductive inks and serve as a low-cost alternative to nano materials.
Sun Chemical is a leading supplier of inks, coatings and compounds, while GGI Solutions is a world leader in user interface technologies in touch applications. The NRC manages a Flagship program in printable electronics and works to position Canadian industry stakeholders as early adopters of this technology.
Read the full announcement.
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 Myant commits $100M to the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster
intelliFLEX Member Myant Inc. last week committed $100 million to the advanced manufacturing supercluster that has been short-listed by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, as part of the $950 million national supercluster program from the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan. Myant is a key partner in the advanced manufacturing supercluster in the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor (TWIC), which includes more than 78 industry partners and flexible and hybrid electronics, including intelliFLEX.
Read the full announcement.
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 Member company KINESIX SPORTS launches world’s first customizable smart heating jacket on Kickstarter
The jacket is designed to let users customize which part of their body they want to heat and adapts itself according to the desired temperature set on the mobile application.
Read the full announcement.
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 Member company Laipac Technologies launches Kickstarter for LooK Watch
Billed as the world’s first standalone IoT-enabled smartwatch, for applications ranging from elder care, to fitness and health and safety.
Check it out on Kickstarter.
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Member company CERADROP/MGI Group honoured at Print 17
CERADROP/MGI Group participated with Konica Minolta at Print 17 in Chicago last month by presenting three new award-winning advanced printing technology solutions. The Future of Print, Best of Category award was presented to the CERADROP-MGI F-Serie, an innovative all-in-one state-of-the-art digital materials deposition platform.
Print 17 is the largest gathering of print and graphic communications buyers, decision makers and suppliers in North America.
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From the Globe and Mail: Canada becoming an in-demand destination for foreign tech talent
In recent months, political turmoil and tough talk on immigration in the United States has caused many of its technology industry workers to consider viable living options elsewhere. At the same time, Canada is emerging as a tech powerhouse in its own right, causing a sudden reversal in the long-standing trend of Canadian talent moving south.
Read the full article.
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CETA is now in effect
On September 21, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, came into effect. CETA overcomes many barriers to trade for Canadian business with the European Union, our largest trading partner after the United States.
More than 98 per cent of Canadian goods will be able to enter the EU without tariffs, up from only 25 per cent. This impacts about $42 billion a year of exported goods, as well as codifies access to services — Canadian businesses sold about $18 billion worth of services to the EU in 2016. Canadian companies also get access to bid on contracts in the EU government procurement market, which is worth about $3.3 trillion a year.
Learn more about CETA from the Government of Canada.
Read news coverage from the CBC, National Post and the Globe and Mail.
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intelliFLEX and MEMBER RESOURCES
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Build your dream team with OPE Careers
Our industry is growing and intelliFLEX Members are hiring. Build your dream team for printable, flexible, and hybrid electronics. OPE Careers is a unique web portal to promote your career opportunities across North America and abroad.
You may have jobs posted on other sites, but only here can you get premier positioning and industry-specific exposure. For professionals and employers alike, the journey to connect talent with opportunity begins right here.
Part-time career opportunities with intelliFLEX
We are hiring! Are you a self-motivated and dependable individual willing to work part-time from home or the local coffee shop as part of a small team that accomplishes big things? If so, consider this role:
Assistant to the CEO/Membership Coordinator (Ottawa)
Working directly with President and CEO Peter Kallai, this individual will carry out a wide range of duties, including:
- Clerical tasks, including invoicing and onboarding new Members
- Member communications and membership development
- Managing our CRM database (Agile)
- Updating content on the intelliFLEX website
- Updating LinkedIn and Twitter accounts
- Research
- Other supportive duties as required
The position requires a high level of integrity, as you will likely be exposed to confidential and sensitive information.
Experience required with office productivity software, CRM systems (Agile) and the WordPress platform. Salary commensurate with experience. Hours per week to be discussed.
If interested, please contact Peter Kallai at pkallai@intelliflex.org with resume and three references.
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INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE TO FUEL YOUR BUSINESS
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Download Thought Today’s 3D Printing in the Electronics Supply Chain report
As faster 3D printers are introduced, and new materials developed that expand their usefulness on the factory floor, additive manufacturing is poised to take a more central role in production operations versus traditional reductive manufacturing. Download this free report to learn:
- What supply chain managers view as the primary value of 3D printing.
- Why additively manufactured PCBs are now becoming a reality.
- How 3D printing can reduce costs and time to market while boosting product customization.
- Why electronics OEMs need to plan now to integrate 3D printing into their operations.
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Get a special 20% discount on all IDTechEx Market reports
We have negotiated a great deal with IDTechEx to get more and better market intelligence for our Members. You can now purchase any IDTechEx report for 20 per cent off.
Save hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to access high-value reports like:
3D Printing 2017-2027: Technologies, Markets, Players
This report discusses all the commercially-significant existing technologies and promising emerging technologies in depth, and analyses both the current and future markets for 3D printing.
Or …
Printed, Organic & Flexible Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2017-2027
This report provides the most comprehensive view of the topic, giving detailed 10-year forecasts by device type. Gain insight into the big picture – including OLED displays and lighting, thin-film photovoltaics, flexible sensors and much more.
Please contact Peter Kallai for the promo code at pkallai@intelliflex.org.
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intelliFLEX and PARTNER EVENTS
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Startup Fashion Week, October 17, Toronto
Conceived in 2014 by Founder and Executive Producer Jodi Goodfellow, Startup Fashion Week (SFW) bridges the gap between the growing fashion and tech industries in Canada and focuses on launching, accelerating and sustaining startup businesses. SFW has helped launch and profile amazing Canadian startups (wearable tech, fashion-tech and designers) from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon and Saint John. SFW features an array of events that cater to different audiences with a Media Launch/Opening Party, Future of Fashion Forum, Business of Fashion Conference, Eco Fashion Forum and Runway Show.
Learn more and register.
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Get Smart Summit, October 17, Mississauga
The GET SMART SUMMIT is an inaugural intelliPACK event to mobilize industry to accelerate the development and broad adoption of smart packaging innovations.
Visit the Summit website to learn more and to register.
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intelliFLEX Fall Sector Development Leadership Council, October 24, Toronto
As mentioned in this issue’s lead article on superclusters, we are convening our annual Sector Development LC to discuss and advance our proposed FHE Manufacturing Institute and the Smart Textiles and Wearables Manufacturing Institute.
We need the senior executives of the intelliFLEX membership to be part of this conversation.
Learn more and register.
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IDTechEx Show!/Printed Electronics USA: 40% off admission
Taking place November 15-16 in Santa Clara, CA. Any intelliFLEX Member can get 40% off their admission. Contact Peter Kallai for the promo code at pkallai@intelliflex.org.
Learn more about IDTechEx Show! and PE USA.
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Join us in Philadelphia for the Pharmaceutical Packaging & Labeling Forum, December 4-6
intelliFLEX’s Peter Kallai and James Lee, Director of Technology and Innovation at Jones Packaging and intelliPACK Leadership Council Member, will speak about “Bringing Smart Packaging to Market: How Printable Electronics Add Value for Artwork, Packaging, and Labeling.” Attendees will learn how to lever recent advances in smart packaging technology — including the latest printed NFC chips, the delivery of sales information in the store, usage tracking at home, and prompt reordering when the product is empty, plus much more.
The 4th Annual Pharmaceutical Packaging and Labeling Forum, taking place Dec. 4 to 6, covers advanced techniques to meet rigorous regulations, delivering to a global market, and enhancing patient safety. Speakers will address regulatory compliance, the implementation of end-to-end labeling, and the minimization of human error in production.
We have also negotiated on behalf of our Members a 20 per cent discount on the standard attendance fee for the Forum. If you are interested in joining us in Philadelphia and taking advantage of this discount, please contact Peter at pkallai@intelliflex.org.
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 intelliFLEX Members invited to Smart Haptics 2017 – free pass up for grabs
As the first industry driven haptics conference, Smart Haptics 2017 is coming to San Diego, CA on December 6-7 and will bring together multiple end use industries including medical, automotive, mobile, VR/AR and more to explore where the haptics industry is headed.
intelliFLEX has partnered with Smart Haptics to offer a 15 per cent discount from the advertised conference rate. We also have one free event pass to give away – first come, first served.
To claim the free pass or get the discount code, please contact Leo Valiquette at lvaliquette@intelliflex.org.
Attendees will experience a mixture of presentation sessions:
- Hear from companies such as Microsoft, Fitbit, Facebook, SynTouch, TDK Corporation, P&G, Adludio and more.
- Understand the latest trends, innovations and challenges facing the haptics industry
- Collaborate with your colleagues on topics such as current and future possibilities in haptics, touch in wearables, the future of VR/AR and gaming, the healing power of touch feedback, the driving force of automotive haptics, touch in advertising and more.
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