Over the past few days and continuing for the next few weeks, the team has been busy implementing changes to the MIN. These changes are being made as result of direct feedback we have been receiving and also to make help make way for the Service Provider Directory and Classified Ad's which will be coming soon.

Here is a quick overview of some of the changes:

• SIG's or Special Interest Groups - The forum application has been temporarily removed. This was an area intended for discussion between MIN...

February 5, 2010 (Kitchener -Waterloo ON) - IGLOO Inc. (www.igloosoftware.com), a leading social software company that builds online communities for businesses today announced that one of the online communities it powers, the Manufacturing Innovation Network (MIN), won the website award in the "Marketing Using Technology" category from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO) last night.

The MIN is a business social network that powers collaboration and knowledge sharing between...

Waterloo Region's economy is poised for a big rebound this year, says the Conference Board of Canada.

The local economy is expected to grow 3.3 per cent this year after and an average of 4.2 per cent from 2011 to 2014, the board said today in its Metropolitan Outlook report.

"This is forecast to ultimately fuel stronger hikes in employment, population and housing starts, particularly starting in 2011," the board said in the report.

Unemployment, which averaged 9.4 per cent in 2009, the highest on...

Tomorrow is our much anticipated event celebrating the 1 year anniversary of the MIN! The entire MIN team is very much looking forward to this opportunity to share with the community why the MIN was created, the importance of innovation in the manufacturing sector and how manufacturers and other stakeholders can become more involved in this transformative network.

The evening will feature:

• MIN advisory board members and founders speaking about the inspiration for this network
• Minister of Research...

Maybe Cambridge Can! again.

Bruised and battered by the early 1990 recession, blue collar Cambridge set up trade shows in empty factories to help companies build local contacts and get people back to work.

The Cambridge Can! networking events drew praise from business leaders and politicians.

Now Cambridge Coun. Karl Kiefer wants the city to try again, as the city struggles through another economic storm.

"I know how valuable these trade shows can be . . . it's an economic gem if you can get it."

He...

Production lines at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada plants in Cambridge and Woodstock will go idle next week, but employees won't be laid off, after the company ordered a halt to the manufacture and sale of eight vehicle models.

At issue is a problem with accelerator pedals that stick, which forced the recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the United States and 270,000 in Canada last week.

Affected is the production of Corolla, Matrix and RAV4 vehicles made by the nearly 6,000 people who work...

They huddled together in Mary Noseworthy's cramped kitchen like best friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

Only three and a half months had passed since their employer, Von Weise of Canada, closed, putting them all out of work. But bonds formed over many years do not die quickly.

All had spent most of their working lives at the manufacturer of small electric motors.

Debbie Parker, 37 years; Peggy Driver, 36 years; Jeannine Goreing, 36 years; Eileen MacDonald, 35 years; Rina Paton, 31 years;...

Join us for a cocktail party to celebrate the MIN!

Discover a new source of competitive advantage -
innovation through local collaboration

As a local manufacturer, January 2010 signifies a new year, a new decade - an opportunity to reflect upon past challenges and imagine new possibilities. A chance to build connections with local suppliers, learn from industry experts and drive new innovations through collaboration.

We will ring in the New Year, toast the first anniversary of the Manufacturing...