Manufacturing in Canada needs
more design emphasis
By Tim Poupore
Tim Poupore is President of Ove Industrial Design Ltd. (oveid.com), and
President of the Association of Chartered Industrial Designers of
Ontario (ACIDO.info).
 Fans of the ìPogoî cartoon strip will remember the classic line ìI have seen the enemy, and he is us!î Two recent events reminded me of the aptness of this expression to Canadian manufacturing.
ìThe China Price,î an article that appeared in the December 6th, 2004 edition of BusinessWeek online, expanded on the rising growth of manufacturing in China and the pressure this exerts on financial, commodity and labor markets in the U.S. It can make for pretty scary reading until you remember that Canada is a very different world.
The article notes that America now produces only 75% of what it consumes, down from 90% a decade ago. Look around for Canadian-made products and youíll be hard pressed to get out of single digits. Itís cold comfort, I know, but you canít lose what you never had. Why is it we make so little here of what we need and want?
Part of the answer can be found in the second event; a meeting with ìTrade Team Canada, Cultural Goods and Services,î a workgroup that gives voice to the export needs of Canadian cultural trade groups such as Interior, Graphic and Industrial Designers. While participating in an exploration of the best ways to enhance international trade in design services, I pointed out that it seemed somewhat suicidal to use our taxes to help foreign manufacturers compete against Canadian companies. I suggested that the miniscule financial benefit derived from the sale of services paled in comparison to the wealth generation capability of a strong local manufacturer.
Federal policy is leading us into a
service-sector economy
I hate to turn down fees from any source, but Iíd much rather work for a Canadian manufacturer and see the benefits of increased profits, jobs and tax revenues accrue to my own economy, thanks very much. I was reminded that federal policy is leading Canada into a service-sector economy, not a manufacturing one. Like this represents some kind of change!
Clearly, we in manufacturing are on our own, and maybe this is a good thing. Rather than fretting over China, we should focus on the experiences of Original Brand Manufacturers (OBMs) all over the world that have proven that smaller-volume products sell profitably when they offer a high level of intellectual content and a positive consumer experience.
Denmark has Bang & Olufsen. France has Laguiole. Italy has, well, lots to choose from. OBMs exist in Canada, and they rank at the top of their industries (think of Paderno cookware, Sabian cymbals or Sam Bat baseball bats), but we need more.
If we spent as much effort deciding ìwhat we should makeî as we spend on ìhow we should make itî our world would be a very different place. How much time have we got?
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