It might be our birthday, but we’re celebrating you!

By Jeff Baker

We humans sure are funny animals. We read significance into a lot of situations and circumstances that just happen, whether or not we do anything at all: birthdays, anniversaries, Fridays, sunrises and sunsets, the Oscars… et cetera

For most of these things, it’s basically a celebration of another trip by our ball of space rock around a giant gaseous fusion reactor. We’re beyond insignificant in this picture.

But maybe the truly amazing thing is that we can make these things a big deal, and we can keep making them big deals year in and year out.

In this case, I’m going to make a HUGE deal of one birthday in particular: Prairie Manufacturer’s!

Yes, it’s true… this issue marks the fourth birthday of Prairie Manufacturer Magazine, and we couldn’t be happier to have you a part of this auspicious occasion. 

Maybe it’s a birthday, maybe it’s technically an anniversary, but since I’m the editor and the chief wrangler of all the words… I’ll let it be both.

In the vernacular of anniversaries, the fourth anniversary is traditionally marked with a gift of flowers and fruit. In the more modern take on the occasion, it’s marked with gifts of appliances, small electronics, and even linens. 

It’s probably no coincidence that the modern gifts are manufactured goods. (Check page 2 for our shipping address in case you feel particularly celebratory and/or generous!)

All that said, it’s actually us at the magazine who should be celebrating you, our readers.

Without you and your ongoing support, we wouldn’t be here sharing manufacturing stories from across the region with your colleagues, suppliers, and supporters. You’re the reason we began this adventure, and you continue to be the reason we keep going strong.

In this issue

We’re very excited to share with you our spring issue, focusing on the Keystone Province of Manitoba. Our contributors continue to impress with great insight and intelligence that will help you with your decision-making and preparation for whatever the future may hold.

You’ll meet some Manitoba-based manufacturers who are proving that even old dogs can learn new tricks, and even a few new dogs who aren’t exactly wet behind the ears. From food to metal, and from buildings to high-tech simulation, Manitoba manufacturers are taking control of their futures by making them their own.

In our Skills 4.0 feature, we’re connecting you with leaders in both industry and post-secondary education who are working to ensure the workers of today and tomorrow are ready to tackle the tide change transformation that is Industry 4.0. 

Celebrating the champions

This issue is also being released in conjunction with our good friends at CME Manitoba, who are again welcoming the region and country to Winnipeg for their Dare to Compete 2020 conference, and celebrating the best of the best in Manitoba’s manufacturing sector at the CME Manitoba Gala Awards Dinner.

We truly cherish the working relationship we have with CME Manitoba, and we hope that all manufacturers across the province make sure to connect with these great folks. They know manufacturing, and they want to ensure that manufacturers are set up for success with the information, resources, and training they need for today and beyond.

Looking ahead

Beyond the celebrations, 2020 is set to be another great year for Prairie Manufacturer Magazine, and we’re thrilled to have you along for the journey.

We’re looking forward to sharing more great manufacturing stories from across the region with you, but we’re also looking to you for tips on stories you’d like to see us cover.

As we like to say, Prairie Manufacturer is your industry, your community, and your magazine. Maybe you have a celebration of your own you’d like to share, or perhaps there’s something interesting happening in the field that might be the next big thing; tell us about it by sending us an email.

As I mentioned before, Prairie Manufacturer is here because you’re here and because you continue to be here.

Until the next time we chat, I hope you enjoy the read.