Ontario Tech University explores the future of intelligent manufacturing

University hosts international engineering workshop, showcases programs and facilities

October 18, 2019

The IMS workshop was made possible thanks to FEAS volunteers and faculty members. Back row, from left: Pedram Karimipour Fard; Muarij Khalil; Zahra Khodabakhshi; Aida Farsi; Dr. Sayyed Ali Hosseini, Assistant Professor, FEAS and head of the executive team; Dr. Ahmad Barari, Conference Chair; Connor Hopkins; and Davin Jankovics. Front row, from left: Hossein Gohari, Amr Salem; Waleed Ahmed; Dylan Bender; Cody Berry; and Mohamd Imad.

Over the past 10 years manufacturing plants have witnessed drastic changes, such as the introduction of smaller, intelligent, and relatively cost-efficient machines equipped with different types of sensors, that can be programmed to perform variety of tasks. Industry experts say the world can expect a similar transformation throughout the 2020s, as powerful technologies like artificial intelligence, big data analytics, virtual reality, the Internet of Things and robotics converge to revolutionize global manufacturing processes. The result will be improved resource utilization, productivity and flexibility, and reduced consumer costs.

What will these ‘intelligent manufacturing’ systems look like in the future? How will they help companies keep up with competition and respond to consumer demand, while making the world a better place?

Ontario Tech University recently became the first Canadian university to host the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) workshop: an influential international engineering forum exploring key questions related to intelligent manufacturing.

More than 80 researchers and experts from industry and academia representing 15 countries discussed the current state of the industry, presented new research results, and exchanged ideas, experiences and best practices in the IMS field.

The workshop also included a tour of the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel and Ontario Tech’s Engineering research laboratories, where participants learned about the university’s Engineering programs.

How the 2019 IMS workshop came to Ontario Tech

The IMS workshop is co-ordinated by IFAC’s Technical Committee (TC) 5.1. Ahmad Barari, PhD, Associate Professor in Ontario Tech’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, has been an active member of TC 5.1 since 2015.

During the 2018 TC meeting at Bergamo, Italy, Dr. Barari proposed hosting the August 2019 IMS workshop in Oshawa, Ontario. He suggested an innovative approach to enhancing networking opportunities between the international academic researchers and local advanced manufacturing industry leaders who would attend the workshop. His proposal received positive feedback from IFAC’s administrative team.

Quote:

“As a modern and innovative research university with a strong technology focus, Ontario Tech University is well-positioned to lead the discussion on the world stage about what intelligent manufacturing will look like in the future. We look forward to additional opportunities to share ideas and collaborate with international researchers, students and industry partners around the world.”
- Ahmad Barari, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Ontario Tech University