Publications | Conestoga Applied Research

Stealth democracy and the school board trustee

The value of elected school board trustees has been a topic of debate. Several provinces in Canada have already eliminated them, with Manitoba currently considering abolishing them as well. Whether this is supported—or opposed—by the public is somewhat unknown. This research note reports the results of a survey of Ontario residents. We find that while two-thirds of respondents support retaining trustees, there are factors that pull people more towards favouring their elimination. Support for trustees is significantly lower for males, younger respondents, and those on the political right.

Additive manufacturing with robotic GMAW

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an alternative to traditional reductive manufacturing processes. Reductive manufacturing processes start with a billet of raw material and remove excess material through processes such as thermal cutting and machining to achieve the desired final shape. A key objective of AM is to minimize the amount of material used by precisely depositing only material that is required, layer by layer, and building a component from the base up as a near net shape.

Wire arc additive manufacturing with robotic gmaw

Wire Arc Additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an alternative to traditional metal manufacturing methods such as casting or the machining of raw billets to produce a desired shape. One option for this ‘3D-printing’ of metallic products using the WAAM process is to apply the metal using the GMAW (gas-metal arc welding) process delivered by a standard 6-axis welding robot.

Supply chains: reduce the bullwhip effect and increase visibility

The bullwhip effect is an extreme change in supply availability in a supply chain generated by a small change in demand, and is exacerbated when the supply network is global and contains hundreds of suppliers.

A simulated image of a man at a meat packing plant

Digital Simulation of Provincially Licensed Meat Plant Food Safety Training- Poster Presentation

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are the operational and environmental conditions required to produce safe foods. They ensure the environment of food production promotes food safety and that all ingredients and packaging materials are handled safely.