Expo Hall Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday

WMS Live

A wide range of topics will be presented on the WMS Live stage during the three-day event held at the International Centre in Mississauga November 4-6.  WMS Live is the main education feature of the event.  The complimentary keynotes and sessions are presented by industry leaders and exhibitors on the show floor of the International Centre. 

Thursday, Feburary 24
11:00 a.m.:  Opening Keynote -- Luke Elias, president, and CEO, Muskoka Cabinet Co. 11 a.m.  
Elias will discuss the challenges and opportunities his company has addressed over the last two years. Muskoka Cabinet, an Industry 4.0-enabled manufacturer, added a productivity-boosting robotic work                             

1:00 p.m.:  Cyber Security: Latest issues, trends, and must-dos for your company presented by Erez Zevulunov,  Boris Zlatogorov, MIT Consulting. Produced by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario.  Despite ongoing preventative efforts, many companies continue to get hacked and business and personal information are at risk. Many companies have been temporarily shut down dealing with cyber incursions. This presentation will discuss the main pillars of defense, response planning, and recovery, which include firewalls, email, point protection, and business continuity planning.    

2:00 p.m.:  Developing leaders in your organization presented by Barry Reid, LMI Canada. Produced by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario. All companies struggle with developing leadership qualities in their staff.  Employees may be great on their job, but can they support and lead others to success? This session will focus on the behaviors and skills to develop in your shop to grow future leaders in your organization; lead hands, supervisors, and managers.

Friday, February 25

Noon: COVID legal updates with the return to work implications presented by Edward W. Snetsinger, Sherrard Kuzz, employment and labor lawyers, and Randy Dignard, Industrial Safety Trainers. Produced by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario. The post-COVID workplace has many legal compliance implications as wood manufacturers consider employee COVID vaccinations, leave and accommodations, work reintegration, and health and safety protocols. Join us for timely updates and useful takeaways that can help your company stay ahead of the game as we enter the post-COVID economy.    

1:00 p.m.: Lean Manufacturing Strategies: How to start, and how to sustain and keep engaging your people once you started presented by Sepp Gmeiner, Lignum Consulting and Brad Cairns, Quantum Lean. Produced by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario. Many companies don’t know how or where to start their lean journey. Many companies have already started but have hit a roadblock or the momentum is lost. This session will address both companies who are new to lean and help those who have already started and need a boost of fresh ideas to keep it moving forward.

2:00 p.m. WMCO/WSIB Health & Safety Excellence Rebate Program presented by James Ebidia, health and safety consultant. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Health & Safety Excellence Program is designed to reward companies for their due diligence and pro-active efforts in managing their health & safety programs. James will describe how the program works, and how it can be a good fit for your company to receive rebates for the safety compliance you are already responsible for.

3:00 p.m. Pandemic supply chain challenge panel discussion:  Building dialogue with suppliers and manufacturers moderated by Peter Degelder, Wood Supply Chain Group Inc., and Mike Baker, CEO, WMCO. Join a panel of current main suppliers to the wood manufacturing industry to address your questions and concerns and build dialogue on the following topics: Pricing and supply trends; market outlook; networking and supplier updates. Suppliers and manufacturers should really be partners in mutual success. Dialogue is the first step to bringing our supply chain back to normalcy post-pandemic.    

Saturday, February 26

11 a.m.: Industry 4.0 presentation by the Canadian Woodworking Machinery Dealers Association.  Presented by Murat Dogan, CWMDA president.

Noon: Business Growth for Small Shops Produced by the Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario.

1 p.m.: Digital marketing essentials for wood manufacturers in today’s digital world presented by Darrell Keezer, CEO,  Candybox Marketing. Today’s marketplace demands that wood product manufacturers leverage all digital tools available to promote their businesses. But where do you start, and how do you prioritize what to do, and how do you manage it all? This session will review the use of digital branding, video, website, social media, and effective digital advertising to help you promote your company in the digital world.