The Canadian Shield Announces Launch of Proprietary Medical Mask Manufacturing Automation and Vision Systems

The Canadian Shield has partnered with local automation companies to design and manufacture proprietary medical mask production cells and vision systems.

WATERLOO, ON | March 16, 2021 - The Canadian Shield, an advanced manufacturer specializing in the design and production of personal protective equipment, is thrilled to announce the launch of their newly designed and made-in-Canada Medical Mask Automation and Vision Systems. This cutting edge technology enables The Canadian Shield to compete penny for penny with overseas manufacturers, and sell their turnkey medical mask manufacturing lines and vision systems to other producers around the world to improve their operations.

Based in Waterloo, The Canadian Shield calls the world-renowned technology and automotive supercluster home, alongside dozens of other Canadian companies in the manufacturing and automation space. Access to a strong talent pool of engineers, designers, and technicians has enabled The Canadian Shield to quickly scale their team and build strategic partnerships with several local automation companies. These partnerships have helped to quickly design new technologies and optimize automation solutions for global sale. 

“What started as a response to a critical shortage of PPE for our frontline healthcare workers has transformed into a high-tech enterprise, creating Canadian intellectual property and world-leading solutions for globally competitive manufacturing of medical devices,” says Jeremy Hedges, Founder and CEO of The Canadian Shield.

In March of 2020, Canada and other nations around the world faced the harsh reality of being dependent on global supply chains for critical pandemic supplies. As a result, countries across the globe have invested in domestic PPE manufacturing capacity to ensure supply and production capabilities in the event of future crises. To make these investments sustainable, domestic manufacturers need to be cost and quality competitive with overseas manufacturers. The Canadian Shield’s Mask Automation and Vision Systems solutions make that possible.

The manufacturing machinery required for producing personal protective equipment, like medical masks themselves, were previously made almost exclusively in countries like China and Malaysia. These countries have different electrical, safety and quality standards, which fail to meet Canada’s requirements for safe use. In many cases, new manufacturers relying on imported equipment have quickly realized that these seemingly cost-effective systems are expensive to modify and maintain, and yield high scrap rates in production. Typical imported systems cost between $70,000 and $85,000 depending on the upgrades and rework required to bring them to Canadian standards. These systems though advertised at much higher speeds, cap out at around 75 parts per minute, have large downtimes and scrap rates between 15 and 30%, not to mention high maintenance costs for replacement parts.

Starting at $300,000 with full safety certification, The Canadian Shield Mask Automation System reliably produces double the number of masks per day than imported systems with just one operator. The system pays for itself in under 10 months and then pays dividends in overall operating margins.

Now available to order, The Canadian Shield’s Medical Mask Automation and Vision Systems are affordable and reliable high-performance solutions for mask manufacturers looking to invest in becoming globally competitive and sustainable. Inline vision and part rejection ensures that only quality masks leave the machine, minimizing labour costs and maximizing customer satisfaction. At 90+ parts per minute, less than 4% scrap, and 91% OEE, these systems are truly world class.

The Vision System is also sold separately as a modular addition for inline mask inspection and rejection. Starting at $30,000, this system ensures that only quality masks leave the machine and significantly reduces labour costs for quality control.

The newly designed proprietary Automation and Vision Systems play a strategic role in The Canadian Shield's vision of building a sustainable medical device manufacturing industry in Canada. 

ABOUT THE CANADIAN SHIELD

The Canadian Shield is a Waterloo Region based advanced manufacturing company that specializes in the design and production of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and the public.

Website: canadianshieldppe.ca 
Instagram: @canadianshieldppe
Facebook: @canadianshieldppe
Twitter: @canshieldppe 
LinkedIn: @thecanadianshield 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Madison Lambden
519-994-1912
media@canadianshieldppe.ca

Shannon Dodangoda
905-806-7190
media@canadianshieldppe.ca