Last Sept. 17, 2020, the industry magazines Canadian Manufacturing, PLANT and EP&T magazines held Responding To COVID-19: Industry Leadership Honors, a virtual gala to recognize Canadian manufacturing companies that have distinguished themselves in the fight against the pandemic.
These companies and their employees, responded to the health emergency drastically by changing their operations, purchasing new equipment and increasing shifts to produce urgently needed and scarce goods such as respirators, disinfectants, PPE and medical supplies. Others have invented entirely new solutions, innovative tools to help detect the virus, stop its spread or destroy it completely. The biomedical industry has increased production volumes, focusing on drugs and products to combat COVID-19.
During the gala ceremony, 10 awards were presented to Canadian manufacturing companies chosen from 175 nominations by a panel of judges representing industry, trade media, and local associations and institutions. A review of the finalists and winners is available online at the following link.

Navdeep Bains, Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry opened the gala by welcoming attendees and emphasizing how the Canadian government is at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 alongside manufacturing companies.

The keynote speaker was Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), a federal agency that promotes and supports the advanced manufacturing cluster in the country. Myers spoke about how Canadian businesses have dealt with the COVID crisis but also about the many challenges that still await the manufacturing community in post-pandemic recovery.

Machines Italia and the Italian Trade Commission, partners in "Responding To COVID-19: Industry Leadership Honors," presented the special Machines Italia COVID Hero award - for the Canadian company that has had the most significant impact on the pandemic using made-in-Italy machinery and technology - to Bill Ashburn, Vice President Supply Chain, Master Blender representing Forty Creek Distillery.