Tag: innovate

How to differentiate your brand when you’re number 2

If your kids dream of being a master builder when they grow up, they don’t have to move to Denmark. They can do it in Montreal. I met yesterday with members of the team responsible for the design, the production and the branding of Mega Bloks.

I went to the media tour at Mega Bloks for two reasons. I was curious to see how they make their building blocks. But the main reason why I attended this event was to know more about their branding and product development process. What I noticed through the tour was people who enjoy what they are doing.

We all want to feel valued.

Over the last decade, I read tons of articles speculating about why highly educated, talented women are abandoning the corporate ladder for something else. I read two today. You hear all the time reasons like lack of maternity leave, how difficult it’s to find some kind of work-life balance, their desire to raise kids to explain it. These factors certainly play a role in their decision but, in my opinion, they are not the main reason for why they give up on corporate America or corporate Canada.

You want a 2,500 Square Feet House in 20 hours. Call your printer.

contour crafting

Most stories about 3D printers highlight what customers, designers and small businesses could do with their own 3D printer. When comes the time to produce robust pieces, you will need an industrial 3D printer. The process is known as additive manufacturing in the manufacturing industries. 3D printers have been used for a while now when it comes to producing prototypes and medical implants. I read in Technology review that GE aims to print the nozzles of jet engines that are due to go into planes in late 2015 or early 2016. This means that they are confident about the quality of the printed pieces.

It does stop there! 3D printing could change the home building industry forever. In this TED Talk video, Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis, a professor at the University of Southern California demonstrates that automated construction could become a reality sooner than later, if we are willing to give it a chance.