National Railway Day - Virtual Speaker Series
On November 4th, 2020 at 1 p.m. EST, CARS hosted a full virtual conference on Hopin in place of the cancelled National Railway Day 2020.
The theme for this event will be "Bridging the Gap: Non-Stop Innovation".
As an industry that supports the movement of people and material we also want to encourage the movement of ideas and technology.
Innovation is an important theme that we believe bridges the various gaps that occur in our industry, such as technology, gender, age, and even culture.
It is a shared desire to create more effective ideas, processes and products to aid in the success of businesses.
There was an opportunity to discuss how companies are coping and continuing business through the current pandemic.
Innovation Zone Presenters:
Linsinger
Instrumentel Ltd
Holland LP
Exhibitor Booths
Booths are available for purchase on the website at the following prices:
Small $50
Medium $75
Large $100
Do you have questions about what a booth looks like?
Please email Hayley Heaslip at hayley_heaslip@railwaysuppliers.ca
Agenda
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Exhibitor Booths
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Welcome
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Kyle Mulligan, CP
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Innovation Zone A
2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Erik Olson, RSA
2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Innovation Zone B
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Faye Ackermans, TSBC
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Members Award Ceremony + VIA Rail Giveaway
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Cynthia Garneau, VIA Rail
Award Recipients:
Innovation award: This award is for members that developed advance or innovative technologies to meet the needs of the rail industry.
The businesses contribute to making a strong and rapidly growing innovative industry and are creating a positive impact on the rail industry and the community.
Cad Railway Industries Ltd (CadRI)
Side Sill Replacement for Bombardier Bi-Level Coaches
Early into its multi-year, contract with Metrolinx for the major refurbishment of their generation 2 bilevel coach fleet,
CadRI identified serious side sill metallurgical corrosion and fatigue that compromised
the structural integrity of the entire bi-level coach design. The competitively bid contract was suddenly
at risk of being cancelled, as the bi-level coaches were no longer considered safe to return to a scheduled
commuter service. Scrapping the bi-levels was the only remaining option. CadRI’s equipment
engineering team intervened, and their investigation resulted in an innovative, and radical solution,
comparable in severity and complexity to human hip replacement surgery. While the bi-level coach was
already stripped down ready for an extreme makeover, a large jig, custom-designed and built by CadRI,
clamped the bi-level coach along its full length, long enough for the corroded metal to be cut out, and
new structural steel to be welded into place.
CadRI was so confident in the structural durability of the new side sill design, that it certified an up to 20
year bi-level useful life extension for Metrolinx. This is the first case in the North American railway and
transit industry where an entire structural side sill was replaced, and the rail equipment returned to
active service.
The side sill replacement program was initially developed by CadRI in 2016, and the bi-level
refurbishment program with Metrolinx is coming to an end in 2020. In the interim 4 years of in-service
testing and monitoring, CadRI has fully validated that the side sill replacement program is truly a
cost-effective and safe way to significantly extend the useful life of a bi-level coach. The success of this
program was recently recognized by a Transit Authority in the USA, and CadRI is currently in the process
of repeating the side sill replacement program for that Transit Authority’s own bi-level fleet, and we
hope to do the same for the other 12 Bombardier bi-level coach users in North America.
The Greenbrier Companies
Virtual Sample Railcar™ (VSR)
The Greenbrier Companies developed Virtual Sample Railcar™ (VSR) to remotely bring customers into the
plant to inspect the quality of a sample railcar from the convenience of their own conference room or home
office. The traditional in-person event requires the customer to travel to the oftentimes remote facility and visually
inspect the first railcars off the line. Greenbrier developed VSR as a safe, secure portal into our global factories
for no cost to our customers.
VSR is a live and interactive customer event that includes:
- Customer specific secure portal
- Super high-resolution and 360-degree photography
- Live streaming inspection and demonstration
- Pre-recorded “Walk the Line” video
- Review of technical documents
VSR was designed around new railcar builds—including lessors and lessees—and since the COVID-19
pandemic has grown to include customer inspection of railcar repair work. Greenbrier’s marketing team began
developing the program over two years ago and testing with select customers in October 2018. After a soft
launch, Greenbrier has rolled the program out to all customers—thereby replacing all physical sample railcar
events—since March 2020. While some competitors have tried to imitate VSR, none has been successful.
Greenbrier designed VSR to save customers time and money—which is still an important marketing strategy—
but it has only become more vital due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
VSR has saved millions in unneeded customer travel and security costs, not to mention days out of the office
for shippers, railroads and lessors.
Watch the demonstration video: https://go.gbrx.com/virtual
VIA Giveaway
Thank you to VIA Rail Canada for sponsoring our VIA Giveaway prize:
A VIA Rail Canada ticket voucher valued at $5000!
Register for NRD 2020 for a chance to win!
Exhibitors
Ekyrail Enterprises Inc.
The Greenbrier Companies
Unipart Rail
Holland LP
Linsinger
Summit Infrastructure
TroTrof
Rail Vision Analytics
Rail Industries Canada
Herzog Contracting of Canada
Quality Turbocharger Components
Milrail Inc.
Rail Shop Services Inc.
RailTerm
Integrity Rail Products
Speakers / Panelists
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Cynthia Garneau
President and Chief Executive Officer
Cynthia Garneau
President and Chief Executive Officer
VIA Rail
Cynthia Garneau joined VIA Rail as President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2019. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Garneau was President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. since 2016, where she led an integrated strategy to keep operations competitive and viable in an ever-changing global market.
Possessing over 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry, she has experience leading complex teams and projects in a number of areas of operation, including Supply Chain Management, Corporate Affairs and Government Relations.
Prior to Bell Helicopter, she held various technical and leadership roles at Bombardier Aerospace, where she helped launch several major aircraft program initiatives as part of the Strategic Sourcing group and key negotiations for the Business Aircraft group.
Cynthia Garneau has served on various boards, including the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, where she served as Chair in 2017-2018, and Aéro Montréal Aerospace Cluster in Quebec. She has also been a Board member of the Fondation de l'Hôpital Régional de St-Jérôme.
In addition, Ms. Garneau was a member of the Economic Strategies Table on Advanced Manufacturing, an initiative launched by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development as part of the Government of Canada’s Innovation & Skills Plan, which is made up of industry leaders. Their mandate is to set ambitious growth goals, identify sector-specific challenges lay out an actionable roadmap to achieve their goals.
Possessing a Bachelor of Specialized Education as well as a Bachelor of Law, both from Sherbrooke University, she has been a member of the Québec Bar since 1994.
Cynthia Garneau s’est jointe à VIA Rail à titre de présidente et chef de la direction en mai 2019. Avant sa nomination, elle était présidente de Bell Helicopter Textron Canada limitée depuis 2016, où elle a dirigé une stratégie intégrée visant à assurer la compétitivité et la viabilité des activités dans un marché mondial en constante évolution. Peu de temps après son entrée en fonction, elle a orchestré le transfert de la chaîne de production de l’hélicoptère Bell 505 Jet Ranger X de la Louisiane au Québec, avec le concours des gouvernements québécois et canadien.
Cynthia Garneau s’est jointe à VIA Rail à titre de présidente et chef de la direction en mai 2019. Avant sa nomination, elle était présidente de Bell Helicopter Textron Canada limitée depuis 2016, où elle a dirigé une stratégie intégrée visant à assurer la compétitivité et la viabilité des activités dans un marché mondial en constante évolution.
Forte de plus de 20 années d’expérience dans l’industrie aérospatiale, madame Garneau a été à la tête d’équipes et de projets complexes dans différents domaines, dont la gestion de chaînes d’approvisionnement, les affaires générales et les relations gouvernementales.
Avant Bell Helicopter, elle a occupé divers postes techniques et de direction chez Bombardier Aéronautique, où elle a contribué au lancement de plusieurs grands programmes d’aéronefs pour le groupe Approvisionnement stratégique, et participé à d’importantes négociations pour le groupe Avions d’affaires.
Soucieuse de faire profiter l’industrie et la communauté aéronautique de son expérience, Cynthia Garneau a siégé à divers conseils d’administration dont ceux de l’Association des industries aérospatiales du Canada (AIAC), dont elle a entre autres assumé la présidence en 2017 et 2018, et d’Aéro Montréal – la grappe aérospatiale du Québec. Elle a également été membre du conseil de la Fondation de l’hôpital régional de St-Jérôme.
De plus, madame Garneau a été membre des Tables sectorielles de stratégies économiques – la fabrication de pointe, une initiative lancée par le ministre de l’Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique dans le cadre du Plan pour l’innovation et les compétences du Canada, lequel se compose de leaders de l’industrie. Leur mandat est de fixer des objectifs ambitieux de croissance, d’identifier les défis spécifiques au secteur et de présenter une feuille de route réalisable pour atteindre leurs objectifs.
Titulaire d’un baccalauréat en enseignement spécialisé et d’un baccalauréat en droit, tous deux obtenus à l’Université de Sherbrooke, elle est membre du Barreau du Québec depuis 1994. -
Kyle Mulligan
Chief Engineer
Kyle Mulligan
Chief Engineer
CP
Kyle Mulligan is the Chief Engineer at Canadian Pacific (CP). Kyle is responsible for overseeing CP’s advanced analytics, standards, wayside detection, train dynamics and marshalling, and incident investigation programs. More simply, Kyle uses data and technology to help ensure CP continues to operate the safest Class 1 railroad in North America.
Kyle holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke in addition to degrees in computer systems, electrical, and biomedical engineering. His main areas of interest are in acoustics, structural mechanics, data mining, machine learning, and predictive analytics. He has focused on improving safety and operational efficiency at CP by implementing systems that predictively identify safety concerns, and his work has helped reduce network delays by 91%.
As a leader at CP, Kyle strives to deliver results on time and on budget, while also mentoring those around him. He is trained and qualified as a locomotive engineer, freight car inspector, welder, leadership coach and has used this first-hand experience to further understand impacts of the systems he designs on operations in the field.
He is a two-time recipient of CP’s CEO Award for Excellence, was named 2019 Railroader of the year, one of Railway Age’s 2018 top 10 under 40, and is a mentor with FIRST, a group that inspires young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Kyle also volunteers as an engineer for CP’s mini-train program and with Grow Calgary, Canada’s largest community farm.
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Faye Ackermans
Board Member
Faye Ackermans
Board Member
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Faye Ackermans had 25 years of experience in the rail industry, with over 15 of those years with senior positions in rail safety and regulatory affairs, before being appointed a member of the Board on 02 July 2014.
Mrs. Ackermans began her career with the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1982. From 1996 to 2008, as General Manager of Safety & Regulatory Affairs, she was responsible for corporate-wide oversight for safety management, security planning, operations regulatory compliance and occurrence investigations. Over that period, Canadian Pacific reduced train accidents by 65% and personal injuries by over 70%. She has held several rail industry committee memberships over her career, including the Safety & Operations Management Committees of both the Railway Association of Canada and the American Association of Railroads. Mrs. Ackermans received a Master of Business Administration from Concordia University in Montreal and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa. -
Erik Olson
Vice President of RSA and Principal & COO
Erik Olson
Vice President of RSA and Principal & COO
Venn Strategies
Erik Olson is principal and chief operating officer at Venn. He previously spent 14 years serving as Chief of Staff and in a variety of policy and campaign roles for Representative Ron Kind (D-WI), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the moderate pro-business House New Democrat Coalition. Mr. Olson brings years of expertise in the areas of tax, trade and health care to the firm’s clients.
In addition to his work at Venn, Mr. Olson serves as chairman ex officio and a member of the board of directors of Horton’s Kids, a non-profit organization offering social and educational services for children in Washington, DC. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.