Assembling the Pieces – Welcome The Assembly, to the Canada Makes Ecosystem

Canada has the capability to manufacture what we need – the challenge is connecting the dots. That’s the vision behind The Assembly, the newest member of the Canada Makes ecosystem.

Founded by Nichelle and Dustin, The Assembly was built on a simple but powerful idea: Canada already has the additive manufacturing capacity, it’s just underutilized. By combining secure digital inventory with a sovereign, distributed production network, The Assembly aims to make it possible to produce parts closer to where/when they’re needed, reducing lead times, shipping costs, and reliance on overseas suppliers.

A key barrier is education and trust.

Many manufacturers see additive manufacturing as complicated or “all-or-nothing.” The Assembly takes a more practical approach – starting with unpredictable, low-volume parts that often sit on shelves or become obsolete. Instead of ordering thousands at a time, companies can digitize select components and produce them on demand.

In a country as geographically vast as Canada, distributed production isn’t just convenient, it’s a strategic plan. By leveraging existing service bureaus and last-mile logistics infrastructure, parts can be produced within 200 km of most of the population, unlocking faster, more resilient supply chains.

As Nichelle explains:

“Shipping parts across the country doesn’t make sense when we can simply make them where they’re needed.”

Collaboration is central to this model. The Assembly sees itself as an “AM Sherpa,” guiding manufacturers through adoption and ensuring their first experience with additive manufacturing is helpful and expansive.

We’re excited to welcome The Assembly to the Canada Makes ecosystem and look forward to supporting their mission to strengthen Canada’s manufacturing sovereignty one digital file at a time. If you want to learn more you can check out their website HERE or follow them on LinkedIn.