March 20, 2025
Rich in Resources, Rich in Ideas
The Future’s Here: This is the motto under which Canada is presenting itself as a partner country at the 2025 Hannover Messe. The country is a pioneer in renewable energies and renewable raw materials, but also in the field of artificial intelligence. Pepperl+Fuchs has been active there for over 30 years.
East and west, mountains and prairie, nature and industry: Canada is a country that could hardly be more diverse. Rocky, barren mountain ranges rise up into the sky next to fertile valleys with productive fruit and wine growing. Vast amounts of water thunder down the world's largest waterfalls, while many a turquoise-blue lake lies so still that the world around it is reflected in it. You can drive hundreds of kilometers without seeing another person, but bears, moose, and reindeer stroll comfortably across the roads. And in contrast to the seemingly endless nature, wilderness and tranquility, vibrant metropolises such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal suddenly emerge out of nowhere and seem to never sleep.
The population of the North American country with the red maple leaf on its flag, which is this year's partner country at the Hannover Messe, is as diverse as its landscape. More than 20% of the inhabitants have non-Canadian roots, making Canada a multicultural society with an impressive variety of languages, traditions, and cuisines.
World’s longest coastline: Over 202,000 km (125,500 miles) of Canadian land borders on the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans.
Vast landscapes: Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area, covering nearly 10 million square kilometers (3.86 million square miles).
Connecting the coasts: Stretching over 7,400 kilometers (4,600 miles), the Trans-Canada Highway links the east and west coasts, traversing all ten provinces.
Bilingual country: Canada has two official languages, English and French, with French being primarily spoken in Québec.
Incredible national parks: The country is home to 48 national parks and national park reserves, with environmental protection being a top priority for the government.
Liquid gold: Over 70% of the world’s maple syrup is produced in Québec, Canada.
Multicultural society: More than 200 ethnic groups live in Canada, resulting in an impressive cultural diversity in the country.
Environmentally conscious: Canada is known for its commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.
Popular pastries: Canada has the highest number of doughnut shops per capita. Some even call doughnuts the unofficial national dish.
Immigration nation: Canada has one of the highest rates of immigration globally, with nearly 21% of its population born outside the country.
Where Pines and Maples Grow
Canada's diversity is reflected not only in its landscape and people, but also in its industry. Canada is home to numerous natural resources that shape the economy. Not least for this reason, the world's second-largest country by area plays an important role in the energy transition and has made this its goal. Immense forests, which turn bright red and orange in the fall, provide renewable raw materials and make the forestry and timber industry an important branch of industry, while hydroelectric power plants generate clean energy from the world's most powerful waterfalls. In addition, more and more wind and solar power plants are being built in Canada to generate as much electricity as possible from natural resources. This, in turn, is used to produce green hydrogen from the abundant water. In general, the expansion and use of renewable energies is a high priority in Canada's economic strategy—and not just in its own country. For example, Canada has agreements with partner countries such as Germany to secure their energy supply with green hydrogen or liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced in Canada, while also working together to combat climate change.
In addition to forests and water, Canada has abundant natural deposits of minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite. These natural resources are essential for battery manufacturing in particular, and therefore for meeting the growing demand for electric vehicles. The abundance of these raw materials gives Canada an important advantage in the transportation transition. The automotive industry is one of Canada's strongest industrial sectors and has been focusing on the expansion of e-mobility for years. By 2035, motor traffic in the country is to be completely emission-free. With all the necessary raw materials available locally, Canada is able to map the complete supply chain of an electric car in its own country.
Innovative Automation Solutions for a Sustainable Industry
To ensure the sustainability of manufacturing sectors such as the automotive industry and to follow Canada's strategic direction, innovative technologies are needed to promote the automation and digitalization of plants. An important part of this are sensors and components for industrial communication such as those from Pepperl+Fuchs. The company offers, for example, the right sensor technology to automate various tasks in battery manufacturing for electric cars, but also various other products and solutions for automation.
Pepperl+Fuchs has been active in Canada for over 30 years, and since 2022 has had its own sales office in Toronto, Ontario. The choice of location was obvious: along with Québec and British Columbia, the province of Ontario is a center of the manufacturing industry. From here, the ten-person team, supported by a nationwide distribution network, serves companies spanning multiple industries and markets. In addition to the automotive industry, these currently include customers in the (intra)logistics, mobile equipment and packaging industries, as well as several others. “Whether in automotive manufacturing, on mobile machines, in baggage handling systems, or in roller coasters, our Canadian customers are impressed by the durability and reliability of our products and technologies,” says Richard Krawczyk, Area Sales Manager Canada at Pepperl+Fuchs, drawing on his many years of experience. “We maintain a partnership-based relationship with our customers. Everyone knows that when you choose Pepperl+Fuchs Canada, you are choosing a partner who shares your passion for innovation and success.” Krawczyk and his team always strive to solve their customers’ tasks and challenges in the best possible way. The range of services is not limited to industrial sensors and communication. Pepperl+Fuchs also offers components and solutions for explosion protection and digital communication in process plants. And if the standard portfolio does not meet requirements, Pepperl+Fuchs also develops customized solutions.
The Canadian Pepperl+Fuchs Team
The Future’s Here
It’s clear that success in Canada is built on innovation and a strong spirit of research. The North American country has long been a pioneer not only in renewable energies, clean technologies, as well as automated and digitalized factories, but also in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI). Since the 1980s, Canada has built a reputation as a global pioneer in the field of AI and is one of 15 founding members of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), established in 2020. The focus of the international alliance, which now has 29 member states— including France, Germany, Japan, and India—is the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence that respects human rights and shared democratic values of its members. “The combination of advanced technologies and a strategic economic focus on a sustainable future makes Canada a market of the future in which we still see a great deal of potential,” says Richard Krawczyk, looking ahead. “With innovative sensor technology and components and solutions for explosion protection, we see ourselves as an essential part of Canada's future industry and look forward to new challenges—together with our customers.”
Artificial Intelligence in Canada
Canada was the first country to introduce legislation aimed at guiding AI innovation in a positive direction and promoting the responsible adoption of AI technologies for Canadian businesses. Canada is home to over 1500 companies specializing in AI, 20 AI research labs, 75 AI incubators and accelerators, and 60 groups of AI investors across Canada.
