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December Member of the Month – Ro-Matt

Automate Canada is pleased to name it’s first Member of the Month – Ro-Matt and Steven Del Duca. 

Ro-Matt International Inc. is part of a family-owned group of companies that have been serving the metalworking and automotive industries since 1929.  Ro-Matt’s primary goal is to design and construct engineered manufacturing solutions that assist their clients increase productivity and product quality.

Steven Del Duca is the current Vice-Chair of the Automate Canada board and the President of Ro-Matt. He was most recently mentioned in Manufacturing Automation where he explained the usefulness of automation in traditional and non-traditional industries (See article above).

I had the pleasure of asking Steven a few questions:

How long has Ro-Matt been a member of CAMM/Automate Canada?

Since the very beginning – however I cannot recall the exact date. Shelley (Fellows) had invited me to join early on, when the idea of an automation group was conceived. We were still functioning under CAMM I believe. We then dreamt up the name and logo for Automated Canada and finally became our own entity.

 Why did you join?

I thought it was a great idea to have an organization that is focused and concerned with the Automation sector. This would be an excellent networking opportunity, a great way to get to know our comrades and find ways to work together. I also felt that it would present the ability to seek out new customers and industries to work within and provide us an opportunity to evolve our skill sets. More importantly, it provided a voice for automation companies to solve issues facing the industries and sectors we work within. To have an advocacy group on our side was essential to business.

 What do you enjoy most about working in Automation?

I find that automation allows the designers and the end users to be very creative; finding new ways to do things differently than before, or perhaps, in ways that never existed. We make machines and technology come to life. We find ways to make manufacturing safer and more productive, while increasing quality and saving cost. Few people realize how much automation impacts most of the things that they encounter everyday of their life, and for some, it becomes unrecognizable, because it is part of everything that we do.

 What are the top 3 things that people should know about Ro-Matt?

Ro-Matt has been in business for more than three decades, designing and building custom machinery and automated solutions.

At Ro-Matt, we design, manufacture, build, test and run all of the equipment we make in our facility, before shipping and installing it in our customers’ plants.

Ro-Matt has been working with the automotive industry since we started in the 1980’s. We are expanding our automation offerings to new industries and demonstrating how automation fits in industries and workplaces, where it has not existed before.

 Can you think of any misconceptions people may have about the industry?

Some common misconceptions are that automation is evil and that it replaces workers and eliminates jobs. This is not true at all. In fact, automation is widely used where it may be unsafe to have a human work. Automation is also used in many safety systems to protect workers. More recently, we have noticed that there are a lack of skilled trades and people entering the workforce. This is causing manufacturers and other industries to seek out other solutions. Automation and custom machinery are excellent choices.

 What is a fun fact about you?

I am an engineer by training, but love to spend time outdoors; cycling, hiking, kayaking and playing in the yard. I love to cook and do woodworking in the winter, if I am forced to stay inside. Try having an engineer, working in a precision machining environment, make things from wood. Needless to say, not much gets made because I am “a little too fussy”.

 What made you go into this industry?

When I was a kid, I loved playing with things like Meccano and Lego, and I was constantly taking things (like small appliances) apart to see how they worked. My father always told people that I was going to be an engineer when I grew up. I went to college, then university to get my Diploma and Degree, before working in the family business and eventually taking over the operation of Ro-Matt. My only disappointment was that when my father said I was going to be an engineer, I (really) thought I was going to grow up and drive a train.

Thank you Steven for the great answers. It is inspiring to hear from someone who truly loves what they do. 


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