Montréal, January 11, 2024 – Companies in the manufacturing sector and throughout their production chain can now finance the creation of a Technological Requirements Specification to optimize their productivity. This first round of financing is now available under the SIPEM program offered by PROMPT. It enables companies to benefit from a network of over 50 independent experts to help them prioritize and solve the technological nodes that are preventing them from achieving their productivity objectives.
Achieving productivity targets through digital transformation
According to information gathered by Ghislain Nadeau, director of the SIPEM program, over 80% of digital technology acquisition and implementation projects require the development of customized solutions to achieve the productivity levels targeted by companies.This is exactly the challenge addressed by the SIPEM program, launched by PROMPT in 2023.
As an expert in the financing of technological innovation in Quebec, PROMPT has been mandated by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE) to identify and finance the improvement, modernization and innovation needs of Quebec companies in the manufacturing sector. Non-repayable grants are awarded to companies wishing to implement customized innovations to improve their productivity.
Defining the productivity node
The first step is to clearly identify and prioritize the productivity node to be addressed. That’s why PROMPT has qualified more than 50 independent experts across all regions of Quebec to draw up Technological Specifications.
Specifications can address three issues:
- System interoperability;
- Data capture and enhancement;
- Enhanced functionality.
“There are many advantages to drawing up specifications with the support of SIPEM’s experts. Firstly, we validate their expertise: the experts’ profiles are rigorously analyzed before being accepted by PROMPT. Secondly, we guarantee neutrality of positioning, as the experts cannot be solution providers following the execution of the specifications”.– Liette Lamonde, General Manager of PROMPT.
” Quebec’s economic growth is largely dependent on increasing our productivity. The SIPEM program gives our businesses access to digital solutions that meet their needs. ” Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Greater Montreal Area.
About the SIPEM program (Productivité secteur manufacturier)
As part of theOffensive de Transformation Numérique (OTN), the MEIE allocated $10 million to PROMPT last April. In response, PROMPT launched its new SIPEM program – Soutien à l’Innovation pour la Productivité des Entreprises Manufacturières – this summer. The program has two components:
- Identification of digital transformation needs through Cahiers de Charges Technologiques (complementary to Investissement Québec’s ESSOR program) carried out by qualified experts;
- Financial assistance of up to $500,000 for customized technology projects.
This initiative is aimed at all manufacturing companies and the entire supply chain, covering all organizational and operational sectors. It is not limited to the production floor, but encompasses all aspects affecting the productivity of manufacturing companies, from 1st to 3rd transformation, as well as the entire supply chain, including logistics.
About PROMPT
PROMPT is an industrial research cluster (RSRI) specializing in the new technologies and information technologies sector. Through its support and Funding Programs (digital technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum…), PROMPT, trustee of the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec, fosters collaborative research between the entrepreneurial and scientific worlds, and drives Quebec innovation to increase Quebec’s competitive edge worldwide.
Media contact
Émilie Delvoye
Director of Communications
Cell. 438-924-2140
