Georgian Officially Opens the Magna Mechatronics Lab at the Barrie Campus
Posted June 27, 2022, updated October 5, 2026
Georgian and Magna International Inc. officially opened the Magna Mechatronics Lab at the Barrie Campus on June 23 of 2022. The event celebrated Magna’s significant investment in Georgian and their students, showed off the new space and highlighted their Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics program. Everyone was treated to hands-on demonstrations using the new technology and equipment in the lab.
This lab is all about industry 4.0 – the new phase of the industrial revolution focusing on interconnectivity, automation, machine-learning and real-time data. What students learn here and take into their employment will help Magna and other companies create a better-connected ecosystem for manufacturing and supply chain management.
In the years ahead, hundreds, eventually thousands, of students will learn in this lab and students in many other engineering, computer and environmental technology programs will take courses in this space as well.
Kyle Anderson, an Academic Program Technologist, demonstrates Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) for Peter B. Moore. 3D printing can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with material being added together, typically layer by layer.
Students will have the opportunity to train on this pick and place station as well as a measuring station. A typical lab configuration (in-lab gantry system) equipped with power, pneumatics and network cables, allows for maximum flexibility. The measuring station determines if the pieces are upside down or not. Those not placed on the belt will be shunted off the belt. This unit introduces pneumatic components and measuring sensors.
Some of the CNC equipment students will learn on.
Students must be comfortable installing, troubleshooting and experimenting with issues that arise, mostly on the mechanical side of the mechatronics system. Kyle Lepinski demonstrates some of the assembling and disassembling techniques.
Magna is an employer of choice here in Central Ontario and Georgian is committed to producing future-ready grads who can support their workforce and become leaders in this evolving global industry. We are united in our commitment to support the next generation of highly skilled workers and helping to create new economic growth in Barrie, Simcoe County and beyond.– Kevin Weaver, CEO and President, Georgian College
I was interested in pursuing an education in engineering and when I heard about this Mechatronics program at Georgian, I knew I could study in a field I love and coming back to my hometown was just a bonus.
– Kyle Lepinski, Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics student
With Magna’s generous support, our graduates will be ready – to build interoperable systems, intelligent automation, and network systems and sensors, while bringing an understanding of cyber security, artificial intelligence and big data.
Students are developing the skills and knowledge to build, troubleshoot and support the next generation of industrial systems for employers like Magna and many others. Mechatronics students also prepare for industry-recognized Siemens certification. This comprehensive certification gives Georgian students another advantage employers are seeking.
Watch this video for an overview of Georgian’s new Magna Mechatronics Lab:
Magna is an employer of choice here in Central Ontario and Georgian is committed to producing future-ready grads who can support their workforce and become leaders in this evolving global industry. We are united in our commitment to support the next generation of highly skilled workers and helping to create new economic growth in Barrie, Simcoe County and beyond.
– Kevin Weaver, CEO and President, Georgian College
MAGNA MAKES $1M INVESTMENT IN GEORGIAN
On Nov. 10, 2020, Magna – a Canadian mobility tech company with comprehensive global presence – made a $1 million investment in Georgian to help bridge the skills gap, drive change in the field of mechatronics, and prepare students for industry 4.0 opportunities. The five-year, multi-faceted agreement led to the creation of a new, state-of-the-art facility and new scholarship opportunities for both future and current Georgian students. A major part of the investment is the new Magna Mechatronics Lab. This innovative space will be home to students in a variety of programs, particularly those in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics three-year advanced diploma program
