The CQFA’s creation stems from the Livre blanc sur la fabrication additive au Québec, or the whitepaper on additive manufacturing in Quebec, unveiled by PRIMA Québec and its partners in March 2020, namely Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec (MEI), the Centre québécois de recherche et de développement de l’aluminium (CQRDA), MEDTEQ+ and P4BUS Systems.. The document’s main recommendations cover a variety of issues. AM involves a number of technologies, all at various levels of readiness. Quebec’s key economic sectors have not sufficiently exploited its potential. The province’s industrial AM offer is primarily composed of SMEs, but too little knowledge, experience and resources are being shared between them. According to the whitepaper’s conclusions, stimulating a sense of belonging among the ecosystem’s various stakeholders would accelerate the industry’s growth.
“The dream of a one-stop shop is achievable. It would offer a perfect response to the entrepreneur’s need for agility.”
- Livre blanc sur la fabrication additive au Québec, p. 55
Industrialists introduced the whitepaper to key decision-makers in 2020, including Quebec’s Minister of Economy and Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon.