Vertical: Manufacturing
Application: Indoor positioning, autonomous robotics, AI-powered quality inspection, remote expert assistance, integrated sensor and machine solutions
Ecosystem: Ericsson, CENGN, CNIMI
Private Network: 5G
A new Advanced Manufacturing Living Lab has opened at CNIMI (Centre national intégré du manufacturier intelligent) in Drummondville, Quebec, powered by Ericsson Private 5G. The facility is the eighth site in CENGN’s national Living Lab Initiative, backed by a $45 million federal investment from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The lab gives Canadian startups and scaleups co-funded access to a working 2,800-square-metre factory environment where they can test and validate solutions in robotics, applied AI, and advanced connectivity against real industrial conditions — with the goal of accelerating their path to market.
For many Canadian technology companies, the hardest part of building a product is not inventing it — it is proving that it works under real operational conditions. Investors, potential customers, and procurement teams want evidence that a solution performs in a live environment, not just in a controlled lab. That gap between promising prototype and market-ready product is where a growing number of private network deployments in manufacturing are trying to help.
The CENGN Advanced Manufacturing Living Lab at CNIMI in Drummondville is specifically designed to address that problem. By situating a private 5G-enabled test environment inside an active, working innovation hub, the facility lets companies stress-test their technologies against conditions that closely mirror what they will encounter on actual factory floors.
Sandra Cutrona, President and CEO of CENGN, described the rationale directly: “By providing our comprehensive validation services alongside access to real-world environments, like the Advanced Manufacturing Living Lab, we enable Canadian innovators to bring their cutting-edge technologies to market faster and with greater confidence.”
What the Lab Offers
The CNIMI facility brings 2,800 square metres of active factory-lab space to the initiative, chosen specifically for its hands-on, human-centred approach to industrial transformation. CENGN selected the Drummondville site because it makes advanced solutions accessible and testable in authentic production conditions — not simulated ones.
The network infrastructure at the heart of the lab is Ericsson Private 5G, including 5G Indoor Advanced Positioning (5G IAP). This enables a range of advanced manufacturing use cases that depend on precise, low-latency wireless performance: indoor positioning systems capable of tracking assets and personnel across large production floors, integrated sensor and machine solutions that stream high-density telemetry data in real time, and autonomous stationary and mobile robotics platforms.
“We’re proud to provide our state-of-the-art Private 5G technology to drive secure, ultra-reliable connectivity for smart factories and AI-powered automation. We believe this lab will accelerate the commercial success of Canadian manufacturing startups,” said Nishant Grover, President of Ericsson Canada.
Two Pathways for Participating Companies
Startups and scaleups can engage with the lab through two distinct project models. An Innovation Project provides up to $250,000 in co-investment funding alongside access to CENGN’s technical expertise, allowing a company to test, validate, and certify its solution for market entry or expansion. An Adoption Project goes a step further, pairing the startup directly with a potential customer and providing up to $500,000 in co-investment to validate the solution against that customer’s specific operational requirements.
Both pathways are part of the broader CENGN Living Lab Initiative, which now spans eight facilities across Canada and aims to support more than 100 startups and scaleups. The $45 million investment from ISED’s Strategic Response Fund underpins the entire program, with expected returns including GDP growth, the creation and retention of high-value technology jobs, new intellectual property, and the entry of Canadian products into global markets.
Hussein Ibrahim, Director of CNIMI, pointed to the broader significance of the partnership: “CNIMI is pleased to partner with CENGN to drive the commercial success of Canadian startups and new technology. Through the Advanced Manufacturing Living Lab, we are contributing to the development of one of Canada’s key economic sectors.”
Three Demonstrations at Launch
At the April 16, 2026 opening event, three live demonstrations illustrated the range of applications the lab is built to support — all running over the Ericsson Private 5G network.
In the first demonstration, a Unitree Go2 robot dog conducted live inspection rounds through the CNIMI facility, checking for safety compliance including whether personnel were wearing protective eyewear and whether exterior doors were secured. A remote supervisor monitored the entire inspection via a high-definition video feed, made possible by the network’s low-latency transmission and consistent indoor coverage.
The second demonstration featured Averian’s AI Validator platform performing real-time inspection of component assembly on a continuously variable transmission. Using an IP camera connected over the private 5G network, the system detected assembly errors instantly and surfaced them to the operator — illustrating how AI and private wireless together can tighten quality control on a production line without adding manual inspection steps.
The third demonstration showed a worker with no prior training on the facility’s robotics wearing Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses while a remote technical expert guided them through startup and verification procedures in real time. The private 5G connection delivered video quality sufficient for the expert to see exactly what the worker saw and respond with the precision that genuine technical support requires — a scenario with direct applications for distributed manufacturing operations and skilled trades assistance.
The Inaugural Partner
Averian, an Ottawa-based company specializing in AI platforms for production environments, served as the lab’s inaugural demonstration partner. Its AI Validator product is built for precision defect detection and automated quality assurance in mission-critical manufacturing settings.
“Our CENGN Living Lab demonstration will enable us to showcase AI Validator in a high-stakes, real-world manufacturing setting,” said Taimoor Nawab, CEO of Averian. “By showcasing this technology in a live environment, we provide manufacturers with the reliability and speed needed to eliminate production errors and significantly increase operational efficiency.”
Averian’s involvement signals the kind of company the lab is designed to serve: technically sophisticated, addressing a genuine industrial problem, and in need of a credible real-world proving ground to accelerate customer conversations.
A National Ecosystem, Not Just a Single Facility
The Drummondville lab does not operate in isolation. Through CENGN’s pan-Canadian network, participants gain access to a broader ecosystem of technology leaders, innovation hubs, and sector-focused organizations across the country. A startup validating its solution at CNIMI can tap into relationships and visibility that extend well beyond Quebec.
The federal government has made clear that it views this kind of infrastructure as strategically important. “Advancing Canada’s leadership in 5G and smart technologies is crucial for our economic growth and global competitiveness,” said the Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry. “These partnerships help to build a stronger, more connected ecosystem — where Canadian ideas can be tested, refined and taken to markets worldwide.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the CENGN Living Lab Initiative and how does the Drummondville facility fit into it?
A: The CENGN Living Lab Initiative is a national program backed by a $45 million investment from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, designed to help Canadian startups and scaleups validate and commercialize their technologies in real-world environments. The Advanced Manufacturing Living Lab at CNIMI in Drummondville is the eighth facility in that initiative. It focuses specifically on manufacturing use cases, providing a 2,800-square-metre active factory-lab environment equipped with Ericsson Private 5G, including 5G indoor advanced positioning.
Q: What kinds of companies can participate, and what support is available?
A: The lab is open to Canadian startups and scaleups developing solutions in areas such as sensors, robotics, applied AI, and industrial IoT. Participants can engage through an Innovation Project, which provides up to $250,000 in co-investment funding to validate and certify a solution for market entry, or an Adoption Project, which pairs the company with a potential end customer and provides up to $500,000 in co-investment to validate against that customer’s specific needs.
Q: Why was Private 5G chosen as the connectivity foundation for the lab?
A: Manufacturing environments place demands on wireless networks that general-purpose infrastructure is not built to meet — consistent low latency, high device density, and reliability that production workflows can depend on without interruption. Ericsson Private 5G, including its indoor advanced positioning capability, provides the dedicated, controllable network performance that the lab’s target use cases require, from autonomous robotics and real-time AI inspection to remote expert assistance running over live video.
