Canada's manufacturers face increasing pressures. As competition grows and margins tighten, manufacturers are looking for new sources of innovation and new ways to manage their assets and squeeze costs out of their operations - they need executives who are not just traffic managers, but effective, strategic managers of logistics and supply-chain management.

Michael Stern Associates understands these challenges: we have made a point of serving the manufacturing and distribution sector since our company's founding, and this sector includes some of our longest-standing clients, such as Praxair.

We have been very successful at finding executives who know how to achieve efficiencies in processing, distribution, and inventory. More and more, we are helping our clients locate candidates with technological backgrounds who can lead these companies to evaluate and adopt the new technologies and information systems they need.

We offer expanded services to companies like Magna and Honda in Canada's automotive sector. We understand trends in the automotive industry and how they affect the supplier level. We are familiar with the special nature and requirements of executive positions in the industry — particularly the manufacturing processes, supplier-customer relationships, quality systems requirements, and the cost/price pressures in the supply chain.

Through our contacts, we stay aware of industry developments, including significant acquisitions and policy or program changes announced by vehicle manufacturers. We stay in touch with senior executives in the industry, tracking their changing career directions and aspirations.