Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing

What Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing does

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing is a non-profit research organization founded in 2015 by Paul Boothe and headquartered at Western University in London, Ontario. Its mission is to produce independent, data-driven research and analysis on Ontario's advanced manufacturing ecosystem and to facilitate collaboration among manufacturers, government, industry associations, education and research institutions, and non-profit ecosystem partners. The organization generates revenue through government support (Ontario government enabling TrilliumGIS to be freely available), data sales for industry analysis and supply chain mapping, and research services, while also publishing Data Bulletins, Annual Reports, Manufacturing Profiles, and the "Shifting Gears" podcast.

The organization's core technology is TrilliumGIS, an interactive mapping platform containing validated information on more than 12,000 Ontario manufacturing establishments and over 250 publicly-funded or not-for-profit ecosystem partner organizations, classified using NAICS codes and filterable by company name, industry, location, products, and industries served. A complementary Ecosystem Directory lists 230+ partner organizations, and the data is available for purchase to support industry analysis, supply chain mapping, and collaboration initiatives. The dataset is described as validated from publicly available sources, giving Trillium an information-curation role in a market where comprehensive manufacturing intelligence was previously fragmented.

Customer engagement is largely horizontal and stakeholder-driven rather than transactional: the organization serves federal and provincial government agencies, Ontario manufacturers seeking supply chain and innovation partners, industry associations needing member outreach and research, universities and research institutions pursuing applied research, and non-profit ecosystem partners. The company has 1-10 employees and is governed by a board of directors chaired by Ben Whitney (President of Armo Tool Ltd.), with strategic alignment reinforced by board representation from NGen (Jayson Myers), Toyota Canada (Scott Mackenzie), and former Skills Ontario leadership (Ian Howcroft, 2015-2023).

Name

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing

Legal name

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing

Website

https://trilliummfg.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing is a non-profit research organization at Western University that produces data-driven research on Ontario's advanced manufacturing ecosystem and operates TrilliumGIS, a database of more than 12,000 manufacturing establishments and 250+ ecosystem partners, serving government, manufacturers, associations, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Data Sales: The Trillium Network maintains a comprehensive database of Ontario manufacturers, manufacturing establishments, and ecosystem partners. This data is available for purchase and supports industry analysis, supply chain mapping, and collaboration initiatives.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing is a non-profit research organization that produces independent, data-driven research and analysis on Ontario's advanced manufacturing ecosystem. Its flagship offering is TrilliumGIS, an interactive mapping platform containing information on more than 12,000 Ontario manufacturing establishments and more than 250 publicly-funded or not-for-profit ecosystem partner organizations, classified using NAICS codes with OR/AND filtering capabilities. The organization also sells proprietary data, publishes research bulletins, and operates an Ecosystem Directory of partner organizations.

Product overview

The Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing operates as a research and data organization rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings consist of TrilliumGIS (an interactive mapping platform of Ontario's manufacturing ecosystem), an Ecosystem Directory of partner organizations, the Shifting Gears Podcast, Data Bulletins (research publications), Manufacturing Profiles of Ontario manufacturers, and Annual Reports. TrilliumGIS serves as the flagship platform, offering free public access to information about over 12,000 manufacturing establishments, while complementary products support industry analysis, collaboration, and awareness of manufacturing trends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TrilliumGIS: An advanced manufacturing sector asset and ecosystem map containing information about more than 12,000 Ontario manufacturing establishments and more than 250 publicly-funded or not-for-profit ecosystem partner organizations.

Products and services

• TrilliumGIS Interactive mapping platform containing information about more than 12,000 Ontario manufacturing establishments and more than 250 publicly-funded or not-for-profit ecosystem partner organizations. Uses NAICS codes for classification and offers OR/AND filtering tools for identifying manufacturers by industry, location, products, and industries served. Free public access at trilliumgis.ca.
• Ecosystem Directory A directory providing information about more than 230 publicly funded and non-profit organizations supporting Ontario's manufacturing ecosystem. Partners allow researchers, students, and industry professionals to collaborate in pursuit of innovative solutions.
• Ontario Manufacturing Data Sales Purchasable data products based on Trillium's comprehensive database of Ontario manufacturers, manufacturing establishments, and ecosystem partners, supporting industry analysis, supply chain mapping, and collaboration initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• TrilliumGIS maps over 12,000 manufacturing establishments and 250+ ecosystem partners in Ontario

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Advanced Manufacturing Purchasing Partners (APMA)coreOthersAPMA is listed as an ecosystem partner and logo displayed on Trillium Network website as part of collaborative network supporting Ontario's advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
• Automotive Policy Research Centre (APRC)coreOthersAPRC collaborates with Trillium Network on automotive policy research and analysis. APRC research is referenced and linked on Trillium website.
• Automate CanadacoreOthersListed as an ecosystem partner and logo displayed on Trillium Network website supporting Ontario's advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME)coreOthersListed as an ecosystem partner. CME-SMART program referenced as helpful for manufacturers in accessing government support.
• Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association (CVMA)coreOthersListed as an ecosystem partner and logo displayed on Trillium Network website.
• Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGen is a featured ecosystem partner on the Trillium Network website. NGen's CEO Jayson Myers serves on Trillium's Board of Directors, creating a strategic alignment.
• Ontario Ministry of Economic DevelopmentminorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner. Ontario government provides support enabling TrilliumGIS to be free and publicly accessible.
• Skills OntariocoreOthersSkills Ontario CEO Ian Howcroft served on Trillium Board from 2015-2023. Skills Ontario promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies.
• FedDev OntariominorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner supporting Ontario's manufacturing ecosystem through funding programs.
• Export Development Canada (EDC)minorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner. EDC programs referenced as helpful for manufacturers accessing export support.
• NORCATcoreOthersFeatured ecosystem partner organization supporting Ontario's manufacturing ecosystem with mining innovation programs.
• Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)coreOthersFeatured ecosystem partner organization supporting innovation in Ontario's manufacturing sector.
• MaRS Discovery DistrictminorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner supporting Ontario's innovation and manufacturing ecosystem.
• CommunitechminorOthersListed as an ecosystem partner supporting technology and manufacturing innovation in Ontario.
• YSpace at York UniversityminorOthersYork University's entrepreneurship and innovation hub listed as ecosystem partner. Supports startups and entrepreneurs in manufacturing sector.
• Toyota CanadacoreOthersToyota Canada's Scott Mackenzie serves on Trillium's Board of Directors, providing strategic automotive industry perspective.
• Western UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrillium Network is a non-profit organization located at Western University in London, Ontario. The organization collaborates with university departments and research institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thomas Publishing (Thomasnet): Long-standing North American industrial sourcing platform and supplier directory. Comparable as a comprehensive manufacturer establishment database serving similar B2B discovery use cases (supplier search, NAICS-coded filtering) at significantly larger scale.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Global business data and analytics provider with comprehensive establishment-level records. Comparable as a multi-jurisdiction business establishment database serving B2B customers who need supplier discovery and corporate intelligence.
• S&P Global Market Intelligence (IHS Markit legacy): Global market intelligence vendor with extensive manufacturing and industrial data. Comparable as a large-scale data and research vendor serving manufacturers, governments, and industry associations - represents the upper-bound commercial scale that a nationalised Trillium could compete against.

Direct peers

• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME): Canada's largest industry association for manufacturers. Comparable as a non-profit data, advocacy and research organisation serving the same Ontario manufacturer base, with overlapping ecosystem partners (listed on Trillium's website) and similar horizontal member segments.
• Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA): Canadian automotive parts industry association. Comparable as a non-profit industry organisation focused on automotive manufacturing research, supplier ecosystem mapping, and policy advocacy - a featured Trillium partner and direct overlap in target audience and data products.
• NGen - Next Generation Manufacturing Canada: National manufacturing innovation supercluster funded by the federal government. Comparable as a non-profit convening manufacturing ecosystem partners, running collaborative projects, and producing research on advanced manufacturing - overlapping mission and partner network with Trillium.
• Reshoring Initiative: US non-profit that tracks reshoring activity and publishes the Reshoring Initiative database. Comparable as a non-profit manufacturing data and research organisation with similar mission around supply-chain visibility and policy impact.

Emerging players

• MFG.com: Online manufacturing marketplace that connects buyers with custom manufacturers across North America. Comparable as a digital platform for manufacturer discovery and supply-chain matching, though oriented toward transactional RFP matching rather than research/ecosystem mapping.
• Kompass International: Global B2B directory and company information database with NAICS/ISIC-classified records. Comparable as a digital manufacturer/business establishment discovery platform with similar classification and filtering use cases to TrilliumGIS.

Others

• Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program: US policy research organisation producing independent economic and manufacturing research. Comparable as a non-profit think tank publishing data-driven analysis on industry trends and policy, though with much broader topical remit than Trillium.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trillium-network-for-advanced-manufacturing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing