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44 WINTER 2024 Every year, Friesens Corporation prints nearly 30 mil- lion books — that's almost one for every Canadian! These books reach readers around the globe, with the majority shipped within North America. Situated in rural Manitoba, Friesens is home to nearly half the hardcover book-binding lines in Canada, showcasing its commit ment to quality and innovation within the community. The Altona company also leads the way as North America's most automated book manu- facturer. In its state-of-the-art facilities, the company currently operates two industrial robots and six collaborative robots (cobots), with two additional industrial robots scheduled for installation in December. These robots work alongside employee-owners, assisting with repetitive and heavy tasks that could otherwise lead to injuries and long-term muscle discom- fort. The industrial robots were custom-made to stack sections of books onto a collator, where they are compiled and bound. One of Friesens' claims to fame is having printed the first several series of Harry Potter books for Canadian readers, making history in 2004: when au- thor J.K. Rowling heard that the Canadian publisher Raincoast Books and Friesens used 100 per cent post-consumer waste paper to print copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, she insisted all future books about the boy wizard be printed "tree-free," worldwide. ■ FRIESENS: LEAVING A LASTING IMPRESSION Friesens Corporation, located in Altona, leads the way as North America's most automated print manufacturer. MADE IN MANITOBA CONT.

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