About

Imperial Tool & Die Limited, operating as Imperial Fabricating, is an Etobicoke-based metal design and fabrication company founded in 1956. The company provides precision sheet metal fabrication, forming, welding, assembly, and manufacturing support for OEM customers in office workstation systems, architectural and construction products, consumer components, and related markets. Building on decades of fabrication expertise, Imperial has launched West Porch, a premium modular outdoor kitchen systems brand. The company is also developing FORME™, a proprietary software platform that supports outdoor kitchen design, layout, education, quoting, and project delivery.

Project

This project will advance FORME™ into an AI-assisted design, configuration, and project delivery platform for outdoor kitchens. The work includes baseline validation, remediation of existing application issues, AI-readiness hardening, design of AI workflows, integration of AI-assisted layout guidance, and commercial release preparation. FORME™ will combine rule-based design constraints, layout intelligence, embedded design guidance, automated pricing, photorealistic rendering, and alignment between design outputs and manufacturing requirements. Cambrian College will support validation of the AI-enabled application, helping ensure the platform reflects real-world outdoor kitchen design, dealer, installer, and fabrication needs.

Impact

The project will help Imperial shorten design and quoting cycles, reduce rework, and improve coordination between designers, dealers, installers, and manufacturing teams. By enabling outdoor kitchens to be planned earlier in the design process, FORME™ can reduce late-stage layout changes and improve the manufacturability of custom projects. Commercialization will support growth of the West Porch product line, expand Imperial’s digitally enabled manufacturing capabilities, and demonstrate how AI-assisted configuration tools can help Ontario fabricators scale customized product offerings.