Canadian Electrical Wholesaler is published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with support from the EFC
Volume 2 • Issue 19

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

Our industry's role in global warming

Jim Taggart concludes his article on Amazon with an appeal to what I would call our sense of responsibility. Indeed, in speaking of the place of business in the distribution chain, he tells us that the worst possible strategy to address this new player would be to ignore it in the hope that it will go away. Kinda like the monster under the bed for a child. These days in Paris, world leaders are meeting to discuss issues related to climate change and to hopefully make decisions that will reduce the risks that future generations could face. Our industry has an important role to play and a recognized expertise to share in these important issues. We must be at the heart of debates and solutions. Good reading!

Line Goyette, Managing Editor,
linegoyette@kerrwil.com  

CHANGING SCENE

Weisberg AD Founder David Weisberg Passes Away at 89
Affiliated Distributors founder David Weisberg died peacefully at his home on November 22, surrounded by family…
Gravina S&C Electric Company Executive Appointments
Effective January 1, 2016, Angelo Gravina will become President of S&C Electric Canada Ltd. Angelo is succeeding the current President, Grant Buchanan, who is retiring at the end of this year after over 34 years with S&C…
Don Mackinnon EHRC Power Workers' Union Leader Named EHRC Electricity Industry Leader of the Year
Don MacKinnon, President of the Power Workers' Union, has been honoured with Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC)'s 2015 Leader of the Year award. The award will be presented at EHRC's 10th anniversary luncheon on December 9 in Toronto…

Education

T&B PowerTrain™ - Empower Your Knowledge

Thomas&Betts Thomas & Betts' New Online Training Program Designed Specifically for Electrical Distributors Coming soon…

Opinion

Amazon: Friend, Foe or Frenemy?

By Jim Taggart
Amazon People love to criticize and disparage Amazon. Yet, Amazon continues to grow, expand into new markets and secure new customers. The business model is simple. You can say what you want about the Amazon employee work environment, but they seem to have the brightest and most talented engineers and marketers lined up outside their doors wanting to join the company. Amazon's service has also proven to be lightning fast, cost effective and efficient... Read More

Best Practices

The Right Price to Get the Order — the Last Look

By Paul Eitmant
Market Value When I first started in the electrical industry (1973), pricing was simple. We had a list price (Blue Price Sheet) and we gave stocking distributors 50% off for all our products. At the same time, we did have a quotation system, which we used to fill a form (paper with carbon copies) that was sent to our district and regional offices for safekeeping. Life was good. Until one day, I was using the quotation system for a local construction project and my local distributor called and stated we lost the project to a distributor 200 miles away. I was perplexed and not happy. So I called my regional manager in this city and he stated he gave an extra 5% to his distributor. Well, I did learn a new term called the extra 5% = the last look... Read More

Marketing

Are Canadian Internet Providers Killing Business?

By Sean Dunnigan
CDN Internet providers Developing a robust online presence, including a user-friendly website and customer apps, requires a speedy internet connection. Unfortunately for Canadian manufacturers and distributors, this is rarely available in Canada. According to broadband research firm Ookla, Canada ranks 39th globally for download speeds. For upload speeds, Canada's 5.67 Mbps average ranks 53rd. This puts us between Kenya and Mexico. This all stems from a lack of competition: in 7 out of 10 provinces, one internet service provider (ISP) controls more than 50% of the market... Read More

Peers & Profiles

David Beron — A Resolutely Scientific Spirit in a World that May Not Be Moving Fast Enough

By Line Goyette
David Beron David Beron is a professional engineer, holder of a MBA, and Vice President of RAB Design Lighting Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of lighting products with about 50 employees — men and women from six continents. David likes to explore opportunities in the context of a smaller company. "It allows us to go in the direction we want to without significant administrative or technical obstacles. In a small company, you have an idea and jump on it before the competition even hears about it." An excellent approach, since the company won the 2015 MCEE Award in the "Exterior Lighting" category for its DVAKS LED 14W energy efficient vapourproof fixture... Read More

Millenials

EFC Officially Launches the Young Professionals Network

By Laurence Rocher-Brassard
YYC Electro-Federation Canada's November 4 Future Forum marked the first meeting of EFC's new Young Professionals Network (YPN). Some 60 people took part in the event. Jason Prevost, YPN's national president, outlined the network's objectives. It is designed for anyone aged 40 and under working in any capacity in the industry, and will serve as a forum to gather, grow and contribute. Through YPN activities, young members of Canada's electrical industry will have an opportunity to create links, learn best practices, and further their careers... Read More

Looking Back

CEDA's Drive for New Membership — 1971

Recruiting and retaining members has long been a concern for the association, but the problem seemed especially apparent at this time. At least five distributors had terminated their membership during the previous year, with the fee structure being the cause of termination in at least two of the cases. To attract new members, a 50% reduction in the first year's fees was offered, as well as a chance to attend a workshop, compliments of CEDA, and to have the initiation fee waived... Read More

Economy

September Investment in New Housing Construction Rises 4.8% YOY

Residental Construction Can Sept Spending on new housing construction rose 4.8% year over year to $4.8 billion in September, following a 2.9% gain in August. The increase at the national level reflected higher investment in apartment and apartment-condominium building and row house construction, as spending on single-family and semi-detached dwellings continued to decline. The increased spending occurred in five provinces... Read More

Economy

CDN Demand for Electricity Drops 3.7% in September; U.S. Exports Grow YOY

Electricity Demand Canada's demand for electricity declined 3.7% from September 2014 to 38.5 million megawatt hours (MWh) in September. Lower demand contributed to the 2.3% decrease in total generation, as power plants produced 43.7 million MWh for the month. Exports of electricity to the United States rose 7.5% to 5.8 million MWh on a year-over-year basis, as a result of greater shipments from both British Columbia and Quebec. However, lower exports from Ontario tempered the growth... Read More

Canadian Electrical Wholesaler is published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with support from the EFC
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