Canadian Electrical Wholesaler
Published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with the support of Electro-Federation Canada (EFC)
Southwire

Message From The Editor

Discussions on the public stage

Meetings are multiplying on the international stage this summer, and agreements are being negotiated. The economy is healthy and we all continue to be interested in it. We're taking advantage of this period to participate in the discussion of an issue in our industry that is occurring at a time of constant technological change: "or equivalent approved products." Another debate taking place, as recreational use of marijuana is about to become legal, is its use in the workplace. Employers, particularly those engaged in operations posing health and safety hazards, are legitimately concerned. Is this a necessary overhaul of practices and policies given the legalization of marijuana? In a nutshell... no, but if you have workers in "safety-sensitive positions" you may need to understand your rights as an employer, and adjust your policies and procedures. These adjustments could protect your employees and your business. Feel free to follow and participate in these discussions. Good reading!

Line Goyette, Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
 
Electrofed

Changing Scene

Tools For The Trade

EFC — Research and Reports

EFC's Q2 2018 Business Confidence Survey — Results Are In

Electrofed Electro-Federation Canada conducts a quarterly business confidence survey, inviting all key association contacts to participate. Respondents are asked to compare their current quarter and next quarter sales, against the same periods last year. For this quarter, 92 key member contacts provided feedback. Here's what they told EFC. Read More

Energy Management

Wireless Telephone Company Moves into Energy Management Sector

By Paul Eitmant
IP International Group In another first, Sprint moves into the energy management sector with an open protocol company. We should all pay attention to this type movement within our industry. The question is how is your company addressing this type of shift in the market place. Sprint's Magic Box is slated for deployment in approximately 100 City of Pittsburgh buildings to provide connectivity for the nation's first fully integrated energy savings as a service initiative. Boss Controls, an IoT energy management company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has received the intent to award contract from the City of Pittsburgh. Read More

Marketing

Managing Multiple Customers: 5 Tips for Juggling Customers, Callers and Walk-ins

By Jeff Mowatt
Jeff Mowatt You know the scenario… your workday is running smoothly and manageably when suddenly you find yourself dealing with one customer in front of you, another on the phone, while a third arrives with just a quick question. When organizations bring me to conduct customer service seminars, I find this is one of the most frequent challenges frontline employees ask me to address. While there are no absolute rules for juggling customers (you need to adapt to your workplace's business realities), here are five tips that we find work well for our clients in reducing stress and boosting customer loyalty. Read More

Peers & Profiles

Driving the Industry Forward: Discussing the Success of Phoenix Contact with Roland Bent

By Owen Hurst
Phoenix CEW's sister publication Panel Builder & Systems Integrator recently attended Hannover Messe 2018 to see first hand the future products and solutions being offered within the industry. While attending we had the opportunity to sit down and discuss new products and solutions and the future of Phoenix Contact with Roland Bent, Chief Technology Officer and member of the Executive Board. Also present were Kevin McKenna, General Manager of Phoenix Contact Canada, Angela Josephs, Director of Corporate Communications, and Brad Hammer, National Sales Manager at Phoenix Contact Canada. Read More

Looking Back

Recollections: Donald Hughes

CEDA Before and during my term as President, CEDA was holding three major meetings a year: January/February —Eastern Conference (Ontario, Quebec and East Coast members); May — Annual Meeting and Conference (all members and suppliers); Fall — Western Conference (all members west of the Ontario border). Read More

Economy

Wire and Cable Distribution Customer Mix

Pathfinder The wire and cable market has seen some significant shifts in recent years. Currently, the Industrial, OEM, MRO and automation sectors represent over 50% of wire and cable distribution. Read More

Economy

Industrial Control Systems Security Market to See 20% CAGR over 2018-2024

Global Market Insights The ICS security market is set to grow from its current market value of more than US$1.5 billion to over US$7 billion by 2024, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The growth is attributed to the increasing incidents of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure industries. Constantly evolving cyber threats, such as ransomware and viruses, can adversely affect production processes in critical infrastructure environments, resulting in large-scale financial losses for the companies. The security concerns have increased considerably after the Industry 4.0 revolution as the tendency to connect ICS equipment to the Internet has grown significantly in the industries. Read More

Economy

Q2 Non-residential Building Construction Up 1.4% over Q1

Statistique Canada Investment in non-residential building construction totalled $14.3 billion in the second quarter, up 1.4% compared with the first quarter. The commercial (+$123.7 million) and industrial (+$103.4 million) components were up, while the institutional component declined. Spending on institutional building construction was down 0.9% (-$35.3 million). The decrease follows four consecutive quarterly gains. Nationally, the decline stemmed from lower spending on schools (-$44.3 million) and nursing homes (-$25.1 million), as well as penitentiaries, detention centres and courthouses (-$13.6 million). Hospitals, health care centres and clinics were the only building types with a quarterly increase, up $56.3 million. Read More

Economy

Wholesale Sales Reach $63.7 Billion in May

ALTTEXT Wholesale sales rose 1.2% to a record $63.7 billion in May. Sales were up in four of seven subsectors, representing approximately 50% of total wholesale sales. Read More

From Our Last Issue

From Our Last Issue
  • Legalizing Marijuana and Occupational Health and Safety
    Last month the Senate passed Bill C-45, making the use of recreational marijuana a reality as of October 17, 2018. Employers, especially those engaging in operations with health and safety concerns, are legitimately concerned. Is an overhaul of their practices and policies required given the legalization of marijuana? In a word… No. Workers do not have the right to be impaired at work. And workers do not have an absolute right to consume marijuana at work. This has already been decided and was again addressed this year by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in Aitchison v. L&L Painting and Decorating Ltd., 2018 HRTO 238.

  • Websites and Your Coffee
    Recently a number of distributors have launched upgraded websites with eCommerce capabilities. Launch times reportedly range from 4 to 28 months… and maybe more (Kirby Risk, State Electric, Independent Electric, Fairmont Supply, Turtle & Hughes, Electric Supply (Tampa). And we know of other major ones coming online soon and some are upgrading their product content). Now, after the site development expense, the companies are investing in "digital marketing" specialists/marketers to help monetize their efforts. The question then becomes, what is the definition of monetize? Because, after all, if you develop it, will they come?

Published by Kerrwil Publications Limited with the support of Electro-Federation Canada (EFC)
Kerrwil Publications Limited, 538 Elizabeth Street Midland Ontario, L4R2A3