Message From The Editor
Giving a strong voice, listening to and reading young people in our industry
In recent years we've often talked about the Millennial generation and presented profiles of young people. They are the new generation in our industry and we have chosen to give them the floor. They're tomorrow's experts, but are already making their mark in our industry and their expertise must be recognized and underlined. With this in mind, I am pleased to launch in partnership with EFC's Young Professionals Network a unique editorial project, and I invite all young people from industry — professionals, entrepreneurs and others (good news, "young" in our industry is 40 years old or less) — to share with the electrical community your points of view, knowledge and expertise in the technical field, marketing, or on other related topics as a guest contributor. This is an opportunity to share your point of view with your knowledge of the electrical community. Young people have a unique understanding of industry and technology, and through this project we want to give young people a voice in our publications. If you recognize yourself in this or know a young person whose expertise is sought by our industry, contact me, linegoyette@kerrwil.com, or Kim Quelch, President of EFC's Young Professionals Network, kim.quelch@standardpro.com. These young people are writing the future of our industry. We want to get to know you. Good reading!
Line Goyette, Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
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Changing Scene
- Omron Hires Key Staff in BC, Alberta and Ontario
Omron Canada Inc. has appointed Sean Garrity as Territory Account Manager — British Columbia, Bashar Abuhamdan as Account Manager — Southern Alberta, and Michael Joaquin as Safety Services Specialist…
- Tom Artinian Joins Southwire as Vice President of Sales
As VP Sales, Tom Artinian now leads Southwire Canada's six Canadian sales channels…
- Siemens Appoints National Marketing Manager, LP
In her new role Syndie Nadeau will lead product management, pricing, and marcom teams as they develop and implement the strategies needed to achieve Siemens' Low Voltage & Products objectives…
- Lumen Makes Four Appointments to Key Positions
Lumen recently made four appointments to key branch positions as well as product management…
- Westburne Welcomes New Regional Sales Manager, Central Ontario
Richard Do joins Westburne Ontario as the new Regional Sales Manager for the Central Region. The appointment took effect August 13, 2018…
- AD Completes Planned Transition to Member Ownership
The contractor and industrial products wholesale buying/marketing group has completed a transition of ownership from AD's long-time Chairman & CEO, Bill Weisberg, to the buying group's distributor members…
- EFC Launches AFCI Information Portal
Developed in partnership with EFC's Distribution Equipment and Wiring Product Sections, the portal features important information about fires caused by electrical loss as well as useful resources for homeowners…
- New SecuriTEST IP Tester from Ideal Networks Simplifies Installation and Troubleshooting of CCTV Camera Systems
Idea Networks' SecuriTEST IP, now available in Canada, enables technicians to install, test, troubleshoot and document IP/digital, HD coax and analogue CCTV camera systems with a single unit…
- IMARK Canada Signs Up 2 New Members
Effective immediately, FuturPlus and Rolan Inc. are now members of IMARK Canada…
- September 25: Complimentary EFC Member Webinar on Preparing for the Legalization of Marijuana
The upcoming legalization of marijuana across Canada has reopened a discussion regarding drugs and alcohol in the workplace. Employers are concerned about the impact this change will have on their workplace and how to manage it in a way that balances productivity, safety and human rights obligations…
- Sept. 26-Nov. 14: Online Marketing Planning Master Classes
Build your marketing plan in eight weeks by meeting online with marketing expert Katrina Olson and other students for two hours every week…
- November 7: 2018 Agents of Change — Champions Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion
Taking place in Calgary, Alberta, this Electricity Human Resources Canada event will bring together men and women in the electricity industry who share a common commitment to creating equitable and inclusive workplaces. Sponsorship opportunities remain…
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Opinion
Competing for Talent: The New Frontier!
By Carol McGlogan
Since joining EFC last April, our team has spent much time engaging with our membership on what their top game changers are in their respective segments: new competition, digitalization of the supply chain, emerging technologies, and talent availability top the list. We have led research programs and put in place various committees to address these challenges, which offer recommendations and best practices to help members navigate their way to new frontiers. Finding talent is a key area of focus for our members. EFC's Board of Directors recognizes the talent issue and understands that the "faces" within our industry must change to remain relevant.
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Marketing
Selling Yourself Short? How to Stand Out Without Lowering Your Price
By Jeff Mowatt
Is what you do for a living perceived by potential customers as being a mere commodity, more or less the same as others in your profession? When that happens, customers revert to the easiest differentiator — price. The outlook gets worse as you realize that somewhere in the global economy there is likely someone offering similar products or services for a cheaper price. And with the Internet it's easier for your customers to find them. What's most frustrating is when you know your products and services are indeed different, but customers don't seem to get that and put you in the same category as everyone else. The good news is you can change customer perceptions by changing the way you describe what you do.
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New Generations of Leaders at Work
Giving a Voice to Young Professionals in the Industry
By Kim Quelch
Three years ago, Electro-Federation Canada established the Young Professionals Network with the goals of giving young individuals in the industry a place to share ideas and learn, get to know their peers, and give back to the community. We now have more than 300 members across Canada and are continuing to grow every day. The wealth of knowledge and passion these young individuals have is contagious and we wanted to be able to showcase this for all to see. If you have something to share with your industry peers, this is your opportunity to be a part of an exciting new project.
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Looking Back
Recollections: J.E. Milburn, Honourary CEDA Life Member
Prior to the late 1950s there was little if any involvement in CEDA by the so-called "national suppliers." They felt that the organization was more an association of local and provincial independently owned suppliers. It was not until the late '50s when Canadian Westinghouse Co. entered the supply end of the industry (and became an active member on a national basis of CEDA in 1958), that CGE and Northern became active also.
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Economy
Energy Research and Development Expenditures by Area of Technology, 2016
Expenditures remain constant on energy related research and development. Of the $18.1 billion spent by companies on in-house research and development (R&D) in Canada in 2016, just under 9% ($1.6 billion) was directed toward energy-related technologies. R&D spending on fossil fuels, including the production and transportation of coal, oil and natural gas, has been decreasing since 2014. It now accounts for 43.0% ($699 million) of total in-house energy-related R&D spending in Canada.
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Economy
Real GDP Growth Accelerated to 0.7% in Q2
Real gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerated to 0.7% in the second quarter, following a 0.4% gain in the first quarter. Meanwhile, final domestic demand rose 0.5%. Growth was mainly driven by a 2.9% increase in export volumes — the largest gain since the second quarter of 2014. Exports of goods, led by energy products, rose 3.6% after increasing 0.3% in the first quarter. Exports of services edged down 0.2%, the first decline since the fourth quarter of 2015. Household spending rose 0.6%, after increasing 0.3% in the first quarter. Outlays on services (+0.8%) was the largest contributor to the increase.
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Economy
Real GDP Remained Stable in June
Real gross domestic product was essentially unchanged in June, following a 0.5% gain in May. Increases in 12 of the 20 industrial sectors were tempered by reduced output in non-conventional oil extraction and lower activity in wholesale and retail trade. The output of goods-producing industries contracted 0.2% while services-producing industries edged up 0.1% as most of the sectors grew.
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Survey Says
Electrical Wholesale Median Salary by Years of Experience
Electrical wholesalers can look forward to a steady pay increase as they gain experience within the wholesaling market.
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From Our Last Issue
- Are Your Sales and Marketing Teams Inhibiting Growth?
We're at mid year and we're hearing a wide array of distributor and manufacturer performance. Industry forecasters state the market should be around 6%, which begs this question: are you above the industry forecast and growing or are you letting rising seas to lift all? In essence, are you generating growth, content with market performance, or lagging the market? And if you are floating with the market, consider this…
- Legalizing Marijuana and Workplace Safety
Recreational use of marijuana becomes legal on October 17. This has potentially serious implications for workplace health and safety. In this article, contributor Heather Hettiarachchi reviews a recent human rights decision considering whether who dismissed a worker for using medical marijuana on the job was discriminating on the basis of disability. Heather concludes her article with useful takeaways for employers.
- The New Look Forward... Kerr's Crystal Ball!
This article is being written immediately after we have put Volume 34 of the annual Pathfinder report to bed. Pathfinder is produced together by Kerrwil and EFC. Over 13,000 plus words later, the takeaways and overview present a possible look to the future. Or is this future view just history repeating itself? I say this because we see the control and automation channel continue to grow and grab share from the full-line distributor. Driven by open control systems, technology and demands of the end users for a more integrated solutions package, automation and control distributors are adding technical staff, adding branches, and quite frankly bringing in new players and solutions to the market.
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In The Next Issue
Politics at work? |
The Electrical Stock Market
Track the stock market performance of 25 publicly traded electrical equipment suppliers and electrical wholesalers. Updated weekly.
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Careers
Time for a Change? New Job Openings
Access the latest job and career opportunities in Canada's electrical industry today. New listings posted regularly.
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