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

Message From The Editor

Everything turns to its advantage, or almost

It sometimes seems easier to tackle new situations by being negative and rejecting it. Will personal contact always be in opposition to new technologies, and are human beings destined to fight or die? Some authors tell us that soon we will prefer to deal with artificial intelligence rather than human intelligence. We need to worry about this. According to contributor Rick McCarten, it's important for us to use this new tool for the benefit of our company. Artificial intelligence is the oil of yesterday, and can transform data at the heart of today's processes into knowledge and power. How are tariffs affecting the industry? Contributor David Gordon addresses this question. Meet the person who has taken a gamble on recruiting and retaining young people to our industry, which at first glance might seem difficult to integrate but really has everything to do with attracting the best. Good reading!

Line Goyette, Managing Editor
linegoyette@kerrwil.com
 
Electrofed

Changing Scene

Tools For The Trade

Opinion

Artificial Intelligence Is Slowly Creeping into Our Lives

By Rick McCarten
Electrofed I recently had one of those "ah-ha" moments, when you discover that all along you have been doing something that you thought would never happen. It happened while listening to a CBC interview with Yuval Noah Harari, author of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. In this book, he says that we will soon all prefer artificial intelligence (AI) over fellow human contact. People will go to AI because it will be a better source of information than our own intuition or advice from others. He gives the example of the popular Waze app, which determines the best driving route. Read More

Marketing

Could Tariffs, Masquerading as Price Increases, Be Good for the Electrical Industry?

By David Gordon
Channel Marketing Group This year may go down as the year of tariffs. Earlier in the year tariffs were implemented on steel and aluminum. In July the first round of tariffs targeting Chinese products found its way into the industry while there have been extensive discussions about what tariffs could do to the lighting market. To paraphrase Paul Revere, "The tariffs are here, the tariffs are here!" September 24 is when the next rounds of tariffs went into effect. Many manufacturers have spent countless hours evaluating the impact on their business. Cost accountants have determined which products come from where, and what the assemblies are. Read More

Peers & Profiles

Kim Quelch — an Immense Desire to Share Passion and Knowledge

By Line Goyette
Standard Products A few weeks ago Kim Quelch, National President of Electro-Federation Canada's Young Professionals Network, invited her male and female colleagues to share and publicize their expertise among all members of the industry. Like many, she arrived by chance in the industry. After graduating from university with a Bachelor of Commerce and a speciality in marketing, she began her career in a packaging and software company. "The part of the software industry I was in was predominantly male and I didn't feel the support of senior management to facilitate our integration. In addition, I found that the size of the business limited the professional challenges ahead of me." Read More

Marketing

EFC's 8th Annual Future Forum

By John Kerr
Kerrwil It's hard to believe the concept pioneered by Sonepar's Tom Mason is celebrating its eighth anniversary. EFC's Marketing awards continue to gain in value and importance to the Canadian electrical industry every year. I have spoken to many who ask if there is any value here and if these awards are more trouble than they are worth, and many people fail to see the bigger picture. After all, winning awards is much more than a trophy or a plaque that lives in reception. The awards hosted at EFC's 8th Annual Future Forum are a key component of this event, not only for recognizing excellence, but for providing so much more. Read More

Certification

Early Collaboration Can Lead to a Better Certification Experience

By CSA Group
CSA Group Manufacturers face many challenges when it comes to product design and development. Typically, the process — from initial idea to product launch and beyond — can be long, complex, full of surprises, and involve many stakeholders. As design, development, and launch tend to be linear, the first time a manufacturer contacts a certification agency is usually when the product design has been finalized. Cue Murphy's Law — submitting a product for certification without taking the proper approach can lead to an over-budget project that misses the critical product launch date. Early collaboration is a viable solution to this problem. Read More

Cybersecurity

How IIoT Brings More Cyberattacks to the Manufacturing Industry

Kymera Systems With an IIoT network that covers the entire enterprise and has dozens of machines connected to a centralized system, it's so tempting for cybercriminals to attempt access on your network. On the other hand, it also shows where your weaknesses are and what you can do to protect it. In recent years, healthcare, financial service, and retail industries have beene more "interesting" to cyber attackers than the manufacturing industry. As business disruption and intellectual property theft emerge, more manufacturers are becoming victims of cybercrime. What is behind the attacks? Read More

Conference Report

October 3, 1948 — the Starting Point on the Road to Becoming a Global Player

Messe Frankfurt Trade fairs have been held in Frankfurt for the last 800 years or so. The roots of the modern-day Messe Frankfurt can be found in the Export Fair that was held in Frankfurt in 1948. This event, which will have taken place 70 years ago on October 3 of this year, was also a pioneering force behind the company's sustainable international development. From an economic and psychological perspective, the effects of this autumn trade fair — the first to be held after the Second World War — were enormous when it came to stimulating foreign trade, reconstructing and expanding the exhibition grounds, and helping Messe Frankfurt to develop into a market leader in the international trade fair sector. Read More

Economy

Value of August Building Permits Rose 0.4% over July

Statistique Canada Canadian municipalities issued $8.1 billion worth of building permits in August, up 0.4% from July. Strength in the non-residential sector drove the increase, while the residential sector declined for the third consecutive month. In the non-residential sector, $3.2 billion worth of permits were issued in August, up 8.8% from the previous month. Both the institutional (+25.8%) and commercial (+8.9%) components contributed to the gain, which was largely the result of the issuance of permits for a new hospital in Ontario and new office buildings in British Columbia. Meanwhile, the value of industrial permits fell 5.9% in August to $677 million. Read More

Economy

New House Prices Remained Unchanged in August

Statistique Canada New house prices at the national level were unchanged, despite growth in some markets. In August, builders in 18 of the 27 census metropolitan areas surveyed reported flat or decreasing prices. The Canada-level index stood at 103.3 in August and has not risen above that mark since November 2017. Mortgage rate increases, along with tighter mortgage regulations, are likely contributing to the flatness observed across Canada. Ottawa's new housing market (+0.6%) registered the largest month-over-month gain. This was the 11th consecutive monthly price rise in that CMA, coinciding with an increasingly tight resale market. Read More

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