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Message From The Editor
Agility and flexibility: two key words of digital growth
Multifactor productivity, which has risen according to the latest data, is used to measure the efficiency of labour and capital inputs in the production process. Multifactor productivity growth is often associated with technological change, organizational change, or economies of scale. At the beginning of March I attended ABB Customer World 2019 in Houston, and there was a strong link between the productivity and flexibility of the new technologies expected to define the 21st century and the new workforce. Several generations coexist in this new world of work; a new era of collaboration lies ahead of us. Elsewhere in this issue, EFC's Rick McCarten invites us to participate in a debate that will allow our industry to define itself in a strong and consensual way as it builds this 21st century. At the heart of the century is a lighting industry experiencing significant changes in partnerships and business models. We will be on site at the Hong Kong International lighting fair from April 6 to 9 (Spring edition) on the lookout for new products. We'll talk more about it in upcoming issues. Good reading!
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- See Which Electrical Industry Members Are Among Canada's Best Managed Companies
At least 17 companies in Canada's electrical industry continue to earn Canada's Best Managed Companies awards. Presented by Deloitte, the program recognizes best-in-class Canadian, privately owned and managed companies with annual revenues over $15 million…
- Hammond Power Solutions Inc. Achieves "Record Breaking Results" in Q4 2018
Fourth quarter 2018 results for Hammond Power Solutions Inc. show it achieved record breaking sales, substantial market growth in both Canada and the U.S., and unprecedented bookings and backlog levels…
- EMC Names Field Service Advisor for Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Niagara and St. Catharines Consortiums
This month, Craig Mannell is joining Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium to take over the responsibilities of field service advisor for the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Niagara and St. Catharines, Ontario consortiums…
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- April 9: You're Invited to The Future of Power
Join Spark Power Corp and partners Alectra Inc. and ABB at the inaugural Future of Power event at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto, Ontario. Topics include: clean energy distribution, transactive energy, and the impact of the evolution of the power grid…
- Gerrie Website: A Fresh New Look
Gerrie Electric Wholesale Limited's website has a fresh new look but continues to offer the same great features…
- Thermon Selects Desdowd Inc. for Quebec
Desdowd Inc. has been chosen to serve as Thermon's manufacturer's agent for the province of Quebec and will represent the company's comprehensive product line, which includes Thermon Industrial Electric Trace Products, and the Caloritech, Ruffneck, Norseman, Cata-Dyne and 3L Filters brands…
- Westburne Amplifies Market Position in British Columbia
Following a record 2018, Westburne continues its investment in its British Columbia team with two new appointments…
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CEW Reader Survey
Tell Us What You Think
Canadian Electrical Wholesaler wants your input on topics of interest to our industry. Please take a moment to answer the question below. All responses are confidential. Each month we'll ask a new question, and report back on results. Thank you for your participation.
Question: what is your expected revenue growth over the next three months?
A. Down more than 15%
B. -11 - 15%
C. -6 - 10%
D. -1 -5%
E. Remained the same
F. +1 - 5%
G. +6 - 10%
H. +11 - 15%
I. More than 15%
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Opinion
Transforming the Industry
By Rick McCarten
If all goes well, this year's EFC Conference could have a profound impact on our industry. The conference will feature a "workshop" where delegates will be asked to determine the path our industry into the 21st century. You should plan to be there and participate. Why a workshop?To understand, let's take a step back a few years. In 2002, we did a study on the electrical industry with Frank Lynn & Associates. The study looked at industrial customers, but it found that as an industry we had a very mixed brand identity.
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Marketing
Musings on Eaton's Lighting Spin-off
By David Gordon
Who said lighting couldn't go back in time? From a product side it's moved into the future with LEDs, lighting controls and now LiFi. But to a degree we're now going backwards with Eaton's announcement that they will be spinning off their lighting division into a separate, publicly traded company. If we turn the clock back to 2012, there were Acuity (Lithonia), Cooper Lighting, Hubbell Lighting and Philips Lighting as the Big 4 fixture companies. In 2020 we'll have these four again, although now supplemented with a number of other fixture manufacturers. Some thoughts regarding the divestiture…
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Show Report
ABB Showcases Its Vision of Leadership in Digital Industries at ABB Customer World 2019
By Line Goyette
Leaders and innovators from business, government and the education sector gathered for this ABB premier collaboration event. More than 11,000 delegates attended the bi-annual ABB Customer World Houston 2019 from March 4 to 7 in Houston, Texas. ABB's latest pioneering technologies were displayed over 150,000 sq ft of a colourful, buzzy display of futuristic conveyor belts and robots, an ABB Formula E Generation 2 car, and much more groundbreaking technology. ACW attendees also took part in keynote sessions and seminars focused on realizing the tremendous productivity and performance improvements that digitalization delivers for companies of any size and from any industry.
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Human Resources
Why Helping Employees Develop Their Coping Skills and Resiliency Is Good Business
By Bill Howatt
People with low levels of coping skills are at higher risk for mental health issues and mental illness than those with high levels. Gaps in coping skills inhibit the ability to solve problems and to make healthy and effective decisions. Prolonged periods of stress increase the risk for strain that results in fatigue, risk of accidents, mistakes, and physical and psychological symptoms. A person who remains under psychological strain, such as high job demands, can experience mental health issues that include symptoms of anxiety or depression that can disrupt their quality of life, especially when they are not able to keep their resiliency levels up. Following are some examples of the direct relationship between coping skills and business imperatives that impact an organization's top and bottom lines.
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Company Profile
Toronto Lighting Supply
By Blake Marchand
Toronto Lighting Supply owner/operator duo Russel Riklis and Jonathan Bayer share a combined 50 years of electrical and lighting industry experience. This expertise, as well as the knowledge and expertise of their employees, have allowed them to established Toronto Lighting Supply as a successful independent lighting supplier. Bayer and Riklis cut their wholesale supply teeth working for Jomar Electric, which was a family run business started by Bayer's uncle that has since shut its doors.
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CASL Compliance
5 Types of Consent: Part 5 — Personal Relationship
A "personal relationship" requires that the real identity of the individual who alleges a personal relationship is known by the other individual involved in such a relationship (as opposed to instances where a virtual identity or an alias is used). Using social media or sharing the same network does not necessarily reveal a personal relationship between individuals. The mere use of buttons available on social media websites — such as clicking "like," voting for or against a link or post, accepting someone as a "Friend," or clicking "Follow" — will generally be insufficient to constitute a personal relationship, which involves…
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White Paper
Building the 21st Century Digital Grid
After a decade of investing in grid modernization, utilities are more efficient, innovative, sustainable, and customer focused than at any time in their history. Modernization through the deployment of sensors and smart grid technology has laid the foundation for a digital transformation of the power industry. This digital conversion is creating a new business model for utilities, allowing them to become flexible service operators capable of managing an increasingly complex grid. However, to secure long-term financial success, additional investment in communication networks, grid automation, IoT devices, distributed energy integration, and artificial intelligence (AI) is needed to fully optimize the increasingly "intelligent" grid.
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Survey Says
Electrical Wholesale Median Salary by Job
Electrical wholesale employees earn an above average salary, led by branch managers and outside sales representatives.
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Video
Attracting New Talent: Post Job Opportunities on EFC's TalentNest Careers Portal
Earlier this month, EFC launched a new video to showcase how our industry is driving innovation and is changing the evolution of electrical products (view the video). The video also promotes the many job opportunities available in our industry - and features a specific call to action to explore the jobs available today. Get in on the action and post your company's open positions on EFC's TalentNest career site: www.electrofed.talentnest.com/en/jobs. If you have any questions, contact John Jefkins: jjefkins@electrofed.com; 647-459-2376
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Economy
Canadian Wholesalers' 2017 Operating Revenue Rose 10.4%
The operating revenue of Canadian wholesalers increased 10.4% in 2017, topping the $1.0 trillion mark, which was last reached in 2014. The increase was led by the petroleum products subsector, but all the other subsectors also reported higher revenue. Excluding petroleum products, operating revenue increased 5.5% compared with 2016. Overall, the operating profits of wholesalers as a percentage of total operating revenue edged down from 4.8% in 2016 to 4.6% in 2017, as increases in operating revenue were offset by higher operating expenses and the cost of goods sold.
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Economy
Building Permits Decline 5.5% in January After December's Record High
Canadian municipalities issued $8.4 billion worth of building permits in January, down 5.5% from the record high in December. Lower construction intentions for commercial buildings were responsible for the national decline. Meanwhile, increases were reported for both the industrial (+4.8%) and institutional (+0.4%) components. The gains were mainly attributable to higher construction intentions in Ontario and Quebec. In the residential sector, the value of building permits increased 1.6% from to $5.4 billion. Both single-family and multi-family dwellings posted gains.
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Economy
Multifactor Productivity Rose 1.9% in 2017
Multifactor productivity, measured as output per unit of combined labour and capital inputs, rose 1.9% in the Canadian business sector in 2017, following no growth in 2016 and a 1.0% decline in 2015. The increase in 2017 reflected 3.7% growth in output and a 1.8% gain in the combined inputs of capital and labour. These estimates incorporate the most recent supply-use tables, and the latest estimates for fixed capital, hours worked and gross domestic product. Multifactor productivity measures the extent to which inputs are used efficiently in the production process.
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From Our Last Issue
Powering a Changing World
Electro-Federation Canada has been on quite a journey over the past year. To coincide with the rollout of our new brand, launched last spring, we have rolled into a new office space — another layer in the overall vision of EFC to be "the voice of the most innovative electrical community, powering a changing world." As I step into our new office, I feel a sense of revived energy emitting from the aesthetic and functionality of the space — promising to "power a changing world."
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Digital Transformation Planning
Digital transformation is tricky. For starters, it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. It can also be anxiety inducing. Digital transformation can sound like an event that happens in a moment in time, which may present paralytic pressures to be sure that organizations are doing it right, only to leave them with no progress. Digital transformation may also come across as some sort of esoteric subject, with only learned experts able to navigate the pitfalls of how to get it right. And it can also be the kind of thing that grinds organizations to a halt or enables significant growth — at the same time, no less. In reality, it is all and none of these things at the same time.
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Let's Keep This Between Us: 5 Unwritten Rules of Customer Confidentiality
Did you ever have a potential customer who should have been excited about doing business with you but seemed reserved? It happened in a weird way for me. The senior managers seated around the boardroom table were excited about their new technology that would disrupt their market and separate them from every competitor. They had brought me in to help craft their sales message and train their reps. Along with their excitement, I sensed some tension. So after the VP of Marketing introduced me, my first remark was, "I know this goes without saying. I just want it known for the record that everything we discuss here will be treated by me as confidential." I immediately noticed a look of relief on the face of the CEO. From that point on, things went just fine.
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EFC Launches "Powering a Changing World" Video
The Canadian electrical industry is at the forefront of innovation, says Electro-Federation Canada. Industry products help society power a changing world by creating new approaches to how electricity is used at home, work and play. This ingenuity has been our industry's best-kept secret… until now. EFC has produced a short video to showcase how our industry is current, imaginative and is set to change the evolution of electrical products—everything from smart technology in homes and offices—to artificial intelligence and automation that will advance manufacturing and distribution.
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The Changing Electrical Wholesale Market in 1962
We often hear about how much the electrical industry is changing and how new and improved products and an ever broadening number of global manufacturers are disrupting how the wholesale market operates. But a rapidly changing market is nothing new. In this article we examine the opinions of George Ganzenmuller, who was the chief editor of Electrical Wholesaling until his passing in 1986. The article considered is titled, "Current Shifts in Electrical Wholesaling," and was published in the Journal of Marketing in 1962.
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Peter Dalton — Daltco Electric
When Peter Dalton decided to join Daltco Electric, many people thought he was crazy. "Everyone told me not to do it," he said. That was in 1997, when at the age of 29 Peter moved to Kingston to join his father in the family business, Daltco Electric. Peter had already established a career in the packaged goods industry, working for companies like Scott Paper. But he took a risk, leaving a good job and good friends to move back to his hometown of Kingston to join the family business. Today, Daltco Electric is the largest independent family-owned electrical distributor in Eastern Ontario.
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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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In The Next Issue
Future of automation in Canada |
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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