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Marketing trends come and go, as do design, branding, and even copy trends. Some marketers roll with the trends, while others tend to stick with what works, running the same promotions (or types of promotions) year after year, using the same media, and often running the same or similar campaigns.

March Wholesale Economy Wholesale sales rose for the fourth consecutive month, up 1.4% to $64.1 billion in March. Higher sales were recorded in six subsectors, accounting for 82% of total wholesale sales. The motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector was the lone subsector to decline.

Economy Building Construction Total investment in building construction decreased 1.2% in March to $14.2 billion. Losses in the residential sector (-2.0% to $9.4 billion) were partially offset by a small increase in the non-residential sector (+0.5% to $4.7 billion). On a constant dollar basis (2012=100), investment in building construction fell 1.4% to $11.8 billion.

graph: Wholesale Distribution Branch Manager: Health Benefits Only 4% of wholesale distribution branch managers have zero health benefits, while over 90% have health and dental.

Britech Heat Trace Britech Corp, one of Canada’s largest heating cable companies has signed a formal agreement with Heat Trace Limited, of Cheshire, England. Heat Trace, founded in England in 1974, Heat Trace is one of the world’s leading industrial heat trace cable manufacturers.

When I talk to our customers, I do so with that experience and mindset. If we don’t deliver – we lose. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. It’s as simple as that.

Value of March Building Permits Canadian municipalities issued $8.1 billion worth of building permits in March, up 2.1% from February. The increase was attributable to higher construction intentions in Western Canada.

According to Electricity Human Resources Canada’s 2019 Labour Market Intelligence Study (LMI) Workforce in Motion, the Canadian electricity industry will need to recruit over 20,000 new employees — 20% of the existing workforce — between 2017 and 2022.

Lighting Commercial Buildings Lighting as a Service (LaaS) is an emerging and evolving business model in which the owner pays for light rather than the equipment that delivers it. The owner buys new lighting on a subscription basis over a multi-year term rather than as a significant one-time capital investment.

Westburne Launches Women of Westburne (WOW) Initiative

Westburne WOW Led by Divisional Lighting Manager Salma Siddiqui, the initiative will focus on making Westburne the workplace of choice in the electrical industry and beyond.

Results from research conducted by Westburne found that the electrical industry has a ratio of 3:1 of male vs. female employees. “Realizing these stats are the industry norm has made our eyes open and realize we need to make a change and showcase our women who work for us and at the same time make Westburne the place women would love to work for,” the company says.

Westburne Becomes a Rockwell Authorized Service Provider in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan

Westburne and Rockwell The Authorized Service Provider designation enables Westburne to deliver Rockwell Automation services through their factory trained team of specialists. These services include installed base evaluation, network assessment, arc flash assessment, lockout/tag-out assessment, and start-up of variable frequency drives.

According to Steve Roy, Regional Sales Manager for Rockwell Automation Canada, “Customer expectations continue to evolve. Aging infrastructure, workforce gaps, global competition and an explosion of new technology provide endless opportunities for customers to improve their businesses.

IDEA to Offer Customer Training Plan for the IDEA Connectors Launch

Idea IDEA plans to introduce an online learning management tool, the IDEA Learning Portal, to train customers on the new IDEA Connector, which will launch in late September. This portal will contain comprehensive training information and documentation on the IDEA Connector, a master data management (MDM) platform that enables distributors to securely access accurate and timely product and pricing data directly from manufacturers.

To complement the portal, there will be four training session devoted to manufacturers and distributors at eBiz. These training sessions will dive deeper into specific content to ensure a complete understanding of important functionality.

2019 LFI Innovation Awards Spotlight Excellence and Creativity

The celebrated LFI Innovation Awards marked the opening this week of the 2019 Lightfair International Trade Show and Conference with a dramatic showcasing of the industry’s most innovative products and designs introduced during the last 12 months.

The 2019 awards and trade show opening mark the 30th anniversary of the world’s largest annual lighting and technology event. The 2019 awards saw entries spanning 14 categories, with each submission judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals. Winning entries exemplified the best in innovative design and thinking.

Want to Win Customers? Think Like a Consumer

By: Thomas Donato, Rockwell Automation

We all are consumers. We all have expectations of quality and service.

When I talk to our customers, I do so with that experience and mindset. If we don’t deliver – we lose. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. It’s as simple as that.

I just lived through a great example of this. Every morning I use our blender. One of the parts broke, and the manufacturer made it quite difficult and cumbersome to get a replacement.

Introducing EFC’s 2019-2020 Executive Committee & ...

At Electro-Federation Canada’s recent Annual General Meeting in Quebec City, the Nominating ...

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ABB Showcases Its Vision of Leadership in Digital Industries at ABB Customer World 2019

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