Latest Articles

Economy Wholesale 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.

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.

After a decade of investing in grid modernization, utilities are more efficient, innovative, sustainable, and customer focused than at any time in their history.

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.

Economy Growth 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.

Canada’s new anti-spam law (CASL) was passed in December 2010 and, following a Governor in Council order, it entered into force on July 1, 2014. The law helps to protect Canadians while ensuring that businesses can continue to compete in the global marketplace.

Building Permits Decline 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.

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.

Survey Says Electrical wholesale employees earn an above average salary, led by branch managers and outside sales representatives.

By Carol McGlogan

EFC 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.”

Open Letter to the Canadian Electrical Industry: Our Supply Chain

Rick McCarten With an outstanding record turnout at this year’s EFC Conference in Quebec City, delegates were asked to attend a workshop on our supply chain.

Delegates voted on several issues that would help advance our industry towards digitalization, improved performance, ease of doing business, and improved data.

Why?

Why do we need a workshop for our industry? All of our research over the years to supply chains customers shows that brand loyalty is mixed — it’s almost 50/50 between the manufacturer and the distributor.

NEMA and ISA Working Together on New Building Systems Cybersecurity Program

Cybersecurity During a recent Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group meeting, representatives from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and International Society of Automation (ISA) outlined a new program to address the growing risk of unprotected and under-protected building control systems in the U.S. and abroad.

Building owners, users, and manufacturers of control systems continuously work to find practical ways to create safe and more secure environments.

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.

Westburne Appoints Divisional Sales Manager, ...

Richard Do joined Westburne’s Senior Leadership Team as the new Divisional Sales Manager for ...

Changing Scene

Peers & Profiles

Looking Back

Copper $US Dollar price per pound