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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.
The best memory I keep from CEDA is the way that they accepted me when I came into the business. The welcome they gave to me, all of them men. (In those days there were not many women in business.) This welcome I will always remember. CEDA has played a very important role in my success.
In the 1930s to 1940s, CEDA’s Western Canada membership was very stable with old line independent companies like Horsman, Ashdowns, Brettell, Marshall Wells, Electrical Supplies Ltd., etc.
Read more: Recollections: Burt A. Robinson — Honourary Life...
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.
Read more: Recollections: J.E. Milburn, Honourary CEDA Life...
As 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we take a look back at an aspect of the history of wholesale sales in Canada.
The resource-based industries of the Maritimes are looking to electronics to make their operations more productive. This trend, in concert with the tremendous amount of work offshore oil development will provide, suggests a glowing future for distributors in the region. Kip Roberts, President of Harris and Roome Ltd., Halifax, points out that several industries are modernizing and much of their new equipment will be purchased from electrical distributors.
Electrical distributors must remain in both the electronic and electrical ends of the business to be successful, said Bryan Smith, President of Electrozad Supply Co., Windsor, from 1977 to 1982. “The electronics is the brains end of things. The electrical side is very important too.” Among areas where electronics have made a strong impact were programmable controllers, cable and instrumentation, which have gone completely electronic.
Read more: Electrical and Electronic Wholesaling in Ontario...
The public’s strong interest in energy-saving products should continue in the coming years, providing a boom for electrical distributors, forecasted Lew Searle of Amesco Ltd., Winnipeg. These products included lamps, ballasts, electrical furnaces (especially in new homes), and central air conditioning. He said the demand for air conditioners had increased sharply, indicating to him that air conditioning is no longer the preserve of the affluent. Upgrading gas furnaces was providing distributors with dividends as well, Mr. Searle said, noting that new panels, circuit breakers and other equipment were required.
Even in a principally agricultural province like Saskatchewan, the impact of electronics on the electrical distribution industry will be “very Big”, forecasts Ward Johnson, president of Ward Johnson Electric Ltd, Regina.
Electrical distribution companies operating in British Columbia will continue to get larger while most smaller independents will gradually disappear, predicted Art Reid, manager, B.C. District, Wesco Westinghouse Sales & Distribution Co. of Burnaby.
Latest Articles
The Impact of the Manufacturing Decline on Local Labour Markets in Canada
This study quantifies the impact of the manufacturing decline on the wages and employment rates of Canadian workers in their local labour markets. The estimates, drawn from census data from 2000 to 2015, indicate that the decline in manufacturing employment had a sizable adverse effect on the wages and full-year, full-time employment rates of men — especially less educated men. In contrast, relatively few groups of women appear to have been negatively affected by the decline in manufacturing employment.
5 Ways to Make Price Less Relevant
By Jeff Mowatt
“It drives me crazy when my salespeople complain our prices aren’t competitive.” This was a manager who brought me in to work with his team. He continued, “How do I get my team members to stop selling on price?” After years of training numerous sales and service teams (whose prices weren’t the lowest), I’ve discovered five simple strategies for making price less relevant.
Changing Scene
AD Member-Owners Elect 2020 Board of Directors
As part of its 2020 LLC board of directors’ election, AD is announcing a new director and two reelected directors among its complement of 12 board members and committee chairs. Member-owned AD, the contractor and industrial products wholesale buying and marketing group, has more than 120 of its 800 member companies providing leadership on corporate and divisional boards.
President of Border States Electric David White is AD’s newest director. White served on the board previously while he was president of Shealy Electrical Wholesalers, which joined in 2016 with Border States. -Along with his election, White has been appointed by the board to its organizational development committee.
Turning Branch Manager into Business Manager Seminar
Branch management is one of the most vital roles in a multi-location distribution company. Unfortunately, they are often thrown to the wolves when it comes to training and management directions. We want to change all that. The goal of this seminar is to help new, and experienced, branch managers learn how to operate a profitable location from the ground up. We have been offering this course privately through sponsoring trade associations for the past 5 years. Now, it’s open to everyone.
HPS Opens New Warehouse in Reno, NV
Hammond Power Solutions (HPS) will be opening a new warehouse in Reno, NV in early 2020. The new facility will replace the existing warehouse in Compton, CA, with plant operations in Compton being unaffected.
The new warehouse will better accommodate HPS’ growing product sales and provide improved shipping leadtime in select regions. The Reno warehouse is triple the size of the Compton facility at 36,000 square feet, and it will house an expanded number of product SKUs.
Peers & Profiles
Christina Huang – Senior Contracts Manager, Schneider Electric: Part Two
Christina Huang is a Senior Contracts Manager for Schneider Electric. She has a varied, technical background, which allows her to excel in her current role with an in-depth knowledge and line-of-sight to multiple aspects of any given project. Previously, Christina worked in IT Consulting for CGI, where she designed and built the Bell.ca website. “After a year, I realized that I had an urge to do something different and out of my comfort zone,” she noted. Christina took a position with Atomic Energy Canada, a subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin (now CANDU) as a Commercial and Contract Engineer/Specialist.
Copper $US Dollar price per pound
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