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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.
Golden anniversaries are celebrated by the mature, and our industry is allowed to celebrate this anniversary because it is indeed mature. Those who forecast the future for mature industries, particularly if they extrapolate from past industry experience, usually come pessimistic. On the other hand, if one recognizes the future is not necessarily an extrapolation of the past, a much more optimistic forecast can result.
Read more: Future Gazing — By Franz H. Tyaack, President,...
The last 50 years have been exciting ones for the electrical industry but they won’t compare to what is going to happen in the next decade, let alone the next half century.
The ceiling that had been placed on membership fees remained a point of contention among members. Treasurer Dougherty said the ceiling should be raised to $220 million so that larger member companies would pay their share of increasing operating costs...
The year 1982 started on a relatively good note for electrical distributors. Sales in the first three months were at generally acceptable levels, due mainly to a carryover from the previous year. Then in the second quarter the bottom fell out of the market and most distributors ended the year with much smaller sales, and even smaller profits than they had experienced in many a year.
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Over the past few months as we’ve sat in strategy development meetings with distributors, reviewed distributor purchasing information, and talked to manufacturers’ reps and contractors, we’ve seen a purchasing trend that is roiling the industry. The trend, which mirrors what is happening in lighting with “unfamiliar brands,” is accelerated growth and acceptance of less familiar brands for infrastructure type products (electrician supplies, boxes, fittings, etc … consumables and products that go within the wall). This then begs the questions, “What is the value of a manufacturer’s brand,” and “What are the implications for manufacturers and distributors?”
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My Challenges as a Young Professional Entering Sales
As part a family company, I have heard my father talking about business ever since I was a little boy. Although it had always interested me, I had never thought I would end up working alongside my father and my uncle in the company my grandfather started a long time ago.
I had been working in sales ever since I was 16 years old in many different markets than the one I was about to enter, but I thought it would be relatively easy to handle. Very quickly I started noticing the challenges of being a 22-year-old sales rep for electrical products entering a world where most of the manufacturers’ agents had been in the business for a long time.
Changing Scene
Peers & Profiles
Owen Hurst
Laura Dempsey has been working as an outside sales representative for E.B. Horsman & Son for over 15 years, and is a member of the BCEA U40 network of young professionals. She lives in Langley, BC and is proud of her position and work with E.B. Horsman, particularly as she is the second Dempsey generation to work for the company.
Laura’s mother Shelly has worked at E.B. Horsman for over 25 years, and instilled in Laura a determination to succeed. Laura followed in her mother’s footsteps after witnessing how much her mother enjoyed her work and the people she works with at E.B. Horsman.
Owen Hurst
I've known John Sencich since CEW began publishing. He agreed from the outset to be part of the newsletter’s Editorial Board. His contribution was regular and sustained. Always present to answer my technical questions, and refer me to the right person for additional information as needed. Always available despite his role as senior leader of an influential company.
Over the past five years, many industry insiders have cited John Sencich when I asked them to name someone who had made a difference in their lives or had inspired them as a leader.
EFC Scholarship Program Sets New Record with $156,250 in Funding
This year Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) will award $156,250 across 62 scholarships supported by manufacturers, distributors and associations.
The annual EFC Scholarship Program reflects an industry that understands its responsibility to attract future talent. In the face of technological, demographic, and socio-economic evolution, the employment landscape is in constant transformation resulting in substantial challenges for companies as they work to define and redefine their recruitment practices. Furthermore, as competition for the brightest and the best of the next generation of business leaders intensifies, it’s more important than ever to engage young people.
Optimizing the Customer Experience: Design, Usability, Search
Building a simple customer experience that satisfies your customers’ expectations is a starting point (or evolution) in your digital journey. You might be asking yourself, “How do I know what my customer wants?” The data are available from their behaviour online, and many of your customers will tell you what they want. Putting the pieces together can appear complex, but it can be simplified if you segment the optimization of your customers’ experience into three buckets: design, usability and search.
Design, usability, and search pertain to how you can serve your customer. In order for your website to create value in the eyes of the customers, you have to optimize your website so that it is accessible to the greatest number of your ideal customers. Value increases with the number of customer touchpoints that the customers use.
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