What I Learned at This Year’s EFC Conference

 

June 14 2016

Rick McCarten

The electrical industry is the conduit for all forms of energy. As a conduit, it has the capacity unlike any other, to supply the most sustainable, cleanest energy we produce. The future looks good for Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) because of our role as an energy neutral entity.

If you think about it, we are in an even more ideal situation than the utility whose role is to be the conduit of major sources of energy. In the future, microgrids may be the preferred supply vehicle.

Here are just some of the key takeaways from this year’s EFC Conference (held in late May), which demonstrate our continued role as a conduit for change during these transformative times:

• Augmented Reality is the next phase of computer glassware; it will allow someone looking at a machine, or a part of a machine, to identity the product, the bar code and its location, and order it online. It will also allow engineers to work on projects with 3D models in real spaces.

• 3D printing is here and is being used to produce items that other machines cannot. Not only are 3D products more intricate, they are lighter, use less material, and are generally stronger.

• When it comes to batteries, inverters and sustainable energy, we do not do a good job of being the supply chain. We have some work to do in this area.

• The next phase of robots will be “collaborative robots,” where they will be able to interact with people, learn directly from them, and quickly adapt without any computer language or code.

• A person’s true personality is often revealed when they are under pressure. 

• Gandhi once said, happiness is achieved when “what you think, what you say and what you do are all the same thing.”

• Failure is just another word for learning. 

• “The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed” — William Gibson.

• The change equation: when dissatisfaction with the present, plus a vision for the future, plus known first steps are greater than resistance to change, then change will take place.

• EFC’s latest research report focuses on electrical contractors, and how this customer will continue to adapt and align with changing market dynamics in the years to come. The report is available in both English and French. Contact info@electrofed.com to receive a copy of the report.

• All sports figures and business people perform less effectively under pressure (data proven).

• The key to working under pressure is to control the symptoms of pressure so that they do not affect your performance.

• We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect — the perfect report or presentation. If you can accept that you are not going to be perfect and set realistic expectations, you will actually perform better.

• There is a great opportunity for Canada to hit the ground running with smart cities; we have a strong, high-density urban population, higher than in the U.S.

• Close to 40% of the workforce in Canada is under the age of 40. 

• Our Young Professionals Program (YPN) is becoming one of the most successful programs we have offered to our members. Check out this video, which features YPNs and how they would like change our industry: www.electrofed.com/ypn/new-updates/.

• YPNs are our “heroes of the future.”

• We are in a disruptive time. Three strong forces are coming together: the traditional economy (best represented by us), the capitalist economy (represented by big money and the drive to out-perform), and the creative economy (represented by out of the box new thinking). This creates a very dynamic time.

• 2020 Vision: it is impossible to predict what kind of product we will compete with in five years. Our only hope is to begin to prepare for now, by engaging our young professionals and giving them the tools and the ability to help plan and prepare. What better alternative than to allow those who will live the future to help plan for it now?

---

 

Rick McCarten IS VP, Operations, Electro-Federation Canada. 

Read more in Canadian Electrical Wholesaler by Rick McCarten
Should Distributors Sell Robots?
Agility: Knowing Your Competition
The Big Picture
Could our Industry Lose the Lighting Market?
Adapting to the Future with Young Talent
If Your Customers Can See More, You Might Want to Help Them See Even Further
Health and Sciences Could take a Lesson from the Electrical Industry
Change is About to Hit Our Industry
Challenges of the Digital Age
Agility: The Customer Landscape
Agility is the New Lean: Alexander Defeats the Persians
Agility is the New Lean
The Gap Between “Us” and “Them”
Our Industry Needs to Help Canada Skate to Where the Puck is