March 2007.pdf - Electrical Business Magazine

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Meet the playersFrom groceries toprecision hand toolsINFO NO. 19Photo by Paul WrightWera Tools’ Ian ParkhillLearn more. Do more./dmmDesigned by electricians.Engineered by Fluke.New Fluke 117 Multimeter with non-contact voltage is designed for use incommercial buildings, hospitals, and schools.If you work in demanding settings like commercial buildings, hospitals andschools, this Fluke true-rms multimeter is designed for you.• VoltAlert technology for non-contact voltage detection• Large, backlit display for working in poorly-lit areas• AutoVolt automatically selects ac or dc• Prevents false readings due to ghost voltageTry the 117/322 Electricians Combo Kit: the completesolution for electrical troubleshooting workWhen it comes to hand tools for driving screws, certain brand names come tomind. Recently, however, a new name started cropping up on my desk: Wera.I looked into it, and discovered that Wera has an interesting history. Foundedin 1936 in Germany, the company was originally a manufacturer of forest tools namedHermann Werner KG. The company was destroyed during WWII, but re-emerged in1948 as a manufacturer of screwdrivers for a number of markets, including electrical.I also learned that this European company’s North American distribution and marketingsubsidiary—Wera Tools Inc.—is located here, in Canada, in Stoney Creek, Ont.Helming this operation since 1994 is president of Wera Tools and general manager ofWera N.A., Ian Parkhill: a Canadian.From groceries to coffee to hand toolsIan was born in 1962 in Oakville, Ont. (next door Burlington, which he currentlycalls home, and a short drive to his Stoney Creek operation). Born into a family of twobrothers and one sister, he found himself quickly immersed in the world of tools andworking with his hands.“I was surrounded by a lot of tools growing up,” Ian recalls. “My dad was a handyguy. He built our family cottage up by Parry Sound.” When asked what role he playedin the cottage’s construction, Ian replies, “I helped with pretty much everything, savefor running the backhoe!”In 1967, the family moved to Brampton, Ont., when Ian’s father was transferred tothe head office during his 36-year career with Dominion Stores. Ian soon followed inhis father’s footsteps, explaining, “My father got me the interview to work at Dominion,but then I was on my own.” Though only about 15/16 years old at the time, Ian provedcapable, landing a job in a Dominion store where he quickly became head of part-timestaff. He held this job throughout high school and college, responsible mainly for ‘thefront boys’... the baggers and cart retrievers.“While in high school, I took the basic stuff, but I also took French, then German,”Ian says. It was his knowledge of German that would pay dividends for Ian when heentered full-time employment later.Upon completing high school, he attended Sheridan College, “not yet knowing whatI wanted to do”. However, Ian came to the realization in his second year that althoughhis marks were better in Finance and Administration, he chose to focus on the sales andmarketing programs instead. The plan worked, because he graduated from Sheridan in1982 in business administration, majoring in Sales and Marketing. But where to now?Well, Ian bundled his degree along with his grocery chain knowledge and accepteda position with Melitta (the coffee people) as a territory sales manager... and being aGerman company, Ian’s earlier language studies didn’t hurt his career. “I then moved intoa new position within Melitta, acting as a liaison—more like a referee, really—betweenmarketing and sales.” Ian played ref for about a year before moving entirely into themarketing department. “My sales colleagues were happy ‘one of them’ was in there,” Ianchuckles.This was his last position with Melitta. After spending five years with them, Ian lookedat broadening his horizons. He spent some time working for a couple of different companies,selling into department stores, as well as both the hardware and industrial supplychannels, when the Wera president and GM positioncame knocking.It was 1994, and Ian admits, “I wasn’t even looking[for another job]. I had been to Germany severaltimes, for a hardware show in Cologne. It was therethat I first became aware of Wera and their uniqueproduct range.” Wera had been operating the NorthAmerican unit for about 10 years at that point,and Ian’s predecessor had left the firm. “Wera hada major hole that needed filling,” he explains. Thecompany enjoyed good brand recognition—but onlyin Europe, it seemed.“Which is why one of the first things I had to do(and continue to do) in my role was build brandawareness in North America,” Ian tells me. “The firsttask was to take everything apart then put it backtogether. Re-align and focus.” One of the things Ianhas accomplished was to change Wera’s distributionmix. “Wera was selling into the automotive aftermarket,and doing private label work, but we’ve becomemore focused on supplying into the professionaltrades.” Their tools can now be found at electricalwholesalers across Canada, like Torbram, Gescan,Lumen, Acklands-Grainger, etc.On the home frontOne of Ian’s passions is motorcycle restoration andriding. He’s currently working on a 1983 Suzuki,which he is “restoring, while adding a bit more performancethan the factory had in mind”.18 • MARCH 2007 • www. mag.com
Alberta’s economy at a crossroadsWESTERNUPDATEWithout a strong andsustained commitment tomeet these challenges,Alberta’s prospects will dim.Upcoming Events in Western CanadaAs previously announced at EBMag.com and in the February editionof E-Line: Your Industry News Broadcast, the Alberta ElectricalLeague (AEL) has re-scheduled its Grande Prairie Learning Expo.Originally scheduled in October, it has been moved to May 3. Formore information, visit the league online at www.elecleague.ab.ca.Sheri McLean of Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta(ECAA) reminds us that the association’s annual general meeting and convention is beingheld at the Chateau Lake Louise (in Lake Louise) May 24-26. George Hedley, CSP, ofHardhat Presentations (California) is delivering two sessions: “Clues your Company is inHuge Trouble” and “Wow Your Customers”. For details, visit www.ecaa.ab.ca.The oil and gas industry has directly or indirectlyaccounted for over half of Alberta’sentire economy for more than the last 30 years.Now, the authors of a new report by the Institutefor Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy(ISEEE) conclude the Princess Province’s economyis at a crossroads in relying on oil and gas revenuesto fuel the provincial economy, and more long-termplanning is required to manage future risks andopportunities.The research paper, “Energy and the AlbertaEconomy: Past and Future Impacts and Implications”,reports: “There are no other sectors of the province’seconomic base that could realistically expand sufficientlyto offset significant declines in the dominantenergy sector”.Co-authored by Dr. Robert Mansell, ISEEE’smanaging director and a University of Calgary economist,and Ron Schlenker, ISEEE research associate,the report goes on to say: “Visionary, strategicinvestments today can unlock non-conventional andother energy resources critical to securing a strongand prosperous long-term, sustainable future for theprovince”.From 1971 to 2004, the oil and gas industryaccounted for more than $1.5 trillion in Alberta’sGDP (an average of $45 billion per year). In addition,the sector contributed $280 billion in governmentrevenues (an average of $8.1 billion per year),$600 billion in labour income (an annual average of$18 billion) and nearly 12 million person-years ofemployment (an annual average of 375,000 personyears).“The investment associated with the oil and gasindustry has traditionally accounted for about 40%of the total investment in Alberta,” says Mansell.“This, combined with the high production revenueand exports associated with oil and gas, has been themajor driver of the Alberta economy.”Without the oil and gas industry, Alberta’s economyover the same period would have been, onaverage, about 42% smaller as measured by GDP.In 2004, for example—without just the royaltypayments made by the sector—Alberta would haverequired a provincial sales tax of about 16% to makeup for the revenue.However, non-renewable resource revenues (primarilyroyalties) are projected to decline substantiallyover the period 2005 to 2013 from the recent averageof about $10 billion annually, say the authors.Nevertheless, the average annual contribution ofthe oil and gas industry to Alberta’s total GDP is stillexpected to be about $87 billion per year during thisperiod, which would be 40% of overall provincialGDP (compared with 42% historically).The sector’s contribution to employment in theprovince is forecast to increase to 37% from 2005 to2013 (compared with 31% historically), amountingto about 740,000 jobs. “It is clear that the oil andgas industry will remain the main engine of Alberta’seconomic growth and prosperity,” says Mansell.However, there are large challenges in convertingAlberta’s huge energy potential into sustained, longtermprosperity, the authors warn, including: labourand skills shortages; escalating costs; resource accessand landscape impacts; infrastructure shortfalls;managing water use and greenhouse gas emissions;growing dependency on energy ‘rents’to finance consumption; and dislocationsto other sectors.“Without a strong and sustainedcommitment to meet these challenges,Alberta’s prospects will dim,”Mansell says.CFL FLUORESCENT ELECTRONIC BALLASTSUNIVERSAL VOLTAGE• 120V - 277V• < 10% ATHD• High Power Factor• End-of-Life Protection• Operate 1x, 2x Lamps• Twin, Triple, Quad,Double Quad 9-70W• UL, cUL• 90ºC Max Operating Temp.Advanced Features:• Programmed start for extended lamp life in frequent switching applications• End-of-lamp-life protection to safely remove power from the lamp as it nears end-of-life• Cold starting to ensure proper functionality even in low temperature applications• Improved reliability due to precision control flicker-free operation• Auto-restart which eliminates the need to reset the power mains after lamp replacement• Versatile mounting: Side and back leads included with optional ballast• Auto light compensation during low power situations• Dual entry color coded connectorFulham HeadQuarters (USA)12705 S. Van Ness AvenueHawthorne, CA 90250Tel: (323) 599-5000Fax: (323) 754-9060info@fulham.comwww.fulham.comTrusted worldwide for cost efficient lighting solutions.Fulham Electronic Co. Ltd (South China)Room 415 Junda Business Center, No.23 RoadDongguan City Guangdong Province P.R.. ChinaTel : +86-769-2234-7250/7251/7252Fax : +86-769-2234-9904tonyzhang@fulham-china.comFulham Company Ltd (International)Unit 2617, Miramar Tower, 132 Nathan RoadT.S.T., Kowloon, Hong KongTel: +852-2314-4801Fax: +852-2314-4186anita-lau@fulham.com.hkFinally, don’t forget British Columbia Electrical Association’s (BCEA’s) Electrix 2007being held June 21 at the Kelowna Curling Club. Robert Fine, executive director of theEconomic Development Commission (Invest Kelowna) is presenting a seminar on thehot B.C. economy and what has to be done to keep it going, while Electro-FederationCanada’s (EFC’s) Joseph Neu, vice-president of engineering codes and standards, isspeaking about counterfeit products and the anti-counterfeit program in Canada. Visitwww.bcea.bc.ca for more information.Fulham Electronic Co. Ltd (Mid China)Room 312-315, Xing Yuan Technology Plaza,No 418, Gui Ping Road,Caohe-Jing Hi-Tech Park,Shanghai, P.R.C.Post Code: 200233Fulham Company Ltd (Middle East)LOB-2, No 127P.O. Box 261051,Jebel Ali Free Zone,Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Tel: + 9714-8873577Fax: + 9714-8873599fulhamdubai@fulham.comFulham Electronic Co. Ltd (North China)No. 9 Xingchang Road, NanshaozhenChangping Science ParkBeijing 102200P.R. ChinaTel : +86-10-6073-5858Fax : +86-10-6073-3765tonyzhang@fulham-china.comFulham Co., Inc. (Canada)2967 Lotus CourtCoquitlam, BC V3B 7B3Tel: (604)-288-2609Fax: (604)-288-2554thughes@fulham.comPatent PendingFulham Co., Inc. (Caribbean / Latin America)12705 Van Ness AvenueHawthorne, CA 90250Tel: (800) 2-FULHAMFax: (323) 754-9060jrodriguez@fulham.comFulham/Lightech (Dominican Republic)Calle 24 Este No. 16La CastellanaSanto Domingo, Dominican RepublicTel: (809) 476-9965Fax: (809) 412-4224lightech@tricom.netFulham/Carlson Trading, (Philippines)#97 Tomas Arguelles St.Cor Bayani Brgy.Santol Quezon City, PhilippinesTel: +632-712-8888Fax: +632-749-9950christopher_tiu@carlsonphil.comFulham Electronics India Pvt Ltd. (India)A1 , 2nd Floor , Chirag Enclave , GK-INew Delhi - 110 048 INDIATel: 0091-11-46567394Fax: 0091-11-46567398INFO NO. 20www. mag.com • MARCH 2007 • 19
Page 1 and 2: INFO NO. 2INFO NO. 1TnB_Lug_EB_Mar0
Page 4 and 5: INDUSTRY NEWSINFO NO. 4Builders rel
Page 6 and 7: INDUSTRY NEWSPERSONALITIESColor Kin
Page 8 and 9: Tools forthe tradeA simple tool for
Page 10 and 11: It’s yourBUSINESSDoes your busine
Page 12 and 13: What keeps you manufacturing where
Page 14 and 15: FINDING/RETAINING GOOD EMPLOYEESHow
Page 16 and 17: Canadian manufacturingA major part
Page 20 and 21: The electrician’s lifebloodThe la
Page 22 and 23: PRODUCTS FOR LIGHTING APPLICATIONSL
Page 24 and 25: LIBRARYFor more information, enter
Page 26 and 27: CODE FILEProtecting circuitsBY TED
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