It’s Going to Be a Great Year!
February 24, 2018
By Carol McGlogan
After completing our full planning and budget cycle we are excited to embark on some great new initiatives with EFC this year. As part of our strategy process we gathered information from membership on the key game changers facing our industry, and the following topped the list: new competition, digitalization of business, emerging technologies, talent availability, and the evolution of standards.
When it comes to new competition, EFC’s role is to make our members more competitive by providing intelligence, influencing standards and giving members a safe place to network and collaborate. The initiatives we have this year reflect these mandates.
To respond to the digitalization game changer, we are producing a research project on supply chain digitalization. Working with PWC and an extensive industry committee, we will identify the maturity of our industry with regard to digitalization while also providing our membership with a road map on how to evolve their supply chains. The research will be presented at the May conference and a new supply chain committee will be formed at EFC to address the issues requiring industry collaboration to complement individual members’ efforts.
Last year, we presented the popular LVDC report, which highlights this emerging technology. We are now in the process of establishing an LVDC group to focus on key roadblocks facing the new technology, including technical and interoperability concerns, codes and standards, marketing, and education.
The availability of talent affects all segments and disciplines within our industry. The pool of candidates is limited and companies will be forced to diversify their employee base to meet their demands. As the first female president of Electro-Federation Canada, I feel an obligation to spread the news on what a great industry this is to work in while also empowering women in our industry to further develop their careers. We are in the formative stage of a women’s development network and are soliciting participation from men and women on this important initiative.
In 2017 we were successful in de-mystifying the subject of codes and standards. Our technical team did a wonderful job providing transparency on the issues that are being worked on in each of our product sections. Since this information became available on our website and was communicated to industry leaders, we have seen an increase in participation at standards meetings. Our efforts this year will be in identifying areas of opportunity with harmonization of standards to help our members grow and be more competitive. Our commitment is to work with Standards Council of Canada and CANENA to advance those projects.
2018 is going to be a great year. The initiatives we have outlined are aligned with members’ concerns and there is a positive buzz as we launch the new year on the heels of a successful growth year. To date we have 7 new members since January and in 2017 we added 22 members. Our industry is an exciting place to be and our members are thriving in this era of technological change. To reflect the innovation and contribution our industry makes to life, we will be rebranding Electro-Federation Canada in 2018 and the new positioning will be launched at our conference in May.
There is lots to be excited about and I’m so pleased to be part of this great industry and the positive impact we can all make together.
Carol McGlogan is President & CEO, Electro-Federation Canada.
