2008 Canadian Conference Highlights
PTDA held its seventh annual Canadian
Conference on May 29-31, 2008. Devoted to Canadian industry
networking and trends, the Canadian Conference has quickly become a
must-attend event for distributors and manufacturers in the power
transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry. More than 250
attendees, consisting of Canadian PT/MC distributors and their
manufacturer suppliers, participated in the conference at the Fairmont
Le Château Whistler, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada to build
better relationships, share information and identify best
practices.
Business analyst and host of “Money
Talks”, Michael Campbell, presented his economic forecast while
analyzing domestic and global leading indicators that affect Canadian
markets. Campbell focused on strengths and weaknesses of the
Canadian economy as well as trends in both mining and
manufacturing.
Panelists from key industries paralleled
Campbell’s forecasts.
• Randy Breaux, vice president
marketing for Baldor Electric Company, delivered a presentation on the
importance of motion control in the U.S. and Canadian markets.
With improved efficiency and output provided by motion control hardware,
factory automation will be at an all-time high.
• Ken Fryer of 4Refuel spoke of the need to convert to
biodiesels to reduce carbon emissions in a cost-effective manner.
He made a strong case for replacing existing fuel sources with biodiesel
in all modern vehicles with no loss of performance.
• Steve Reid of GoldCorp discussed the economics and trends
in mining and exploration. He noted that global demand for gold is
increasing but gold discoveries are harder to find with an increasing
emphasis on the environment.
Brian Gordon of the Climate Project discussed
the wide range of ramifications due to global warming on the Canadian
landscape and market. Techniques and measures for reducing
industry impact include investigating alternative sources of energy
(such as solar and wind), conducting energy audits and using
high-efficiency motors and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Other conference highlights included formal and
informal networking with key decision-makers in the Canadian PT/MC
market as well as social events including golf and ski outings for
delegates and spouses.
For handouts from Ken
Fryer's presentation, click here.
For handouts from Randy Breaux's presentation, click here.
For handouts from Steve Reid's presentation, click here.
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