2009 PTDA Canadian Conference Focused on State of the Market
The 2009 PTDA Canadian Conference brought together the power
transmission/motion control industry's leaders for an insiders’
focus on Canadian industry trends. Held from
May 28-30, 2009, at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel and Conference Center
in Niagara Falls, Ontario, participants left the conference with a
heightened understanding of the drivers of the Canadian economy and
associated opportunities for power transmission/motion control (PT/MC)
manufacturers and distributors.
 The conference was kicked off by Jayson Myers,
president of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, who set the
stage with an enlightening Canadian economic forecast.
Myers reiterated the importance of manufacturing
in Canada—manufacturing is the single largest business sector in
Canada, accounting for 14 percent of Canada's GDP—and provided an in-depth economic overview.
He also emphasized new market and business opportunities
for Canadian manufacturers and distributors.
According to Myers’ presentation, Canadian
companies will continue to be challenged by the tightening of the
U.S.credit market and high levels of risk and uncertainty, but there are
a number of opportunities for companies that build a strategy around
differentiation. Organizations that continue
to innovate and explore new markets, while focusing on what customers
value and eliminating waste, have an advantage as the economy
stabilizes.
Following Myers’ analysis of the
domestic and global indicators affecting Canada, conference attendees
attended in-depth market briefings on
-
Infrastructure with Martin Doble,
global managing director, Hatch Engineering;
-
Mining with Tim Gallant, Iron
Ore Company of Canada;
-
Hydroelectric with Rick Everdell,
project director, Niagara Tunnel Project, Ontario Power Generation;
and
-
Aerospace and industrial
engine manufacturing with Kevin Sodhi, commodities management
global purchasing and Antonio Columbo, key supplier initiatives, Pratt
& Whitney Canada.
Wrapping up Friday’s
presentations, Mike Edwards, editor of Design
Product News, offered
participants his insights into the 10 technology trends that will impact
the PT/MC industry.
- Web 3.0 (video capabilities, advanced
monitoring)
- 3D visualization
tools.
- Rapid prototyping.
- Nanotechnology.
- Smart grid/environment.
- Hybrid vehicle
technologies.
- Green components.
- Servo vs. fluid power.
- Wireless control.
- Haptic technology (interfacing user
with the sense of touch).
Attendees reconvened Saturday morning for an update
on PTDA as well as a presentation by Pat
MacDonald, director of consulting for continuing education for Mohawk
College; Ted Chisholm, vice president of finance and IT for BDI Canada
Inc.; and Richard Ayuen, regional vice president Central Canada for
KINECOR LP on the Industrial Careers Pathway® program at Mohawk College in
Hamilton, Ontario.
A partnership between industry leaders and the college
has yielded the unique Industrial Distribution Leadership certificate
program at Mohawk College, helping local distributors hone key skill
sets in business principles, operational awareness, client service
principles and leadership training/coaching. A cohort of nearly 25 students is making its way through the
program which includes five core courses and a capstone course that
provides an opportunity for students to apply the program’s
lessons to their own work environments.
An energizing closing keynote by Larry
Smith, president and CEO of the Montreal Alouettes Football Club,
closed the Canadian Conference. Smith is an expert on successfully managing people within an
ever-changing environment and shared the strategy he uses to bring out
the best in a team. Smith
emphasized the importance of developing a personal life plan that
includes lifelong learning.
For more highlights, watch a video of PTDA Executive Vice
President Mary Sue Lyon on Plant Engineering and Maintanence.
Download materials from the Canadian Conference
Keynote Presentations
Jayson Myers, President, Canadian Manufacturers
& Exporters Association
Download Jayson Myers' presentation 
Larry Smith, President and CEO, Montreal Alouettes
Football Club
Download Larry Smith's presentation
Market Briefings
Martin Doble, Global Managing Director, Hatch
Engineering
Download Martin Doble's presentation 
Tim Gallant, Iron Ore Company of Canada
Download Tim Gallant's presentation
Rick Everdell, Project Director, Niagara Tunnel
Project, Ontario Power Generation
Download Rick Everdell's presentation
State of the Industry
Mike Edwards, Editor, Design Product News
Download Mike Edwards' presentation
PTDA Update
Download Mary Sue Lyon's presentation
ICP Update from Mohawk College
Download the Mohawk College presentation
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