Inspiring History – The History of Our Success – Phoenix Contact
The National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO), a collaboration between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Canada and the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA), has taken a major step in standardizing electrical training across Canada with the launch of its VR Motor Control Training. This innovative program is the first to standardize motor control training for IBEW electrical apprentices nationwide.
Your products will come out on top, of course, but the machinery and equipment that ensure their production and quality are likely to be a close second. Conducting a criticality analysis is largely about prioritizing and focusing time and effort on the capital equipment assets you’ve determined to be the most important in your operation. When they become damaged or unavailable, they will have a greater degree of severity on your production. The criticality of an asset is determined by different factors, including its impact on product quality and ability to cause long-term disruptions. Obsolescence risks also play a crucial role, as outdated or unsupported equipment can increase downtime and create maintenance challenges, further impacting operational efficiency. Critical assets are integral to the whole operation, from entire machines all the way down to the component level. If these assets are not functioning or accessible, they pose different risks to the integrity of the operation.
Nowadays, software development accounts for a significant part of the engineering work in mechanical engineering. Software tools from the world of IT are playing an ever greater role too. For machine manufacturers, software is valuable intellectual property. After all, it is a product of their know-how which helps to maximize the productivity of machines and systems. Through software, they stand out from the competition and can offer individual customer variants in a cost-effective manner.
Digital transformation. Smart manufacturing. Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). A connected enterprise. Industry 4.0. Whatever you call it, data drives it. Digitalization is a fundamental element of a food and beverage producer’s success. Getting it right from the start can be the difference between unlocking millions in operational savings, or losing the same in inefficiencies and wasted time.
The largest robotics and automation trade show in North America, Automate, achieved unprecedented success last week with record-breaking attendance and exhibitor participation. 42,895 registrants from around the globe convened at Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 6-9, 2024, to explore the latest advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence and automation technologies.
With Phoenix Contact’s new FINEPITCH board-to-board connectors, PCB designers can customize individual PCB orientations with different stack heights and numbers of positions. The FINEPITCH range features two compact pitch sizes: 0.8 mm with EMC shielding and 1.27 mm for unshielded applications.

Gescan is pleased to announce that Peron Desnoyers has been promoted to Branch Manager for their Calgary Branch, effective as of January 5, 2026. Peron has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, operational expertise, and a commitment to driving results in his previous role as Production Manager at their Gescan Solutions branch. His dedication and ability to… Read More…

Leviton Canada is proud to announce their partnership with The Titan Group, who will now represent Leviton’s Residential and Commercial & Industrial product lines across the Midwest provinces, effective January 1, 2026. Alongside their new partnership with The Titan Group, they will maintain their current Leviton representative, Justin Chabot-Guertin, in the region, ensuring expanded coverage… Read More…

The way to the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. Whether access to valuable data is required or new, data-driven services are to be generated, Weidmuller enables its customers to go from data to value the easy way. Weidmuller’s comprehensive and cutting-edge IIoT portfolio applies to greenfield and brownfield applications. Weidmuller offers components and solutions from data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis.
Visit Weidmuller’s Industrial IoT Portfolio.

Advanced Motion Controls is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC’s existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.
Many motion control applications take place in conditions that are less than ideal, such as extreme temperatures, high and low pressures, shocks and vibrations, and contamination. Electronics, including servo drives, can malfunction or sustain permanent damage in these conditions.

Bruce Kesler and Mark Gatewood have been given new titles and responsibilities for Service Wire Co.
Bruce Kesler has assumed the role of Senior Director – Business Development. Bruce will be responsible for Service Wire’s largest strategic accounts and our growing Strategic Accounts Team.
Mark Gatewood has been promoted to the role of Vice President – Sales & Marketing. In this role, Gatewood will lead the efforts of Service Wire Company’s entire sales and marketing organization in all market verticals.

Recently, Tri-Mach Inc. was thrilled to announce the addition of a new 45,000 sq ft. facility. Located at 285 Union St., Elmira, ON, this facility expands Tri-Mach’s capabilities, allowing them to better serve the growing needs of their customers.
Positioning for growth, this additional facility will allow Tri-Mach to continue taking on large-scale projects, enhance product performance testing, and provide equipment storage for their customers. The building will also be the new home to their Skilled Trades Centre of Excellence.

Convergix Automation Solutions has completed the acquisition of AGR Automation (“AGR”), a UK-based provider of custom, high-performance automation design and systems integration primarily to the life sciences industry.
Following Convergix’s acquisitions of JMP Solutions in August 2021 and Classic Design in February 2022, AGR marks the third investment in Crestview’s strategy to build Convergix into a diversified automation solutions provider targeting the global $500+ billion market, with a particular focus on the $70 billion global systems integration and connectivity segments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Reliability, power quality, and retrofit reality rarely coexist. Most HVAC plants are forced to compromise — unless they change the approach. Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) don’t just save energy — they define uptime, maintenance, and plant stability. SmartD removes the tradeoff instead of managing its consequences. No academic deep dive. Just the physics that matter. Read More…

As artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) continue to push the limits of processing power, traditional approaches to data center cooling must evolve. Data centers must innovate to manage the substantial heat generated by increasingly powerful GPUs and CPUs. One of the most effective emerging solutions is direct-to-chip liquid cooling, which supports AI workloads… Read More…
This project is funded [in part] by the Government of Canada.
Ce projet est financé [en partie] par le gouvernement du Canada.
