The 72nd annual general meeting of the Canadian Machine Tool Dealer’s Association (CMTDA) was held on November 26 at the Rattlesnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, just outside Toronto.
CMTDA president Frank Haydar of Elliott Matsuura outlined spectacular numbers in the machine tool marketplace south of the border and offered positive indicators for the Canadian machine tool market. Both metal cutting CNC machines and metal forming machines (CNC) boasted positive sales data and increased unit value over the same period in 2013.
“An increasingly strong U.S. economy will benefit our exporters—helped by the weaker loonie—has made our products more competitive in the U.S.A,” explained Hayder, who also cited good growth in the aircraft, chemical, plastic, and industrial machinery sectors as a positive factors for the 2015 outlook.
Both Haydar and CMTDA executive director Peter Turton encouraged members to participate in the confidential annual salary survey, noting that the survey is important for assessing salary levels.
Ferro Technique’s Jeff Veldhoen joins the board of the CMTDA in 2015.
Turton presented a membership report and welcomed the newest member, Dipaolo Machine Tools, to the CMTDA.
The SME’s Julie Pike and Janine Saperson reviewed show activities in 2014, and introduced the Western Manufacturing Technology Show (WMTS) which will take place at the Edmonton EXPO center on June 15-17, 2015, as well as the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS), which will be held on September 28-October 1, 2015 at Mississauga’s International Centre.
After an overview of the CMTDA, including past and proposed events before introducing memory specialist, Bob Gray, who spoke to the guests about the importance of developing strategies for memory retention. This funny presentation had members amazed by Gray’s ability to recall the capital, population and area of Botswana off the top of his head and had them trying to recall the order of the planets in our solar system.
The meeting was followed by a talk by NHL legend Darryl Sittler who spoke to the importance of attitude and giving back to the community. Sittler recounted stories of his time on the ice and his work with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was Sittler’s off-the-ice stories that seemed to hold a significant place in his heart, like meeting a man he calls a true hero,Terry Fox, and helping to raising awareness for colon cancer.
The take-away from the evening was that the future remains positive. Whether it is positive market projections or just bringing a positive attitude to your daily life, 2015 is looking bright.
