The Editor’s Comment
SELENA COTTE WWW.BARKS.COM SCOTTE@BARKS.COM
A new year ahead—and we couldn’t do it without you Every “new year” address goes on about the potential ahead of us, how we can make this year even better than the last. In the aftermath of a particularly turbulent 2020, this message is amplified tenfold. Already, we see the semblance of a sunrise ahead, a slow but sure return to the world we once lived in. And many are eager for peace of mind, at the very least. But we are not there yet, and it will never be the same world. I do not say this as a negative, because many have come together to take great and innovative strides toward safety and productivity. Here at Electrical Apparatus, we covered in detail the ways the electrical community handled the virus, how you helped your communities, changed your daily routines, and kept the world turning. While certain social distancing and mask mandates will be gladly scrapped once the go-ahead is given, let us remember our resilience, our adaptability, and our immense capability to take on whatever challenges may greet us in the future. In the spirit of recap, we have in this issue our annual Index of Articles (page 29), now featuring articles from the years 2016-2020. Contributing Editor William Wiersema looked at what businesses did right last year in this month’s “More than Accounting” column (“Business success in the year of Covid-19,” page 35). Last year was abnormal for a number of sectors, and depending on the industry, plants saw big gains and losses throughout the year.
Considering the workforce
This issue is also our annual spotlight on the electrical workforce. Functioning operations depend on their people, and in tough times like these, this is more true than ever. And in spite of the pandemic, business must run as usual, even when conditions are less than ideal. Perhaps one of the most stressful necessities is that of recruitment and hiring—which a number of electrical shops and plants still did as essential businesses in spite of broad economic struggle. I talked to some of these companies for this month’s cover story (“Hiring through a pandemic,” page 19). Further, this month’s “Plant Life” (“On the job monitoring: Are there no limits?,” page 41) tackles the modern management technique of employee data collection, meant to monitor productivity. I can’t promise that things will go back to normal soon, but I do know that no matter what 2021 has in store for us, the electrical industry is more than equipped to handle it.
Electrical Apparatus 17 N. State St., Suite 1650 Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 321-9440; fax (866) 228-7274 E-mail: EAMagazine@barks.com www.barks.com Founded 1948 as Volt/Age Horace B. Barks, Founding Publisher Elsie Dickson, Founding Publisher STAFF Elizabeth Van Ness, Publisher Kevin N. Jones, Senior Editor Richard L. Nailen, Engineering Editor Selena Cotte, Managing Editor Charlie Barks, Assistant Editor Contributing Editor William H. Wiersema Special Correspondents Jane Powell Campbell Christopher Wachter Staff Artist: Bernie White Cartoonists John D’Acunto Tim Oliphant ElectroMechanical Bench Reference Supplement mailed with the December issue Elizabeth Van Ness, Editor & Publisher ADVERTISING Naomi O. Clark, Advertising Manager CIRCULATION Circulation@barks.com Electrical Apparatus (ISSN 0190-1370), Vol. 74, No. 1, is published monthly by Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Chicago, Ill. 60602; (312) 321-9440; fax (866) 2287274. www.barks.com. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Ill., and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Electrical Apparatus, c/o Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Suite 1650, Chicago, Ill. 60602. PM #40830553. U.S. subscriptions: 2 years—$85; 1 year— $50. Foreign airmail: 2 years—$200; 1 year—$110. Subscriptions also include an annual directory supplement, the ElectroMechanical Bench Reference. Single copies: $5 each plus postage; December issue, $24 with the supplement ElectroMechanical Bench Reference. Copyright 2021 Barks Publications, Inc. Reproduction of any part, by any means, including photocopy machines and computer networks, without the written permission of Barks Publications, Inc., is prohibited. Electrical Apparatus and ElectroMechanical Bench Reference are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office. Copies of articles in print or PDF format may be ordered from our Marketing Department (312) 321-9440. Prices available on request. Libraries and companies registered with Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, Mass. 01923, should send 75¢ per page copied direct to CCC. Material also available in microform and CDROM from Pro Quest information service, (800) 521-0600 ext. 2888 (US) or 01-734761-4700 (International); www.il.proquest. com. Printed in the U.S.A.
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