Letter from the editor

Bleutec’s objective is to continue to be the LEADER, therefore we send you this second issue of the LEADER.COM. We provide you with the following varied articles in order to carry out our mission to keep you informed:

- An article written by Luc Turcotte about the disappoint-ment our team experienced in September.

- A short story on how two small casters can change the life of a ….turtle, in an article written by our expressive Nancy. Ironically, she writes about turtles, but if you only knew what she could teach us about car racing, it’s unbelievable! We are certain she will have a few words to say on that subject in one of our future issues.

- A discussion about our main “weapon” here at Bleutec, the RESILEX wheel. Read its story.

- An article where you will learn more about Linda, our charming and invaluable member, who has been with us for 12 years.

- And finally, I will tell you about our adventure into the American market and some of the questions people often ask me.

Happy reading!

Your comments are always appreciated; please write to us at the following e-mail address if you'd like to share your comments with us: leader@bleutec.com

Signed,
Frederic Lagace
Editor

BLEUTEC TEAM INTRODUCTION

In the September issue of the Leader.com, we introduced you to the Bleutec team. In the next issues, we will provide you with some information on each member to give you the opportunity to get to know him or her a bit better.

To be the eldest (in seniority!) member has its privileges. We are happy to begin our series with Mrs. Linda Bertrand. She has been with us for more than 12 years and she has contributed to Bleutec’s progress. I am certain that she could tell us many stories because during these 12 years, she has held just about every position there is within the company. She is handling the secretarial work for the sales department for the past few months and she is an invaluable help to the representatives. Linda is sensitive, generous and she is always available to make sure our customers and her colleagues are happy.

One of our friends is leaving !!

Many of you may already be aware that unfortunately, our friend Jocelyn has decided to pursue other career opportunities and will now be working as a mortgage broker.

The entire Bleutec team wishes him the best of luck in his new endeavours. His enthusiasm and leadership will be missed.

Your Bleutec friends.

The Resilex wheel

The jewel of the Guitel range of products, the Resilex wheel, has contributed to our group’s reputation since it was put out on the market in the mid 1950's. The wheel was then made from a cast iron frame and a strong elastic black tread. Since then, polyamide frames have become available and the treads now come in a variety of colours. The blue Resilex, born in 1980, prevents markings on floors.

The Resilex wheel, of which 1.5 million co-pies were manufactu-red in 2000, is available in dimaters of 100 to 400mm (4 to 16 inch). They are mainly used for trolleys that carry loads ranging from 100kg (220lbs) to over 3 tons. As a matter of fact, we can’t seem to stop discovering new uses for them. For example, Resilex wheels are used by the Jean-Pierre Beltoise driving school to simulate driving on ice!

CASTERS REALLY ARE FOR ALL
TYPES OF APPLICATIONS!

This turtle was hit by gunfire during an armed conflict in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her back legs were seriously injured and she could no longer walk. Veterinarians operated on her, giving her a new chance at life, with casters!

Source: www.actualite.free.fr
August 8, 2002
Picture by: Sergio Moraes REUTERS

A NEW BEGINNING

Upon entering the US market, "They buy American," is what we heard from our fellow Canadian export sceptics who had done business in the US before. Guess what ? I often get " How do you compete with China ?" as the first question in a conversation with buyers from large OEM prospects ! "How much is your 6x2 swivel phenolic caster ?" is also one of the favourites !

To sell a European product to the North American market requires among other things, a large and plentiful reserve of motivation… What happens when you leave a comfortable "business nest" of pre-established business, mainly in Quebec, to start off from scratch in the US ? New territory, low sales, new people ? You learn the real meaning of the following words & expressions : relationships, partners, win/win situations, disappointments, perseverance, negotiations, leadership, achieve-ments, legwork, motivation, get up and go….. I could go on !

When we started selling Guitel casters in the United States, we had to be pretty darned convinced of what our positioning was going to be and how we would go about and do what we love to do: selling a solution. Some of you may know, phenolic wheels are rarely sold in Europe. Why? I must investigate this further and write an article about this. In the meantime, if you see European-made material handling equipment on phenolic casters, let me know !

How did the Thanksgiving tradition begin?

Thanksgiving is celebrated on different dates in Canada and the United States The fact is that crop seasons are celebrated in countries the world over. However, the dates and traditions are different from one country to the other.

Contrary to what people may think, the Canadian Thanksgiving tradition didn’t originate from the United States. It dates back to 1576, a full 45 years before the Pilgrim Fathers signed a treaty with the Algonquins.

The Canadian Parliament made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1957. Since then, it has always been celebrated the second Monday of October, a few weeks earlier than the United States. This is due to the differences in weather in both countries. Canada's crop season is one month earlier.

Finally, why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? The turkey is ready to be eaten in October, after having been fattened up all summer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thought for the month of October:

It’s not what happens to you that determines what you will do with your life; it’s what you do with what happens to you.

Ah yes, Hallowe'en

Don’t forget that Hallowe'en is on Thursday, October 31st. In the November issue of the Leader.com, we will write about the traditions surrounding this festivity, enjoyed by children and /or adults ??