How can consultants better share ideas with clients?

2018 Consultants’ Forum

By Linda Drisdelle, Pinchin Ltd.

Consultants are in a unique position to connect with all sectors of the economy. Being vigilant in noticing trends and differences among the sectors can provide great value to our clients and provide insights they may need to solve large or persistent problems in the sectors they know best.

Just over four years ago, I left manufacturing as an engineer and joined Pinchin as an environmental consultant. Up until then, my view of manufacturing was based on what I knew – relatively large plants suited for industrial gases, pulp and paper, and specialty chemicals.

The plants I knew best were part of large North American or global businesses, that were well equipped with the infrastructure required to navigate regulations, ensure compliance and justify upgrades to technology. They housed an abundance of talent, available to network and collaborate in order to solve problems and generate ideas.

At the time, it did not occur to me that over 80% of Ontario’s manufacturing base and a large portion of Canada’s manufacturing base were small to medium sized businesses that did not have the luxury of such rich supporting structures and networks. Since joining Pinchin, I have learned a lot about these manufacturers and have come to understand the challenges they face by not having the same level of support available to larger counterparts. I have come to learn how my staff play a valuable role as consultants in bridging those gaps and providing the advice they need.

Association conferences are an important part of industry, as they provide the opportunity for participants to come together and solve problems at a sector level. They are usually very well attended and the subject matter interesting. For those of us with an interest in networking, they provide a great way to learn what is on the minds of our clients and to understand emerging trends.

Industrial participants rarely navigate away from forums of small, medium and large manufacturers. As a result, their list of problems, solutions and view of the world tends to solidify over the same range of participants, conversations and ideas. They are great at identifying state-of-the-art trends, technologies and policies relating to any one industry or sector. However, the world is much larger than that and there are ideas being generated in far wider circles which are worthy of thought and consideration.

“In Canada, industry is known for under-investing in talent, strategy and technology relative to their peers in other countries. It is one of the reasons Canadian entrepreneurs fail to grow large companies and instead get bought out and merge with larger or existing companies, which are very often from other countries.”

In Canada, industry is known for under-investing in talent, strategy and technology relative to their peers in other countries. It is one of the reasons Canadian entrepreneurs fail to grow large companies and instead get bought out and merge with larger or existing companies, which are very often from other countries.

Imagine Canada’s small to medium sized business leaders networking at business conferences learning the advantages of business plans sized for global markets. They learn where the talent to generate and execute those plans can be found. Imagine leaders of small to medium sized businesses becoming determined to integrate Canada’s artificial intelligence and other technologies into their industry.

Imagine thinking outside the box and identifying how even one of these ideas could be a game changer for the manufacturing processes they represent. Imagine going to a conference hosted by the post-secondary sector or health care sector and learning how sectors outside industry are embracing a future low carbon economy. Is industry thinking about a low carbon economy and how it would unfold for them? And, if not, why not? What would it look like?

This is where consultants can provide assistance. We have the opportunity to transcend sectors and participate in all these conferences and discussions. Consultants can network and meet all sorts of people. Canada is rich with talent and change is everywhere.

Recently, I have learned a lot more about new financing trends. Experts in this field are active more than ever with innovations for business in relation to green bonds, which are financial instruments of interest to investors looking to support projects that improve the environment. They have the expertise to justify projects with longer pay back periods than are of typical interest to industry managers. However, they often lack the ability to know where the projects are.

Similarly, industry has a backlog of ideas and projects that could save energy and carbon emissions, but either lack the capital to do them all, or are unable to generate the returns required by their management team.

Canada is known, in part, for its cleantech abilities and the rate its entrepreneurs generate technological advancements. Consultants know the environmental problems that need fixing and cleantech innovators need to see industry and these environmental problems they face as their clients.

Their technologies will be better engineered and more easily accepted with this approach. Besides, engaging government as a client for the purposes of showcasing or demonstrating the viability of technological advancements is much less satisfying than solving an industrial-wide problem.

In Ontario, industry is paying heavily for electricity, in part due to its oversupply of clean electricity relative to its demand, which causes instability of the electric grid. The hydrogen industry, for example, can solve this by utilizing the surplus electricity and generating clean fuel for automobiles.

Consultants can help connect the dots and help clients navigate the connections they need to solve problems. They can advise clients of trends, conferences and thought-leaders in opposing sectors to shake things up and apply solutions from one sector in a whole new way to another. They can challenge thought-leaders and have them understand their real clients and help improve and expedite the adoption of new ideas and technologies.

Linda Drisdelle, P.Eng., M.Eng., MBA, FEC, is with Pinchin Ltd. This article appears in ES&E Magazine’s December 2018 issue.