Automotive News Canada - July 2022 - 29

* JULY 2022
29
CVMA's safety guru shows regulators the exceptions to their rules
KAREN HOU
SHAPING CANADIAN POLICY
FOR DOMESTIC AUTOMAKERS
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND
safety rules are already complex,
but then add the challenge
of monitoring vehicle-safety
regulations.
That's what
Karen Hou handles
as director of vehicle
and workplace safety
at the Toronto-based
Canadian Vehicle
Manufacturers'
Association (CVMA),
which represents the
Detroit Three.
" Our role is to
interface with the
Canadian government
as well as be up
to speed on the U.S.
context so the [vehicle]
standards line
up, " Hou said.
" We work with
our members in reviewing policy
and potential changes to regulations,
including automated
vehicles and driver-assist technologies.
" The
government sometimes
comes up with ideas that aren't
feasible and we work with them
to understand the limitations. "
Hou, 39, communicates with
member companies, federal and
provincial governments, and
sometimes with outside industries
if broader workplace rules
affect them all. The challenge is
" how to frame issues in a way
that makes sense and conveys
the details. "
For example, if the
federal government
asks for automaker
data to help form policy,
Hou determines
whether what's being
requested will actually
help. If it doesn't,
she offers information
that's more
appropriate.
One of Karen Hou's
roles with the CVMA,
which represents
the Detroit Three
in Canada, is to
interface with the
federal government
on safety standards.
PHOTO: TITUS OKATHE
Hou is strong in
mathematics and
earned a degree
in applied science
and engineering at
the University of
Toronto.
" Even if I didn't
want to stay in typical
engineering,
it gave me the tools for problem-solving, "
she said.
Hou first worked for the
Toronto International Film
Festival in its sales and industry
office, then joined the CVMA
in 2007 as manager of health
and safety and the environment.
Eventually she added vehicle
safety, but she still has a hand in
some environmental issues related
to auto manufacturing.
Hou is currently working with
federal proposals to improve
consumer
access to
recalls, similar
to U.S.
regulations.
" We're
working on
the details
to make
sure there
aren't extra
burdens on Canadian companies, "
she said, " and recognizing
the differences, such as needing
English and French [versions]. "
HENRY KWOK
THE ESSENTIAL LINK BETWEEN
FACTORY AND DEALERS
ALTHOUGH HE INEVITABLY
has to deal with some of the current
problems involving vehicle
inventory, Henry Kwok has
an advantage as distribution
manager for Hyundai Canada in
Markham, Ont. Because the automaker's
parent company has a
partnership with a logistics shipping
fleet, Hyundai vehicles have
been arriving from South Korea
on time.
" The challenge is the disruption
with suppliers to the factory, "
Kwok said. " There may be
constraints on a certain trim
As distribution manager
for Hyundai Canada, Henry
Kwok uses his background in
statistics to forecast how many
vehicles he'll need to order.
PHOTO: HYUNDAI CANADA
level, so we try to come up with
alternatives [for] our customers.
We work with our dealer network
to make sure the customer
knows and won't be left in the
dark. "
Kwok, 41, is the link between
the assembly line and dealers, fulfilling
customer orders and maintaining
showroom inventory.
" It's about ordering the right
amount and the right product
for the market based on market
research. When the products
arrive in Canada, I determine
how to [disperse] them because
every region [wants] different
types of vehicles, such as EVs
being more in demand in [British
Columbia] and Quebec.
" I have a team of four, and we
work with a logistics partner to
move them from the Vancouver
port to the dealers. "
With a degree in mathematics
and statistics, Kwok began his
career as a replenishment analyst
at retailer The Bay, placing
menswear orders with vendors
so products would arrive before
the shelves were empty. He then
did a similar job at Loblaws Inc.,
with the additional challenge of
monitoring food expiration dates.
Kwok was intrigued by
the auto industry and joined
Hyundai in 2014 as a distribution
analyst. Two years later, he
began his current job.
Kwok studies sales data to forecast
the vehicles needed by dealerships.
Those orders are added
to customer orders, and the
request is put in to the factory.
" I have an understanding of
the supply chain from my experience, "
he said, " and everything is
about making a positive impact
to our customer experience. "
- ANC
Automotive News Canada - July 2022

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