FPDA and NFPA focus on change
By Industrial Distribution Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 12/1/1999
Kansas City, MO.--Technology took center stage at the joint Fall Conference of the Fluid Power Distributors Assn. and the National Fluid Power Assn. While session topics dealt with issues ranging from customer service to integrated supply, nearly every speaker mentioned the importance of keeping up to date on the latest in information technology.Purchasing magazine chief editor Kevin Fitzgerald, who spoke about distributor performance from the purchaser's perspective, noted the rate at which the Internet is changing the supply chain and urged attendees to embrace e-commerce now. Likewise, Debbie Depp, president of the Fenemore Group, stressed the importance of information technology to the distributor-manufacturer partnership, as well as the distributor-customer relationship.
Such sentiments were fitting given the theme of this year's conference, "Are ya ready for some ... changes?" The meeting was held in Kansas City Oct. 23-26, and was host to 590 attendees.
Technology was the subject of choice for speakers like John Christiansen, an attorney who led two sessions on e-commerce and the law, focusing on legal issues surrounding the Internet and e-mail. Likewise, futurist Bob Treadway told members about the importance of staying ahead of the information technology curve in his session titled "The Art of Anticipating Trends."
Other speakers included Rick Prohammer of Arthur Andersen, market analyst Eli Lustgarten, Adam Fein of Pembroke Consulting, and Howard Hyden of The Center for Customer Focus.
In addition to the workshops, the conference served as the venue for the unveiling of FPDA's latest member service -- the Fluid Power ABM System. The service is a customized activity based management system for fluid power distributors. Developed with Tom Pryor of Integrated Cost Management Systems, the program consists of a manual, software, and two-day "how to" workshop designed to help distributors implement activity based management.
FPDA will meet next for its Annual Convention Feb. 19-23 in Acapulco, Mexico. NFPA will hold its 2000 Spring Conference & Annual Meeting March 5-8 in San Antonio, Texas.
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