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Effective Brainstorming
June 18, 2013 | by Paul Glover, Author & Founder of The Glover Group | Comments
When managers want to involve others in creatively solving a problem, they sometimes hold a brainstorming session. While this session is planned with good intentions, it can be a waste of time if it doesn’t involve the right people. Don’t be tempted to include an expert in the group to help guide the group or answer questions.
Natural Gas Long Haul Trucks: Close, But No Cigar
June 7, 2013 9:40 am | by Danielle M., Blogger & Business Student | Comments
Fuel, one of the most costly expenses for the trucking industry, is seeing major developments....
NAHAD Convention Sees Strong Turnout, Excellent Speaker
April 23, 2013 5:09 pm | by Jack Keough, Contributing Editor, Industrial Distribution | Comments
Jack Keough discusses the NAHAD convention's turnout and reacts to keynote speaker Andrew H....
Weathering The ‘Perfect Storm’: Major E-Commerce Competitors In Industrial Distribution Market Just Ahead
March 13, 2013 3:24 pm | by Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins International | Comments
Industrial distribution is at its biggest crossroads in history, and the “perfect storm” for...
How to Stand Out and Grow With Value Marketing Part 3
June 13, 2013 9:14 am | by Curtis Alexander, Author and Business Growth StrategistIn Parts 1 & 2 of this sereis, Curtis Alexander talked about some of the things value marketing can do for your business and how to build a plan to start the process. Now, he presents four roadblocks that could be hampering your ability to put that plan into action.
Millennials’ Frugal and Green Lifestyles Raise the Bar for Brands
June 11, 2013 2:42 pm | by Suley Muratoglu, Vice President for Marketing and Product Management, Tetra PakAppearances can be deceiving. Millennials represent the fastest-growing segment of luxury goods and services purchasers, according to a recent study by American Express. Yet they are also giving rise to a new lifestyle that can be characterized in two words: frugal and green.
How to Stand Out and Grow With Value Marketing Part 2
June 6, 2013 9:27 am | by Curtis Alexander, Author and Business Growth StrategistIn part one of this series, Curtis Alexander discussed how distributors need to be breaking out of just selling and into value marketing. In the second part of this series, he discusses how to create a plan and put it into action in twelve different steps.
Jack Keough: "I Remember When"
June 5, 2013 9:28 am | by Jack Keough, Contributing Editor, Industrial DistributionAs a young editor at Industrial Distribution in the mid 1980s, I would have lunch periodically with my predecessor, George Berkwitt. George was a great guy, but often he would lapse into sentences that began with “I remember when . . .”
IDtv: Distributing Your ISA Coverage
May 30, 2013 4:02 pm | by Anna Wells, Executive EditorIn an effort to provide a glimpse of the ISA show floor to those who are unable to attend, we’ll be offering a daily show wrap-up video, deploying to our audience via email Monday and Tuesday mornings. In these short videos, Jack Keough, Abbie Kriebs, and myself will highlight the day’s events, including distributor insights, new product information, company announcements and other related updates – straight from the ISA show floor.
The True Cost Of Delaying Investments In Distribution Operations
May 28, 2013 1:31 pm | by Jeff Ross, Vice President of Consulting, FORTE IndustriesWithout a thoughtfully developed plan and its timely execution, we see many organizations whose growth is constrained by the distribution operations or whose reputations are tarnished through inconsistent or insufficient levels of customer service.
How To Stand Out & Grow With Value Marketing Part 1
May 28, 2013 10:02 am | by Curtis Alexander, Author and Business Growth StrategistSimply put, value marketing is a strategy that allows any industrial distributor to break out of the commodity marketplace. It's a process of finding out what problems your market is having and then creating value (in the form of content) in the ideal channels that positions you not just as a vendor - but as an advisor.
DXP Enterprises Continues Forward In Acquisition Mode
May 22, 2013 9:30 am | by Jack Keough, Contributing Editor, Industrial DistributionJack Keough takes a closer look at DXP Enterprises and their acquisition outlook in the coming year. The Houston-based MRO distribution giant is continuing to make acquisitions and expects to make a total of three this year, after completing nine total acquisitions in 2012.
Taxing Amazon: Will The Internet Retailer Be Forced To Charge Sales Tax?
May 17, 2013 11:13 am | by EditorA current bill finding its way through Congress is aimed at forcing internet retailers to collect sales tax from their customers, even when those customers live in a state where the store doesn't have a physcial presence. If this bill passes, giants like Amazon could be facing some big changes.
The Dos & Don’ts Of Selling To Customers In China: How to Avoid Getting Caught Between The Tiger & Dragon
May 10, 2013 4:48 pm | by Jim Tompkins, CEO, Tompkins InternationalYou may be debating whether or not to conduct business in China. Or perhaps your company has already entered the market in Asia and finding it to be a difficult path. There’s no doubt that China presents a huge opportunity through its growing class of consumers that are hungry for new products. But can you frame your selling propositions the same way you would for a North American sale?
Why We Can't All Get Along
May 10, 2013 2:31 pm | by Paul Glover, Founder of The Glover GroupConflict and confrontation—I love them! As a “recovering” trial attorney, I view conflict as the natural course of events when two or more individuals or groups have ideas or interests that clash. This clash creates the tension that is necessary for a constructive change in an organization.
Improving Inventory Management Through The Right Software & Systems
May 9, 2013 5:11 pm | by Dominic Telaro, Director of Industry Solutions, I.B.I.S.Inventory management has been at the forefront of most software systems since the early 1980s. You would think that after all these years we would be at a point where inventory accuracy would be a given. Well, think again! Thirty years later most companies cannot claim higher than 96% inventory Record Accuracy.
Kaman Restructuring Completed; Possibly Looking For More Acquisitions
May 8, 2013 9:38 am | by Jack Keough, Contributing Editor, Industrial DistributionJack Keough takes a closer look at Kaman Corporation on the heels of their restructuring efforts, uncovering their possible intentions to once again enter acquisition territory. The company indicated that it may be looking at acquisitions in the fluid power or electrical automation areas, both of which have been extremely beneficial for Kaman.
Challenging Lighting Environments
May 6, 2013 4:11 pm | by Rob Bresnahan, Larson Electronics LLCNot all operating environments are the same and the differences in a location's environmental characteristics can have a significant impact on how lighting equipment performs. Differences in humidity, wetness, and temperature ranges, the presence of corrosives, and the presence of flammable or explosive gases and vapors can pose a serious challenge for electrical lighting.
We Need More Vocational Training
May 1, 2013 3:40 pm | by Mike Collins, Author, Saving American ManufacturingA recent study of college graduates in Oregon shows that about 50% of the degrees were in arts, humanities, behavior, and social science, with an average salary from $35- to $40,000 per year. In the new economy, dominated by low pay service jobs, a college degree is often not needed, or leads to low starting wages.
Are You A Process Drone?
May 1, 2013 9:59 am | by Alan Nicol, Executive Member, AlanNicolSolutionsI’ve actually endured several arguments over the years from peers who firmly believe that a good process is one that works in spite of people. I understand the point of view, but cannot bring myself to agree. We do all the important things and drive an understanding that for us to build better processes and prevent variation and waste we must follow the process, even if it isn’t perfect.
The Dirty Dozen: Finding And Fixing Company Culture
April 30, 2013 10:04 am | by Steven Shaffer, President, Shaffer ConsultingIt’s no surprise then that one of the biggest impediments to a healthy business is poor organizational health, which stems from poor leadership. When a culture of blame and excuses permeates a company, it can paralyze it.
Beyond DSO: How Distributors Can Improve Customer Relations With Intelligent Accounts Receivable Management
April 29, 2013 9:40 am | by Mark Wilson, CEO, TermSyncAsking customers to pay their invoices can often be an uncomfortable situation for distribution executives and their finance teams. It’s often considered a necessary evil in the business world. What many distributors may not realize is that while the end goal of these interactions is to receive payments, they are also valuable opportunities to improve your customer relationships.
Technology Is A Good Thing, Right?
April 25, 2013 9:28 am | by Scott McGinty, Writer & Project ManagerSometimes technology can be unproven and untested. Actually, a lot of times technology can be unproven and untested. This is the first thing that you should be wary of on all projects is that you need the right tool, not all of them.
How Wearable Technology Is Transforming Facilities
April 19, 2013 9:24 am | by Mark Wheeler, Director of Supply Chain Solutions - North America, Motorola SolutionsMobile devices are necessary tools to increase the efficiency and productivity of workers across many industries and markets, including the warehouse. But wearable, voice-directed and multimodal mobile technologies are helping to transform the warehouse environment at an even faster pace than standard mobile tools in other markets.
