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During an economic
slowdown, a “siege mentality” is understandable but not always
productive. Though many industries are still seeing some growth, some
– including the housing industry – are struggling. This is a
timely excerpt from a piece by Steve Deist on how to turn a downturn
into a strategic opportunity.
Read the Article
After reading your weekly ISA news, scroll past the yellow section
for more features.
Here are two of the education
sessions that will be presented at the conference and trade fair.
- Numbers That Count - This program will introduce the most
extensive product market share report ever made available for North
America, the result of more than 18 months of work by the Profit
Improvement and Revenue Enhancement Committees. This education session
will provide information on why the information is important and how you
can use it to benefit your company. A copy of the report will be
provided for all attendees.
- 1% Difference - Most employees feel the decisions they make
are insignificant, but the reality is that small 1% changes to key
variables can improve profitability significantly. In this education
session, you will learn simple tools to help you communicate the
importance of these decisions to your employees.
For more information, click here. Register for the Industrial Supply
Conference and Trade Fair online by clicking here.
Last year on behalf of
two major industrial distribution associations, a study was conducted by
Bill McCleave on the Future Impact of Size and Value Content on the
Industrial Distribution Channel. In that study, respondents indicated
that the quest for human talent was a real challenge. As a followup to
that study, we would like about nine minutes of your time to see what
you believe the future people challenges will be and what solutions are
available. Your individual responses will be kept confidential. Please
click on the appropriate link below. Thank you!
The 2008 Wholesale
Distribution Economic Reports contain detailed 2007 economic statistics
on the $3.9 trillion wholesale distribution industry. Use these reports
as invaluable reference tools if you are selling to, investing in or
managing a wholesale distribution company. ISA members qualify to pay
the price of an NAW member association. Click here to order the book from NAW today or for
more information.
As a participant, you will
receive a copy of the Profit Report and personalized Profit Improvement
Profile. The report compares your firm with similar firms. You will also
have access to the Profit Toolkit Online. Deadline is April 15, 2008.
Click here to participate. For questions about the
survey itself, call Profit Planning Group at (303) 444-6212.
TAG’s goal is to
identify areas of cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the
delivery, transfer and freight process consistent with our client’s
customer satisfaction. TAG will place great emphasis on the following:
- Delivery fleet optimization with elimination of excess mileage
- Outsourcing deliveries that satisfy customer delivery requirements
- Optimization of inter company transfer systems
- Reduction in TL/LTL freight rates
- Reduction in small package rates
- Recovery of freight expense from customer billings
- Electronic freight billing recovery with carrier interface
- Conversion of supplier controlled freight from pre paid and add to
collect
- Ability to put a freight handling charge onto customer billings
To take advantage of this affinity program and learn more about their
products and services call (413) 565-4641. Be sure to check out all of
the other cost reduction programs ISA has to offer at isapartners.org.
The ISA eBusiness Committee announces availability of the ISA
eBusiness Implementation Guideline. Click here for more information.
March 18-20: The Four Pillars of the Sales Profession Seminar,
Dayton, OH Details
April 18: Deadline to receive ISA Conference & Trade Fair Early Bird
Registration Fees and to be listed in the printed conference program.
The program will be mailed in advance.
April 15: Profit Report - Deadline to Participate
May 21: How to Find and Keep the Right Employees … Without
Stealing from the Competition Webinar Details
June 1-3: ISA Industrial Supply Conference & Trade Fair, Chicago, IL
Details
Sept. 10: Developing an Inventory State of Mind Webinar
Nov. 19-20: Save the Date: ISA EBusiness Conference
Dec. 2: The Telephone Doctor Webinar
For more information on upcoming ISA events, go to isapartners.org.
Send name, title, email address and company
name of each colleague to info@mdm.com. Only employees of ISA member companies
will be added to the list to receive this weekly association update.
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MDM NEWS UPDATE: March 13, 2008
(Click headline
to view)
Concerns about the economy
and a steep drop in plans for hiring led to a steep decline in the
confidence of distribution and wholesale companies during the fourth
quarter of 2007, according to the latest Small Business Research Board
report. The study indicated that the Distribution & Wholesale Small
Business Confidence Index dropped to 31 during the fourth quarter or 10
points (nearly 25%) from the 41 recorded during the prior quarter.
Of the respondents, 24% said they believed the economy would improve
during the next 12 months. Just 15% of the participants said they would
increase hiring during the coming 12 months. That goes with the 23% who
said they would add jobs in the next six months in MDM's recent Reader Survey on the economy.
More...
Related Articles from MDM
MDM BLOG: Recession a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?
Comment here.
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What are the Benchmarks for Success in Distribution?
A successful benchmarking
effort begins with an understanding of common performance metrics. The
Annual Census of Distribution conducted by the MPI Group identifies
current performance levels for key technologies and processes—from
radio-frequency identification (RFID) to Six Sigma—in distribution
centers and warehouse operations. Learn how savvy distributors are using
benchmark metrics and adopting best practices to stay one step ahead of
the competition. Click here to read the Annual Distribution
Executive Summary.
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After learning about some of the
risk distributors and their customers can face when counterfeits enter
the supply chain, Maurice Electrical Supply, a distributor of electrical
products in Washington, D.C., organized a seminar for its customers,
about 95% of whom are contractors, a segment that the distributor wanted
most to educate. Due to many contractors’ strict focus on price,
cheaper products found online and/or made off-shore are attractive.
“So they need to be educated on the value we provide, and the
safety issues that can come with imported product," says the
distributor's VP for sales and marketing. “They’re really
sticking their neck out and could find themselves in a product liability
lawsuit.
“… The message should be – there are cheaper products
available to sell to you, but it’s not worth it. I can’t tell
you how scary it is to put in a product and have it fail.”
More...
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Foodservice distributor Sysco
Corp. is being hit by a double whammy: food inflation, which has
increased 6% in the year, and gasoline prices, squeezing restaurants
from which Sysco derives 64% of sales, according to this article by
Kiplinger. The $35-billion Sysco also distributes paper products and
kitchen equipment to its 400,000 customers.
To stay strong in tough times, Sysco aims to be indispensable to its
customers. It does "business reviews," including advice on menus and
inventory control. It is also able to pass on price increases pretty
easily due to its value to its customers. In addition, Sysco is
expanding right now, rather than holding back – it is building six
regional redistribution centers to improve its efficiency. What can you
do to stay strong in tough times?
More...
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Distributors should
provide a "tier of services" at a cost to satisfy end-user needs, and
help its customers at the same time, this article by Shelter Magazine
says. This will help distributors survive in a changing business. It's
important to "think out of the box," this article says.
The key is working with customers, suppliers and the end-users to
create services – such as installation or jobsite delivery and
product staging – that benefit all. Distributors must take care of
customers, as well as their customers' customers. Some ideas offered in
this construction-centric article: After windows have been installed at
a jobsite, distributors can go in and check and adjust the windows and
maybe even install the hardware, clean the tracks and do
troubleshooting. That saves money down the road, and provides the
opportunity for additional business for the distributor.
More...
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Most Popular Stories at mdm.com
MDM Survey: Concern High Over the Economy
Stock Building Supply to Open New Facility
Gates Corp. Buys Singapore Supplier
Alcoa Sells Packaging, Consumer Units for $2.5B
Pro-Build Acquires Truss Manufacturers
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ABOUT ISA ADVISOR
ISA Advisor is a weekly news and industry update provided as a member
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Association.
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