May 2019
AHTD Preps Next Generation of Industrial Automation Leaders

When Adam Jackson walked into the 2018 AHTD Spring Meeting, he noticed “a definite age gap between the majority of the room and me.” Jackson, 35, is the Regional Director of Sales in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska for Power/mation, an automation solutions provider.

During that first session, he did spot other people his age. After networking with them following the day’s events, he came to AHTD Executive Director Leigha Schatzman with an idea. “I wanted to put together a group of younger future leaders and executives in industrial automation so we could build up experiences and enjoy the same benefits our mentors have had as part of AHTD,” Jackson says.

Jackson created a proposal that included a mentor program and leadership and financial skills development. “The priorities of the program were split between developing a network of peers that we’re going to be in business with for the next 30 years and developing the skills necessary to continue the success our mentors have had,” he says.

With the support of the organization’s board of directors and executive committee, Jackson’s idea of creating the next generation of leadership has become reality as AHTD prepares to launch its Future Leaders Program (FLP) in fall 2019.  Read more.
AHTD is proud to welcome the following companies to our association family. Do you know of a company that might like to learn more about membership in AHTD? Please contact Leigha Schatzman.


Making Waves with New Research and Investment
Norcross, GA – Industrial Control Direct (ICD) serves the solar and stored energy market and is well known for DC disconnects and automatic shutdown devices for solar panels. What is not often known is that B&D Industrial, the parent company of ICD, spends an average of $2M dollars per year on research and development (R&D). Click here to read the full article.
Piab Adds New Sizes to Bellows Suction Cup Line 
Hingham, MA – Piab is extending its generic line of bellows suction cups to include cups measuring 13 and 26 mm in diameter. Another two new cup sizes will be added at a later stage, further broadening the already extensive application range of the company’s popular bellows suction cups. Click here to read the full article.
C&E Advanced Technologies Position Announcements
C&E Advanced Technologies is pleased to share two organization announcements. Jason Peters has accepted the position of Inside Sales Coordinator. In this role, Jason will be responsible for growing business throughout C&E’s four state service area. Click here to read the full article about Jason.

In addition, Chris Surber has accepted the position of Technology Consultant for the Southern region of Middle TN, assuming the territory previously managed by Paul Kamenca.

Mike Murphy has accepted the position of Technology Consultant in the Tennessee region. Click here to read the full article about Chris and Mike.
New Balluff BMPs Combine IO-Link, Analog in Single Device
Florence, KY– The latest additions to the Balluff BMP family of magnetic position sensors combine IO-Link, analog voltage and analog current in a singular device to overcome the limitations of discrete pneumatic cylinder switches. Click here to read the full article.
Encoder Products Company Anniversary
SAGLE, ID This year is Encoder Product Company’s 50th anniversary . What began in one engineer’s garage in 1969, with the world’s first cube encoder, is now a world-wide enterprise including locations in the UK, China, and India, with their main location in Sagle, Idaho – where a 100,000 square-foot, vertically-integrated facility houses the corporate headquarters and main factory. Click here to read the full article.
Schmalz: Vacuum Terminal SCTSi Ethernet Communicates at Field Level
Complex manufacturing processes require intelligent systems. Depending on the particular process, these systems need to be able to work in complete synchronicity and thus communicate with one another in real-time. Schmalz has equipped the compact terminal SCTSi with an Ethernet interface for this very purpose. Click here to read the full article.
Shingle & Gibb Automation Expands Territory for Siemens to Upstate New York
Moorestown, NJ Shingle & Gibb Automation is pleased to announce that Siemens recently expanded its authorized territory to include Upstate New York. An authorized partner and distributor of Siemens for more than 20 years, Shingle & Gibb’s coverage for Siemens now includes New York, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Florida, and Virginia. Click here to read the full article.
Shingle and Gibb Logo
AHTD Strategic Business Partner Program
MRA - The Management Association
Turnover Rates are on the Rise

Turnover is on the rise, averaging 22 percent as shown by the MRA 2019 Turnover report. The data also reveals a steady upward trend in turnover for which employers need to prepare. Click here to read the full article.
Epicor

There are many benefits to cloud-based ERP systems, and it’s important to work with a vendor that understands your business and provides you with multiple deployment options. The cloud has proven to do several things well – improve your cash flow, increase business capabilities, and simplify processes across the board – all in an access-from-anywhere system. Click here to learn the top 10 reasons why more and more distributors are moving to the cloud. 
DCKAP

Thank you, AHTD, for giving us the honor of being your Strategic Business Partner and for making our spring meeting successful!

Our recent events, like AHTD and IDS2019, show our efforts in helping Industrial Distributors move online. DCKAP is a full-service eCommerce agency that helps brands, manufacturers, and distributors with building digital products and implementing enterprise eCommerce storefronts for Industrial Distributors. We partner with Magento, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Our product suite, consisting of Productimize, Cloras, and flexiPIM, when integrated with the respective eCommerce platforms boosts sales and increases revenue. We provide you with digital strategies based on our platform experience, with certified eCommerce experts being our key resource.

For further queries on providing the best platform solution for your business, we are here to help you!

Contact us at marketing@dckap.com or 1-877-872-3252. 
LeadMethod Logo
LeadMethod Distributor CRM Connector Platform

We recently surveyed more than 12,000 industrial distributors on their CRM and sales process, and the message was clear: To stay competitive distributors need to streamline sales processes by connecting their CRM with manufacturers' lead systems.
Manufacturers and distributors that connect their enterprise sales systems will be better aligned to win more deals. We've done the hard part by building the technology, so let's make it happen!
AHTD distributor members get free access to the   LeadMethod CRM Connector. Get more details here
Fall Meeting 2019

Wednesday, October 9 - Saturday, October 12, 2019 
Marriott Orlando World Center, Orlando, FL
AHTD Annual Profit Report Survey - Where is It?
Profit
Last month, we sent a Survey Monkey request to learn more about AHTD’s Profit Report Survey through the eyes our members. We were very happy to receive over 75 responses to the survey. Thank you to those of you that took the time to help us better understand how you use the annual Profit Report. As promised, we are sharing the results of that survey with you and we have formulated our action plan moving forward. 

The biggest takeaway was that members would like to continue to have access to the Profit Report. The feedback was many of you truly appreciate the comparisons against both the high profit AHTD group and as against companies of similar size, as well as the executive summary.

Based on your specific feedback, going forward we will be updating the annual profit report to include:
•       More charts and graphical analysis
•       Ability to do “what if” forecasting analysis
•       Shorter, simpler input form
•       Eliminate least important elements (balance sheet and cash flow metrics)

Overall, there remains strong interest in this member benefit, and the consensus is that AHTD needs to update and modernize the survey format and enhance the report delivered back to participants. To accomplish this, we will be engaging a new survey provider and will spend this year updating the process and deliverable. The new survey will launch in the Spring of 2020. We hope all of you will participate next spring in this valuable member benefit.

Thank you for your participation and feedback in the survey.
The Four Decisions Every Buyer Makes
By Troy Harrison

Sometimes I think we make selling entirely too complicated – and by “we,” I mean my profession of sales authors and trainers. Sure, selling can be difficult. That’s why they pay us the big bucks. We’re dealing with people and trying to persuade them, and that’s always a challenge. Still, why make the sale more complicated and cumbersome than it has to be? Click here to read the full article.
Promotions
Please share your company milestones, news, and events with us by emailing promotions@ahtd.org to be in an upcoming newsletter. We'll publish one article per member company each month. Don't fret if you don't see your article right away. We publish articles in the order received.
 
Questions?
Contact Leigha Schatzman, Executive Director at 262.696.3645 or email Leigha.Schatzman@ahtd.org .