Archive for Components Distributor
Great News for American Manufacturing
Posted by: | CommentsPresident Obama has appointed Ron Bloom as the White House Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy. Mr. Bloom is well known to be a strong advocate for the retention and further development of what has historically been a key element to this country’s success – our strong manufacturing know-how and base. His feeling is that we need to quit simply “jaw-boning” about retaining onshore manufacturing capabilities and start taking positive actions to maintain this valuable asset of American enterprise.
And, this is a man who actually walks the walk. After working for Lazard Freres and then starting his own investment firm specializing in restructuring North American manufacturing companies, Bloom walked away from his firm in a renewed effort to support U.S. manufacturing. He has spent the last decade working as a special assistant to Leo Gerard, the President of the United Steelworkers. As Gerard stated, “He walked away from investment banking because of his values and commitment to manufacturing…..He really believes that you can’t have a successful economy unless you have a strong manufacturing sector.”
Of equal value is Bloom’s personal history in assisting in the restructuring of over 50 companies. This has provided him with invaluable insight into what it takes for a manufacturing firm to be successful; real world experience at a time when it carries the greatest of premiums. Robert Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council stated that he felt the appointment of Ron Bloom to the position of Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy is “the best thing that could have happened for manufacturing.”
It’s great to know that we finally have a strong advocate for American Manufacturing with access to the President. Perhaps now, we will start to see positive actions out of Washington to insure the continued presence, success and growth of manufacturing enterprises within our borders along with the employment that such growth promises.
8 Things You Need To Know Before Doing Any Business With Any Distributor
Posted by: | CommentsIn the perfect world, you would always be able to buy direct from manufacturers. But in the real world, there are times you need to do business with distributors, rep-firms, and independents. Before you put your trust – and your reputation – into the hands of any distributor, take the time to ask yourself these eight questions basic questions.
1. Is the company ISO 9001:2000 and AS9120 certified. A lot of brokers will boast that they are ISO certified but, in today’s market, basic ISO is not stringent enough to screen for counterfeit parts. And, before buying anything from the independent market, it’s important to make sure that your supplier’s quality protocol is Military/Aerospace grade, so you know you’re getting authentic, perfect material every time, without exception.
2. Does the supplier have a solid facility with a ‘bricks and mortar’ warehouse, an entire department devoted to shipping and receiving, and the staff to screen for quality assurance. Many “brokers” are just one-man shows who work out of their garage and ship components from the nearest FedEx at Kinko’s shop. The risks of doing business with an outfit like that are obvious. A quick check of the address on Google Earth will show you whether the location is an actual warehouse or just a suburban home.
3. Do they field an experienced team? Again, that means more than one person wearing all the hats. But it also means that you’re working with experienced veterans who know what they have, where to get what you need, and how to get it fast. Any competent distributor should have multiple purchasing agents screening through the OEM and CM excess inventories of the world. That way, when faced with a big shortage, you’ll know your supplier has many minds leveraging their collective knowledge and experience to meet your needs.
4. Does the broker have a bulletproof quality screening process? You can screen the broker, but it’s the broker’s job to screen their suppliers and all the components they get on your behalf. They need to make sure their supply stream is completely traceable and without compromise from unqualified sources, so yours will be too. Choose a distributor that is ahead of the curve in Quality Control. The counterfeit market is very savvy these days, and many ISO certified distys do not have the testing in place to discern what is authentic and what is not.
5. How many accounts does your sales representative handle? You don’t want to deal with someone who is spread so thin that they can’t give you the attention you deserve. You want someone who is always available and able to help in any situation. In fact a good sales rep at your distributor of choice– should be almost like having a virtual assistant. You want someone with experience, strong work ethic and that cares about keeping you on their client list for many years.
6. What kind of engineering support does the company offer? Procurement effort can be confusing with upscreening, exact crosses, drop in replacements, programming, erasing, and testing. A distributor with a good engineering team knows what will fit your needs and what will cause component system failure and weed them out so you won’t waste your time and your company’s resources sorting through options that are not viable.
7. Get references. Any company that meets all of the above criteria and will be a true extension of your organization should be able to provide multiple references from Fortune 500 companies proving their track record.
8. Make sure your distributor has a web based forum where you can submit RFQ’s and get a confirmed quote same day, access unlimited data sheets, and track your shipments. Having to call into a phone system every time you need to expedite a request can be tedious and time consuming. Make sure your distributor can handle all of your requests electronically in addition to giving you the hands on service that you expect. Click here to submit your RFQ.
Emerging Component Standards for Wind Energy Industry
Posted by: | CommentsWind energy is hot right now, and getting hotter. And, as the wind energy industry heats up, so is the discussion about standards for wind turbine components. Who will set standards for all the anchor bolts, lock nuts, rigging, blades, concrete, etc., and what will they be? Fastener manufacturers, for example, are all abuzz over whether the millions of fasteners needed for proposed wind farms across the country will use the American inch standard or the metric standard favored by Europeans in the industry. Will the fasteners be stainless steel or hot dipped galvanized metal? And who will decide? Will each of the nearly 100 different companies manufacturing the turbines set their own standards or will there be an International Building Code?
Questions like these were flying around the floor at the Windpower 2009 Conference in Chicago last May. And on November 3-5, the American Wind Energy Association is hosting a conference in Detroit where industry leaders, project developers, wind manufacturers and component suppliers will all gather for – among other attractions – a supply chain workshop. Topics up for discussion include things like major component sourcing, value chain services and re-tooling for the wind industry. Expected to attend are manufacturers and suppliers of a wide range of mechanical and electrical components, including generators, hydraulics, sensors, hardware, drives, power distribution, composites, cabling, big steel, castings, forgings, bearings and gearboxes. They’re all going to want to talk standards.
I, for one, am fascinated by these debates, which are going to shape the growth of the wind industry over the next decade and beyond. I’ll be keeping an eye on new standards as they appear, and hope you will comment below about any developments you’ve heard about in the Wind Energy Industry.
