Locus Robotics opens European Headquarters in Amsterdam
Locus Robotics, the provider of autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfillment warehouses and distribution centers, has announced the opening of its European headquarters in Amsterdam. The new facility will support Locus’s existing EU and UK customer base and develop new opportunities within the fast-growing European warehouse fulfillment and distribution segments. “Our decision to expand our presence in the European market was a logical step in our business growth strategy,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Choosing Amsterdam gives us a central location that is ideal for serving our customer base, as well as giving us access to a vibrant and diverse talent pool to recruit from.” With warehouse fulfillment volumes increasing globally, access to labor has become a critical issue. Companies are turning to automation to meet the exploding demands while keeping labor recruiting, training, and retention costs down. In fact, Locus recently passed the half-billion picking milestone and LocusBots are now picking nearly 2 million items every day. “Our Amsterdam office will allow us the flexibility to support our European clients in real-time as the needs of order fulfillment continues to grow around the world,” said Denis Niezgoda, Vice President, Europe. “We are ideally positioned to scale as their business and operational needs grow.” The new location will also assemble and service the company’s award-winning autonomous mobile robot solution for the European market, providing faster deployment, management, and support services. Locus Robotics will be celebrating the official opening with a press event at the new location, located at Toetsenbordweg 26, 1033 MZ Amsterdam, Netherlands on Wednesday, October 6th. The event will include guided tours of the new facility and access to Locus senior management. Locus will also be exhibiting at Deliver, an e-commerce and logistics trade show being held on 6-7 October in Amsterdam. This event brings together key industry thought leaders and brands and features speakers from Locus in breakout sessions and panel presentations.
Va Tech, Purdue University Northwest and Cal Poly team up to take Amazing Packaging Race Victory
Students from Virginia Tech, Purdue University Northwest, and Cal Poly Team claimed the winning title at this year’s 2021 Amazing Packaging Race, sponsored by Emerson, on the PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO show floor. Coordinated by show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, and sponsored by Emerson, the race brought together students from six Education Partner schools across the country to complete a series of challenges over four expansive halls of exhibit space. Anna Troutt (Virginia Tech), Andrew Smith (Purdue University NW), and Serena Pu (California Polytechnic State University) outsmarted the competition with their social-media savvy and show floor strategy, meeting the most exhibitors and completing the tasks faster than their opponents. Each student on the winning team took home $1,000 in prize money. “PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO is the world’s biggest interactive packaging classroom and students thoroughly enjoy this annual event,” says Kate Fiorianti, senior manager, education, PMMI. “It’s a great way for future leaders to learn about the industry and test their wits in the field.” Gabby Brophy (Virginia Tech), Harash Bhutada (Michigan State University), and Shayne Babich (Alexandria Technical and Community College) took second place, while Nicholas Magan (Alexandria Technical and Community College), Leslie Kim (Virginia Tech), Alexandria Stein (Clemson) and Morgan Graham (Michigan State) brought home third place. Competing students represented 6 Education Partner schools, including: Alexandria Technical & Community College California Polytechnic State University Clemson Michigan State University Purdue University Northwest Virginia Tech Participating exhibitors included: Baumer hhs Belden BW Packaging Systems B&R Automation Dorner Duravant Fallas Automation FOX IV Technologies, Inc. Frazier & Son Honeywell Intelligrated IoPP Lenze Americas LinMot USA, Inc. Morrison Container Handling Solutions OMAC SICK Siemens Digital Industries Starview Packaging Machinery Syntegon Packaging Technology, LLC Tri-Tronics Company Weiler Labeling Systems
PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, A huge success
The packaging and processing community came together this week for perhaps the most important PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO in its history, according to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. Over 23,000 attendees, eager to find solutions to current challenges, engaged with over 1,500 exhibitors across four expansive halls and more than 740,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It serves as the largest trade show in the U.S. in 2021 so far. “In a word, PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO was a success,” said Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “Exhibitors and attendees alike were energized by the number of people who attended and more importantly the business conducted from the moment we opened the doors on Monday.” As PMMI’s State of the Industry report highlights, 2020 was a record year for packaging machinery, with the total size of the market in the U.S. increasing to $12.3 billion, growing 14.4 percent. In the case of domestic shipments, 14.7 percent growth reached $9.4 billion, reported Jorge Izquierdo, vice president, market development PMMI during Monday’s media briefing. This record year, led to the industry’s readiness to come together to see the latest innovations in person. Matt Jones, vice president of sales for Dorner, could not have been more pleased with the traffic and leads that he found in his booth, indicating pent-up demand from the industry. “We had a lead goal for all of day one that we achieved by the mid-point of that day, and by late morning of day two, we were already past our expected lead total for the entire show,” says Jones. “Just a great all-around event for Dorner.” Jonathon Titterton, CEO of Coesia Americas and R.A Jones, was also eager to put his stamp of approval on this year’s event as one of the best he could recall. “Coesia had, even more, leads at this show and more all-around quality engagement with attendees than the last PACK EXPO Las Vegas in 2019,” Titterton says. While attendees buying machinery right off the show floor is not an everyday occurrence, it happens at trade shows, and PACK EXPO Las Vegas reported multiple examples of attendees eager to take the equipment home with them. Spee-Dee Packaging reported a bidding war over a piece of their machinery among multiple attendees, and President and CEO, Dave Navin, left Las Vegas pleased with the event. “Speaking for Spee-Dee, we had a great PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Everyone who visited our booth was looking for an actual solution or machine rather than just gathering information,” says Navin. Jake Garvey, director of OEM sales from Garvey Corporation, has attended PACK EXPO shows almost since birth for the family-run conveyor company. In all his years attending the show, he thought he had seen it all, but PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO provided a first-time experience. “We will need to bring a new display machine to PACK EXPO East. For the first time that I can recall, we sold our machine directly off the show floor,” Garvey says. Rocky Marquis, president and CEO of Marq Packaging noted that the show exceeded his expectations. He counted PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO as one of the better shows among the dozens he has exhibited at. “It was obvious from the traffic in the aisles that this was a well-attended show, but what stood out to me from day one was the number of people who came into our booths with projects they already had ready to go,” says Marquis. Attendees were also pleased to see all the solutions on display at PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO, with Nathan Heidrick from Amy’s Kitchen coming as a first-timer looking for automation solutions. “We came here to see what equipment is out there right now,” says Heidrick. “We currently do a lot of manual packaging, and due to labor shortages, we [are happy] to [find solutions] to now automate our end of line systems.” Other attendees appreciated the innovations, and the opportunity to network with peers. “PACK EXPO Las Vegas is the show that I heard I could find all types of packaging solutions for products, and it delivered,” says John Murphy, facilities engineer, Fello Cannabis. “It has been great to discover new innovations, the latest trends, and networking opportunities in such a comprehensive packaging event.” The most outstanding innovations on the show floor received Technology Excellence Awards on Tuesday afternoon, voted on by show attendees. The winners of the 2021 awards were Canovation in the Food and Beverage and Personal Care/Pharmaceuticals category for its CanReseal; P.E. Labellers in General Packaging for Simpl-Cut and Hiperbaric for General Processing for its HPP In-Bulk Technology. Kevin Christiansen from Café Barnabas tea company noted that the First Timer’s attendee lounge provided a perfect blueprint for his week. “I have never seen a show like this before; what a wonderful experience,” says Christiansen. “The First Timer’s Lounge was like a mentor program for anyone who has never been to the show before. It really helped me in particular with a plan to attack the show.” Daniel Finnegan, senior packaging engineer from TFH Petcare/Nylabone, was very pleased with the sustainable solutions he was able to find at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. “I came here looking for two things: one being more sustainable packaging for our preform bags and secondly looking for new stretch wrappers and palletizers,” Finnegan says. Chance Chaffin, production coordinator, Heritage Distilling Co. came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas looking for packaging machinery but was surprised and overcome with all the additional opportunities the show provided. “I came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find new packaging machinery for my distillery company and what I encountered was so much more. Between PACK to the Future, Innovation Stage sessions and networking, I learned much more than I expected in a way you can’t do online,” notes Chaffin. “With such a massive
Census Bureau celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Manufacturing Day
This week, the U.S. Census Bureau is celebrating the manufacturing sector’s importance and vast economic contribution to the nation in the lead-up to Manufacturing Day this Friday. Manufacturing Day has been held on the first Friday in October since 2011. The Census Bureau has created a Manufacturing Week homepage with a compilation of manufacturing statistics and data products and is posting historical facts about manufacturing on Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook throughout the week. The page features a wide range of resources, including America Counts stories, manufacturing infographics, and relevant webinars. Check it out and help us share our manufacturing data and resources throughout the week using the hashtags #MFGDay21 and #CensusEconData on social media.
PMMI awards Six PACK EXPO Scholarship winners
The PMMI Foundation, a part of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, awards six $5,000 PACK EXPO scholarships to students from PMMI Education Partner schools. To qualify for the PACK EXPO scholarship, students must be enrolled at an Education Partner, major in engineering, packaging, processing, mechatronics, or a related field, and must demonstrate a financial need. “This scholarship program shows how PMMI invests in the future packaging workforce,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “We are proud that through the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows and the PACK EXPO Scholarship program we are able to invest in the future of the packaging and processing community.” The recipients of the PACK EXPO Scholarships are: Monick Castillo – Hennepin Technical College Major: Automation and Robotics Daniel Forseth – Hennepin Technical College Major: Automation Robotics Engineering Technology Bradley Reinhart – University of Wisconsin – Stout Major: Packaging Zoe Statiris – Ryerson University Major: Graphic Communications Management Sierra Strandberg – Illinois Institute of Technology Major: Industrial Technology and Management, specialization in Manufacturing Technology Bastian VanHofwegen – Dunwoody College of Technology Major: ASRO – Automated Systems and Robotics Learn more about the winners at PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO (Sept. 27-29) by visiting the Workforce Development Pavilion (located in the North Hall, N 8701) and the PMMI U Booths (located in the Central Lobby).
PT WORK Force® expands resources to support PT/MC Employers
Now more than ever, employers need tools and resources to help them navigate the new realities of the workplace. As the charitable arm of Power Transmission Distributors Association, the PTDA Foundation, through its PT WORK Force® initiative, develops these resources to help power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) employers support, retain and motivate their employees and take advantage of future growth opportunities in the PT/MC industry. All the resources can be accessed, free of charge, at PTWORKForce.org. The efforts of PT WORK Force initiative over the past six months are helping employers: Integrate essential skills assessments into hiring practices with tips provided during the recent PT WORK Force webinar, “Using Emotional Intelligence and Skills Assessments to Screen Candidates.” Learn strategies to support their talent pool through the upcoming webinar, “How to Better Manage Your Energy and Feel Less Stress,” which will offer ways to foster employees’ wellbeing, productivity, and success. Celebrate women in our industry as inspirational and accomplished leaders with the Wendy B. McDonald Award. This year’s recipient will be honored at the PTDA 2021 Industry Summit. Recognize the talent, ambition, and vision of young industry executives through the newly established Robert K. Callahan Future Leaders Award. The first honoree will be recognized at the Industry Summit. Help new remote workers–a growing outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic–assimilate to their role and their company’s culture with the steps outlined in the resource guide, Virtual Onboarding for PT/MC Companies. Develop and refresh job descriptions and job postings that are PT/MC specific for positions in Finance/Accounting, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, Operations, Purchasing and Sales that will attract today’s workforce. Identify best practices for recruiting and retaining successful hires for vital sales and non-sales roles during the Industry Summit session—“Why Is It So Hard to Find Right-Fit People?” —led by technical recruiter John Salvadore, GRN Coastal Recruitment and featuring industry HR executives. These are just a few of the many resources provided by the PT WORK Force initiative of the PTDA Foundation. Opportunities for personal and professional growth are central to advancing this phenomenal industry and the PTDA Foundation is here to help attract and retain a workforce that channels the power of the industry. The PTDA Foundation, whose work is funded solely by donations, was founded in 1982 to champion education, outreach, and research initiatives relevant to the power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry that enhance the knowledge and/or professionalism and productivity for industry stakeholders. The Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation; contributions are tax-deductible to the full amount allowed by law.
How Cisco-Eagle increased the quality of their sales leads
As the fourth quarter is upon us, it’s probably clear whether reality is meeting yearly expectations. If you require generous fourth-quarter sales to achieve your quarterly and yearly sales quota, you still may be able to meet your projections. A year ago, Cisco-Eagle, a material handling company headquartered in Dallas, TX was conducting extensive research in order to uncover sales leads. They were utilizing Google News and press release services to discover any type of industrial expansions, new construction, or capital purchases in the warehouses, manufacturing, and distribution centers across the United States. It was a tedious process. At times it produced results, but many times it was already too late. Evan Fleishacker, the Sales & Marketing Analyst knew something better had to be out there in the market. By remaining active within his marketing network, Mr. Evan Fleishacker was introduced to a new platform. Q: What was the new platform? And describe the evaluation process? Evan F: The platform that came as a recommendation was SalesLeads Inc. I learned that the Company focused on the industrial marketplace and that I would be able to get current information with contacts, project descriptions, and more. It took all of a week to evaluate the platform. It was very intuitive and I was able to experience for myself the quality of the projects, including the project stage along with key contacts. Q: What was a surprising aspect or feature of the platform that you didn’t know it could provide for you? Evan F: Couple areas. First, I was able to experience first-hand the timeliness of the information. For instance, my manager contacted me to share a sales lead. I looked it up in our CRM and saw that we received the opportunity 4 months prior. If we didn’t have the platform, the opportunity would have passed us by. Instead, I knew that the sales rep was already in the account, moving forward through the sales process. Second, the sales team at Cisco-Eagle is looking for more than the plant or facility manager. Our sales team was able to conduct a thorough follow-up with contacts from the architecture or engineering firm. In addition, because of the breadth and depth of products we offer, its often that sales work to penetrate the account from different departments. This can include the CEO, CTO, safety manager, or maintenance manager. All of these various contacts are within the SalesLeads platform. It’s proven to be a valuable resource for long-term customer success. Q: How do you utilize the information in the SalesLeads Platform from a marketing operations perspective? Evan F: The information goes directly into our CRM system. Once there, I assign it to a sales professional within the territory. They utilize the leads right away with the sales process that provides the most success. I really appreciate the sales team as they provide notes and statuses of their sales journey. This allows me to assess the quality of the leads, provide additional assistance to sales, and allocate time on other marketing endeavors such as digital campaigns, collateral creation, and marketing automation. The ability to know that sales find value and quality in the sales leads makes the job rewarding. Thank you for sharing your marketing and sales success. About the Author Cherise Kennerley is from ROI Marketing. The concept for ROA Marketing began in 2000 based on my experience working with advertising and public relations agencies. As a result, the company grew organically focusing its attention on companies from $2M to $500M searching for marketing, sales, and business solutions that are tailored to meet the goals of the company in a cost-effective way. Now 19 years later, ROI Marketing has watched the competition come and go, but the concept of the Company remains strong. ROI currently serves industrial, construction, material handling, high-tech, and transportation industries. Prior to ROI Marketing, Kennerley was the Vice President or Director of Marketing in high tech companies.
Top packaging trend innovations in 2021 and beyond
The global packaging industry is increasingly investing in smart automation and eco-friendly solutions, customizing their offerings as per a wide range of end-use verticals. The volume of packaging materials has witnessed a significant jump since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With higher sales of consumer electronics and zero plastic waste objectives, innovations such as 3D printing, automated processes, and circular economies will gain the attention of brands and consumers through 2021 and beyond. Some of the prominent developments in the packaging industry include: Safe and Secured Packaging Coupled with Recyclability Securikett, based out of Austria specializes in physical packaging security solutions and has unveiled its patented paper security seal named VOID. The seal is cannot be replaced once it is peeled off from the product, catering to anti-counterfeiting and tamper-proof requirements. The product is made from pulp fiber, which can be recycled eight times. Further, these products are also available in a wide range of colors, sizes, and designs, and are likely to gain traction with rising interest in alternative materials following the implementation of plastic reduction laws across the European Union. Augmented Reality Gains Attention among Brand Owners for Better Consumer Engagement A number of consumer product brands including Coca-Cola and Pizza Hut have taken to integrating augmented reality technologies for their packaging formats. This development is primarily aimed at building consumer engagement. For instance, Pizza Hut launched a limited-edition AR carton allowing consumers to play games through the use of QR codes. Coca-Cola released beverage cups for use in White Castle outlets with brand awareness objectives through AR. Flexible Packaging Formats Achieving Traction The introduction of digitalization processes for packaging in smart retail is a major factor influencing packaging formats. Flexible packaging opens up a number of options for automation in retail including intelligent labeling, RFID labels, and smart tags. Growing consumer emphasis on sustainable purchases is also key to making flexible materials mainstream as primary packaging. In April 2021, UFlex developed and unveiled a new laminate structure based on BOPP film for food products. The company also launched LDPE, paper, and foil 40-gsm structure for pharma packaging applications. The product allows the cross-linking of coatings and inks boosting resistance to abrasion and chemicals, and without greenhouse gas emissions. Repositioning in retail space, particularly for the FMCG sector to improve product shelf life will provide impetus to production. Weight Reduction Remains Important KraussMaffei HighPerformance AG announced a collaboration with SABIC to develop a new thin-wall packaging format under the brand Nestal. The offering will widen the scope of injection molding applications in the packaging sector. Micro-cellular foaming processes are also expected to gain ground, as it not only reduces packaging weight but also has a direct impact on cutting down its environmental impact, without compromising on performance. Cyber Security in Packaging Operations With the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0 connections, the packaging industry is now at threat from hackers and other malicious entities with the rising use of IIoT in the sector. Companies are seeking to strictly adopt best practices while getting rid of compartmentalization in terms of operational technology and information technology. Firewalls between systems and production and process plants are becoming an increasingly popular option. The role of analytics in operations such as warehouse management will also create opportunities for cybersecurity offerings, to minimize chances of disruptions. Achieve Circular Economy through Sustainable Packaging Funding worth US$ 2.73 million was announced by UK Research and Innovation for key projects into the development of sustainable packaging solutions. The effort has been announced as a part of the Future Plastic Packaging Solutions Fund. The projects will include bio-based polymers, reusable formats, dissolvable packaging materials, and circular recycling systems for pharmaceutical blister packs. With notable influence on sustainability, circular packaging design concepts will emerge as a key trend in 2021. Investments towards behavior changes to encourage reuse, recycling, and returns, will play key roles in the future of the industry. Automation Supplemented by Artificial Intelligence is heading the Way Forward With the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, automation in packaging processes has become more important than ever. Higher focus on user health and safety, in addition to developments in blockchain benefits in quality control productivity, and downtime are major factors aiding the adoption of automation tech. Investments by startups and mid-sized companies towards artificial intelligence and analytics will play key roles, driving developments in operations such as direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and also government efforts for the distribution of the covid vaccine. Artificial intelligence will also help to improve return on invested capital (ROIC) by enabling predictive maintenance and generation of packaging format prototypes without the need for human inputs. The aforementioned trends are only some of the many changes being witnessed in the evolving packaging sector. Offerings such as carbon black packaging, specialty paper packaging, molded fiber packaging, and more will have a notable impact on the industry. Leverage new opportunities through tech innovations in a timely manner through MarketNgage, the trusted platform for Packaging market research subscription for accurate, credible, and real-time insights on packaging developments. Gain free credits for features such as datasheets, interactive dashboards, and market playbooks by Signing Up today! About the Author: Anuj Mudaliar, a market researcher from MarketNgage is an experienced market writer, who works closely with the research teams at MarketNgage. With sound research skills and his own style of writing thought leadership articles, Anuj extensively covers developments in several research domains and industries.
Get ready for MFG Day 2021!
We’re just two weeks away from MFG Day 2021! If you’re a manufacturer and you haven’t done so already, it’s time to start thinking about hosting an event. Amplifying the “Creators Wanted” message, MFG Day—which officially falls on October 1 but will be celebrated throughout the rest of the month—is manufacturing’s biggest celebration of the year, a chance for parents, students, and educators to step inside the industry and see everything it has to offer. It’s nothing less than our biggest annual opportunity to “solve the workforce–development crisis,” as MI Senior Director of Student Engagement Julia Asoni put it during a recent webinar. Here’s what you need to know. The crisis: Manufacturers will need to hire 4 million workers between now and 2030 to account for growth and fill positions left open by retiring workers, according to a recent study by Deloitte and the MI. Yet 2.1 million of those jobs could go unfilled because of the skills gap. “The solution is to inspire the next generation of manufacturers and educate students, parents, teachers, and the public on the important role that manufacturers play in our lives,” Asoni said. Making a difference: In 2019, more than 325,000 MFG Day participants took part in 3,000 events across North America, Asoni noted. Afterward, 72% said they now believed “manufacturing provides an interesting and rewarding career.” MFG Day 2020 moved online due to the pandemic, but this year, it’s back in force and in person. What can you do? Manufacturers that wish to host an event this MFG Day but don’t know where to start have come to the right place. In-person options: Facility tours, open houses, community gatherings and expos, roundtable discussions, and job fairs all make excellent events, Asoni said. Go virtual: Virtual events can be successful, too. Consider Zoom, GoTo Meeting, Instagram Live, Facebook, or a specific school platform (if working in partnership with a school). Interested in hosting a 3D-mapped, virtual experience for MFG Day? Contact NAM AVP of Strategic Partnerships Chris Schmitt at CSchmitt@nam.org. “What will participants do?” Engaging working employees during onsite tours is crucial, Asoni said. “Personal experience has the greatest impact on perception change, according to research.” So get creative when thinking through your visits and walk-throughs! “Whom do we invite?” Reach out to local schools and community-based organizations, such as nearby Boys & Girls Clubs of America. BGCA can be contacted for partnership purposes at partnerships@BGCA.org. Learn more about MFG Day through our full page of MFG Day resources. And listen to prior best practices shared by MFG Day hosts on a webinar hosted last month. Register your event: Be sure to register your MFG Day events by the end of August. This will help people find them and sign up. Calls to action: MFG Day event hosts should each have their own calls to action—steps that attendees can take to keep engaging with manufacturing. This could be signing up for a company newsletter, following the company on social media channels, or attending another event, such as a career day. This year, we’re launching a built-in call to action to engage students year-round. Stay tuned for more information in September! Check it out: As MFG Day nears, keep checking in on CreatorsWanted.org. It will be updated and refreshed continually up to Oct. 1 with new MFG Day resources, along with updates on the broader Creators Wanted campaign to help inspire, educate and empower the next generation of manufacturing talent. More support: Need a bit more help? Join us for some real-time Q&A during one of our upcoming MFG Day Office Hours.
The Get-Real Factor. Your service builds or destroys your business
Customers don’t makeup stories about you or your business it is you who create them. The customer simply retells them. How the story is told, and what the content is, is up to you. It’s based on your actions or reactions, combined with their interpretations and perceptions. These stories create the basis for the most powerful form of advertising known to mankind. Word-of-mouth. It is estimated that more than 50% of American business is based on this ad form. When people ask each other for a referral, or a business reference it’s given based on their past personal experience or what they “heard” from others. Other stories. Here’s an example: “Hey Jeffrey, you fly all the time. I’m going to Dallas. What airlines should I fly?” Three options will occur. You will either get… A referral: USAir is the greatest. Nothing: Well, I dunno, they’re all about the same. A reverse referral: Anyone BUT USAir. Here’s an example of the whisper down the lane version: “Hey Bill, I’m going to Dallas. Do you know which airlines I should fly?” Three options will occur. You will either get… A referral: “You know Sally, my friend Jeffrey says USAir is the greatest, and he flies all the time.” Nothing: “Well, I dunno, they’re all about the same.” A reverse referral: I’ve heard all kinds of bad stories about USAir. I’d say, pick anyone but them. NOTE WELL. If the experience was good, the customer may not proactively say something, but if the experience was bad, you can bet your last dollar they’ll bring up the story in the first 5 minutes of a conversation, and depending on the severity of the displeasure, sometimes in the first 5 seconds. This lesson of customer service is the most real (and valuable) I have found. First, because it shows how one front-line person can speak volumes for a multi-billion-dollar company by creating an experience worth talking about. Certainly, more powerful than a bunch of rhetorical ads on TV, most of which are so plastic they should be accompanied by vomit bags. And second, it creates a classic opportunity to examine how customers can make or break a business after a transaction has taken place. If 50% of American business is done by word-of-mouth advertising, what’s the word on you? The only way to “get the word out” is to create memorable situations. Excellent service is not what you believe it to be, it’s what your customer perceives it to be. And tells others. How are you taking advantage of your service opportunities? Here’s what happens if you do. Here are 7.5 advantages of great service… It’s free. Great service costs little or nothing but it’s worth a fortune It builds goodwill. Consistent service creates and builds reputation. It builds customer loyalty. People will actually look forward to the next time they will do business with you. Happy to do business with you. It creates memorable experiences that will be retold time after time. Stories create the basis of word-of-mouth advertising. It makes your customers salespeople for your business. And they are one thousand times more effective than any employed salesperson on your team. It leads to referred business. People are guided and influenced by the success, satisfaction, and happiness of others. It makes it harder (impossible) for competitors to steal away customers even at a lower price. “Loyalty through extraordinary service” is a powerful yet overlooked motto in business today. 7.5 It creates a clear distinction between two companies engaged in the same business. Yours and your biggest competitor. Every time a customer calls you, or you call a customer, you have an opportunity and a choice. What opportunity are you taking? What choice are you making? About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars visit www.Gitomer.com or email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com or call him at 704 333-1112.
Been here before
Most people reading this probably have been, and again, the younger members of your team may not, and could probably use some education to help them be more effective in this current work environment. What I am planning to discuss this month is how the lift truck industry fared during the last financial fiasco (2008-2009) compared to what you are experiencing this time around (2020-2021 and maybe 2022). Neither event was pleasant, and most dealers found ways to manipulate their internal and external responsibilities to make it to 2020 for the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns and work from home scenarios. I guess if you are reading this that you were probably one of those that survived the former but still fighting through the latter. I went through both and believed (2008-2009) was easier to deal with even though it took five years in some cases to turn the corner. This time around there is more “change” associated with just about every industry, more technology developed to assist coming out of this situation in better shape than expected, much deeper declines in business and cash flows which could have caused more bankruptcies had it not been for PPP1 and PPP2, significant supply chain disruption and the related price increases caused by supply chain disruption. Many very serious economic roadblocks to deal with. But you would never think there were any by looking at the stock market. Crazy, crazy times. And to finish off our current situation you have to manage for either deflation or inflation, where making an error with either scenario could generate major cash flow problems. In a previous month, I mentioned either or both deflation or inflation would surface and probably both because deflation could be caused by the supply chain issue or if and when the Fed increases interest rates which could cause a recession, while on the other hand inflation is being caused by the supply chain issues but also because of the number of dollars being printed cause a demand/supply problem with more dollars chasing fewer goods. I little nuts but issues demanding planning for each scenario. One way to plan where you are and where you are going is to go back to your 2008-2009 financial statements to see how they compare to where you are now. You could also get into your 2010-2011 financials as a way to see how to plan for 2022 -2023. It will also be informative to see how your business has changed in the interim. Sales mix. Absorption rates. Payroll costs. Insurance costs. Benefit costs. I mention the income statement items but maybe more importantly are any differences associated with your Balance Sheet. Let us spend some time with the Balance Sheet. I am going to suggest what changes you will see without even looking at the two different statements (2021 vs 2010). I expect less cash on a normalized basis (before you take out discretionary $) because the pandemic provided much tougher economic problems to work through AR collection periods extended compared to 2009. Also, the AR per customer could be lower because your ability to deliver products and services was hampered by the supply chain issue. The cost of inventory, both new and parts, are higher and hopefully, you can sell them at what you paid for them. This will be a major issue for the auditors this year. If you had a lot of used inventory going into the pandemic it probably declined in value and has now starting to recover from a value standpoint. Again, this will be an audit issue as well as a collateral issue with your bank. This was a major issue in 2008-2009 mostly resolved by selling off fleet to pay down the banks, only to have to repurchase those units 24 months later. Be best to spend some time on your parts and used equipment inventories to support the valuations they are sitting at. How you cost them. How do you account for sales (first-in or last-in or some combination thereof? Annual equipment appraisals performed by a party that knows your business helps if the bank recognizes the appraisal as an expert. I will guess that equipment rental is providing a higher % as part Total Sales. This is a good place to find underutilized capital. Make sure you need what you have in the fleet. If not, move it before the auditors tell you to write it down. And the appraisal of rental units is as important as it is for used equipment. If your rental fleet has increased in size and you are using term loans to finance them, be aware that the increase in rental assets can lower your working capital number and raise a red flag to the bank. Pure rental companies do not calculate current assets and current liabilities because the current liabilities for fleet notes have a negative impact on your working capital calculation caused by having 100% of the fleet as a long-term asset while the related notes (current portion) sit in a current asset category. We can go on and on, but you must realize that NOW is the time to have a Clean Balance Sheet where you are aware of your shortcomings that will reduce the amount of cash they generate, as they move from inventory to the cash account. So lay both Balance Sheets side by side and see where you stand, and then compare to the MHEDA cost study, especially the top 25% category. Some good news. The new lease accounting mandate is being deferred until your 2022 statement (if you are on a Dec 31 year-end). But, as long as you are reviewing the Balance Sheet you should take a shot to see how it will look once the leasing mandate is adopted and see what it does to your bank covenant ratios. About the Columnist: Garry Bartecki is a CPA MBA with GB Financial Services LLC and a Wholesaler columnist since August
Job Shock: Solving the Pandemic & 2030 Employment Meltdown Part VII: Final Word: A Decisive Skilled Talent Decade
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a pivotal time in history. It has caused disastrous disruptions to the world’s economies including that of the United States and radically shifted people’s priorities. During the pandemic, many who lost their jobs when their employers downsized or disappeared were struggling to find good-paying jobs. As pandemic restrictions started to be lifted in the spring of 2021, sizeable numbers of people have not been returning to the labor market. The rate of baby-boomer retirements accelerated during the pandemic. Some workers (especially in the leisure and hospitality sectors) seem to have decided that they do not want to return to their former jobs and instead want to seek employment in other industries. As the number of job openings has swelled to unprecedented levels, businesses cannot find workers with the skills needed for their vacant jobs. In many businesses sectors and parts of the country, employers report that finding qualified workers as their top business problem. To attract employees, many employers are raising wages, offering flexible hours, and using a variety of other strategies to find the workers they need. The purpose of this “Job Shock” White Paper is to trigger a major mindset change about the wide gulf between education and skills needed for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow and the current state of the nation’s education-to-employment systems. Past history tells us that when people are emerging from a great crisis, they are more open to considering a systemic change. Suddenly people realize how important education and job skills have become for them and also for their children’s future. Enlightened Leadership During the First Industrial Revolution, education reforms were needed to support the new math and literacy demands in the offices and factories of rapidly expanding cities. Starting at the regional and state levels, enlightened community leaders spearheaded the expansion of compulsory tax-supported primary and secondary education. By 1918 all of the then 48 states mandated this standard of public schooling backed by tough truancy laws. The United States was the first nation to do this! This education-to-employment system is now out of date as a larger percentage of jobs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution require higher levels of reading and math comprehension and some form of post-secondary education. During the U.S. Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said, “Enlightened leaders and publics can create together sane and inclusive policies that strengthen our vital institutions at home and abroad.” This is another era of great upheaval and crisis. To help our communities survive and thrive, sweeping reforms are needed. “Job Shock” has identified regional leaders who are already at work in many American communities to update community talent-development systems. They need our support to bring these efforts to scale across the United States. Building RETAINs “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” RETAINs can form the bridge that connects people to jobs. RETAIN building requires three steps: Awareness — finding solutions for skills-jobs shortfalls. Alignment — facing the challenges of partnership formation by learning how to work effectively with others. Action — implementing training and education programs for adult workers as well as career education and information initiatives for K-12 students. We can’t afford to wait for others to take concerted action in our communities. The passive attitude that somehow America will muddle through has hit the hard wall of reality. We hope that “Job Shock” will motivate readers to ask, “What action can I take to relieve this skilled worker shortage?” The opportunity for making this a decisive skilled talent decade may well hinge on your answer. The time is now. The urgency is clear! The challenge can be met! This is the final segment of the White Paper that has been the focus of the monthly Gordon Reports since January 2021. About the Author: Edward E. Gordon has consulted with leaders in business, education, government, and non-profits for 50 years. Ed is a big picture thought leader connecting the employment dots between business, education, and training. As a historical economist, he applies inter-disciplinary solutions that address the jobs-skills disconnect and related economic development issues. Gordon, the founder and president of Imperial Consulting Corporation in Chicago, is a human capital management expert who is internationally recognized as an authority on how talent delivery systems, career development, and training are related to business and economic growth. www.imperialcorp.com
‘Don’t Hesitate’ Women in material handling talk about the opportunities and evolution of the business
When it comes to chances for the advancement of women in material handling, Amber Schenck has seen the momentum building. “I see that tide starting to turn. I do see more things being put in place to help empower women,” she said. Schenck is a field service supervisor for Toyota ProLift and has been with the company for three and a half years. Coming from the service industry, the business was her first introduction to industrial equipment. But she has advanced to her supervisory role and is currently in charge of half of the road tech team; the direct report for 19 people. She makes sure her team is on track and goes over audits and open tickets, along with ensuring customers’ needs are met. Schenck said her team covers a service area about 70 miles around the shop. “I am out with the techs seeing firsthand how we can better support them,” she said, describing her job as being “the boots on the ground and seeing what they go through and meeting the customers.” “I love it,” said Schenck, of her work. “I love getting to work with the techs and seeing some of that world and getting to see the customers,” she added. Schenck said she learns more about the business every day and applies this technical knowledge to her experience in customer service. She said the pandemic conditions did result in more time spent in the office, which was a challenge being new to her position. “I took that really hard. I had only been in the position for six months. It really tested communication skills,” said Schenck, who said the time working remotely did shine a light on how beneficial it is to build relationships with employees and customers. Now, she said more in-person meetings have resumed and the company has been especially busy. “Goods still have to be moved,” Schenck said. “A lot of cross-dock operations are doing massive amounts of shipping. We’re probably busier now than prior to the pandemic. “When things started opening back up, it was just a tidal wave.” Schenck said she would love to see more women involved in the industry and encouraged others to jump in to take opportunities available. “Do it. Don’t hesitate because it’s a male-dominated industry. Know who you are and be true to yourself,” she said. Shari Altergott has worked in the industry for two decades. While she says sexism is still present in some quarters, she agrees with Schenck that improvements have been made. “I think that it’s much better than it was 20 years ago. I would still say it’s not easy. It’s challenging, but I think it’s a good challenge,” she said. “I always relish places where there are new opportunities and there are a lot of opportunities for women in this space.” Altergott began in the industry for a material handling dealership in the Chicagoland area while in college, when a temp agency connected her with the business “I interviewed and they were talking about material handling. I remember thinking, ‘I have no idea what this company does and it sounds super boring but I’ll take the job because they offered it to me,” she said. Starting as an office helper, Altergott put her knowledge of sales, marketing, and business development to work and found herself on what would be a rewarding career path. Soon after her start, a new office manager with a strong belief in marketing tapped Altergott to help grow the business. “So, I stayed and it ended up being the best decision,” she said. By the time she left two years ago, Altergott was vice president of customer experience and the company had more than tripled in revenue. “It was a really awesome journey,” she said. In 2019, Altergott left to start her own company, The CX Edge. The business-to-business company focuses on four areas of customer service: people, products, process, and feedback, according to the website. Altergott said she was concerned when the pandemic hit in 2020, just as her business was picking up steam. “I thought for a minute that I made the dumbest decision ever,” she said. But Altergott said the new venture allowed her to be home with her daughter as she worked remotely for school and about halfway through the year “people started being comfortable with the new normal.” “What I really found in 2020, halfway through the year, was that people realized they needed to supplement outside sales forces somehow,” she said. In this respect, Altergott said her company is primed to help provide the expertise needed. Many material handling companies ended up having a good year in 2020 and Altergott said her own business also proved profitable. Although the pandemic has changed some of the ways of doing business, Altergott said relationships still are key. “They are not important in the same way that they were ten years ago. Golf outings and martini lunches don’t really work anymore,” she said, adding that it is industry knowledge that is most valuable in building those relationships. Some Altergott’s own connections include working as the marketing chair for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals Chicago Board, an executive board member for Loyola’s Supply and Value Chain Center, and working closely with MHEDA, having served as emcee for the group’s women in industry convention. “That partnership has been really fun. I have the opportunity to meet a lot of people,” Altergott said. She is currently working with several contractors and is aiming to start hiring for the business in the next two years. “My goal is to really become a full-blown agency,” she said. To listen to Kevin Lawton’s podcast with Shari Altergott and Amber Schenck, click here. About the Author: Eileen Mozinski Schmidt is a freelance writer and journalist based in the Greater Milwaukee area. She has written for print and online publications for the past 13 years. Email editorial@MHWmag.com or visit eileenmozinskischmidt.wordpress.com to contact Eileen. If your company would like to be featured, email editorial@MHWmag.com
Breaking down the silos
Last month we discussed how the departments, or “profit centers” in our dealerships give rise to inter-departmental tension, and “silo-building” activities that if left unchecked, can easily affect customer service and efficiency in negative ways. I wanted to take some time this month to talk about organizational practices and policy standards that help to deconstruct these silos before they even have a chance to affect customer relationships. Aftermarket – NOT parts and service. Truth be told, most of the opportunities to erect silos can be found in the aftermarket department of the dealership. Notice I said AFTERMARKET. This is an organizational practice that I suggest for dealers right off the bat. The reason you have parts and service SILOS is that you have parts and service DEPARTMENTS. The function of caring for customer equipment is fully dependent on both the parts and service mechanisms working in TANDEM, as one entity. The moment that we allow the customer to see the separation between the departments, we have exposed our silos, and we start to lose cohesion. I don’t mean to suggest that we merge these departments on the financial statement. Goal setting, process metrics, and operational tasks are different for each one of these profit centers. We still need the visibility of clear-cut forecasts and functional assessments in each department to chart our progress and adjust our tactics. I’m looking at this from the standpoint of communication, data visibility, coordination, and execution. The customer has to feel as if the parts effort and the field service function operate as a singular resource. How can we do that? Communication tools Every dealer I have visited in the past 8 years, struggles with some level of miscommunication. There is so much data that changes hands inside a dealership that we are bound to misunderstand or misconstrue some of the details. Over the past 40 years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “We need more communication”! My response is simple: No, we don’t! When I was a territorial salesperson back in the ’80s, and my customer wanted to communicate with me, they had to call our main office location. The sales secretary would dutifully put pen to paper, and take a message (remember those pink notepads?). Then she would call my pager. The pager on my belt would vibrate and I had to find a PAYPHONE to call in and get the message. Then I dropped another quarter on the phone to call the customer. Compare that to what we have at our fingertips today! Cellphones, email, voice mail, IM, tablets, laptops, Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn…. shall I go on? We don’t need MORE communication. We are actually AWASH in communication. What we need is BETTER UNDERSTANDING. Understanding is the GOAL of communication. Adding more ways to communicate without changing the quality of the communication will continue to produce less than acceptable results. So how do we refine our communications and our action plans so that the customer will see a unified, aftermarket effort? Here are 9 policy and process strategies for blowing up (or at least building bridges between) the silos in your dealership. Write Instead of Speak. When there is a choice…write it down. The written word provides visibility and accountability that words just can’t duplicate. Follow Up. If you must depend on verbal communications, follow up with an email to memorialize in writing what was agreed on. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Every employee has a digital camera today. When we can’t exactly explain it, we can snap a photo. When the serial number is 32 characters long, we can snap a photo. The power of photos is undeniable. Assign Teams. In order to create connection points across the silos, it’s a good idea to assign teams of employees to selected customers, tasks and initiatives. Example: All the customers in Franklin County are assigned to CSR Ben Atkins. These customers will primarily be served by Van 6 (Jon Davis) and Van 8 (Dan Clark). Jon and Dan will use counterman Jeff Baker as their primary parts resource. Joe Jones will be the primary service writer for work orders opened in this county. Ben, Jon, Dan, Joe, and Jeff are now a TEAM. All communication about any service customer in Franklin County should include all team members. This type of assignment makes the CUSTOMERS the focus of the communication and requires that the participants hold themselves responsible to the customers, and each other. Group Email. The ease of digital communication allows us to create “groups” of support staff (see # 4 above) that can ALL be included in the email loop when it comes to managing and communicating customer needs. This is especially helpful when dealing with high urgency items like overnight parts, or after-hours delivery. The ability to communicate a written message from the receiving department to the dispatcher, technician, CSR, parts counterperson, and service writer in ONE message is invaluable. Adopt Urgency. Not everything is a “today” issue. Not everything is a “tomorrow” issue. Some things are. When sharing DATA, also determine and share URGENCY. When a team member from another department expresses urgency…. verify it…then ADOPT it. Just because YOU didn’t get an earful of colorful language from the customer doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. The inability to adopt urgency when it matters is one of the most frequent sources of customer dissatisfaction. Use Active Listening. Active listening is a communication method that is focused and effective. We all have distractions to deal with. Many times, the dealership environment is filled with interruptions, phones ringing, and overlapping conversations. But when it comes to customer critical data, we must listen with intention. Active listening uses a “listen and reflect” method. I don’t listen to RESPOND, but instead, I listen to REFLECT. Every time someone makes a request (in connection with serving a retail or internal customer), you simply repeat the salient points back to the speaker. Example: Field Service Tech asks a
Great Place to Work® announces the Best Workplaces for Women™ 2021
Great Place to Work®, the global authority on workplace culture has determined the Fortune Best Workplaces for Women™ 2021 by analyzing confidential employee surveys representing the opinions of 5.6 million U.S. employees. There are 38 new companies on this list this year and two of them, Bitwise Industries and Greenhouse) made it to the top five. Twenty-six of the 75 large organizations on the list are new, and 12 out of the 25 small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are making their Best Workplaces for Women debut. Hilton tops the list this year, followed by financial corporations American Express and Bank of America. Impressively, Bank of America jumped 39 spots from their position on last year’s Best Workplaces for Women list. The number of participating organizations increased 40% from 2020, but the spots available this year remains at 100, making it more difficult than ever to earn a spot on the list. This year’s list is made up of 75 large companies and 25 SMBs. “These companies have made a commitment to fostering equity in the workplace. With the facts about gender inequity in mind, the Best Workplaces for Women braved the task of combatting gender inequity by ensuring their women employees feel safe, heard, challenged and valued,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. COVID-19 was disproportionately hard on working women, who experienced more furloughs and layoffs and had higher quit rates compared to their male colleagues. Nowhere was this truer than in the hospitality industry. That makes it even more impressive that four hospitality companies—Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Kimpton—made the list in 2021. Hyatt even jumped seven spots to make this year’s top 10, powered by an incredibly strong representation of female leadership, a barrier many organizations struggle to overcome. In fact, half of the executive management at Hyatt identify as female. The company has made numerous internal investments to support their female employees, including Women@Hyatt Diversity Business Resource Group (DBRGs), which are akin to Employee Resource Groups (ERG) at other organizations. The group has since expanded to include Hyatt B.L.A.C.K, Hyatt Asian-Pacific Islanders, Latinos@Hyatt, Hyatt disABILITIES and HyPride. Though Nationwide, Rocket Companies, and Bank of America saw the largest improvement in their employee survey scores, many more on the list showed great improvement in how women were experiencing their workplace, despite the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the well-being of women worldwide. See the full list of the Best Workplaces for Women™ 2021 What are the top 10 companies to work for as a woman in 2021? 1. Hilton Worldwide, Inc. 2. American Express 3. Bank of America 4. New American Funding 5. Progressive Insurance 6. Pinnacle Financial Partners 7. Noom 8. PrimeLending, A Plains Capital Company 9. Cisco 10. Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Equipment Finance Industry confidence eases again in September
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) released the September 2021 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). The index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $900 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 60.5, a decrease from the August index of 66.6. When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Bruce J. Winter, President, FSG Capital, Inc. said, “The delta variant is causing some slowdown in certain sectors which will delay, but not derail the recovery of these industries. Other sectors that have seen strong demand but were unable to fulfill all orders due to severe labor shortages are optimistic more workers will return now that the federal unemployment bonus has expired. We expect a robust fourth quarter and are optimistic the momentum will continue into early next year. Future inflation remains the great unknown, and the outcome of the proposed $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill will be a key determinate in whether we experience only short-term inflation or several years of inflation well above the Fed’s target rate.” September 2021 Survey Results: The overall MCI-EFI is 60.5, a decrease from the August index of 66.6. When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 17.9% of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down from 35.7% in August. 71.4% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, up from 64.3% the previous month. 10.7% believe business conditions will worsen, up from none in August. 21.4% of the survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, down from 32.1% in August. 75% believe demand will “remain the same” during the same four-month time period, an increase from 67.9% the previous month. 3.6% believe demand will decline, up from none in August. 32.1% of the respondents expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, up from 28.6% in August. 67.9% of executives indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, a decrease from 71.4% last month. None expect “less” access to capital, unchanged from the previous month. When asked, 28.6% of the executives report they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, down from 35.7% in August. 71.4% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, an increase from 64.3% last month. None expect to hire fewer employees, unchanged from August. 7.1% of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “excellent,” a decrease from 14.3% the previous month. 92.9% of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “fair,” up from 85.7% in August. None evaluate it as “poor,” unchanged from last month. 17.9% of the survey respondents believe that U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, a decrease from 32.1% in August. 64.3% indicate they believe the U.S. economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, unchanged from last month. 17.9% believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, up from 3.6% the previous month. In September 42.9% of respondents indicate they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, down from 50% last month. 57.1% believe there will be “no change” in business development spending, an increase from 50% in August. None believe there will be a decrease in spending, unchanged from last month. September 2021 MCI-EFI Survey Comments from Industry Executive Leadership: Bank, Middle Ticket “There is great interest in capital expansion in the industries we serve. Supply chain issues continue to delay equipment and the completion of projects. We will see this continue into next year and it will have an impact on when transactions end up on the books.” Michael Romanowski, President, Farm Credit Leasing Independent, Large Ticket “We always believe that secured equipment loans and leases will outperform all other asset classes; however, the last few months have created some concern among our customers. The shortage of labor, skilled or otherwise, has become problematic. Uncertainty with prospective policies coming out of Washington that could increase costs of doing business has slowed decision-making ahead of any conclusion. The persistence of COVID variants and potentially renewed mandates and restrictions create even more uncertainty. While we try our best not to worry about what we cannot control, this environment feels unprecedented. Until we have clarity on a number of these concerns, we think the rest of this year and into 2022 will be somewhat choppy.” Dave Fate, Chief Executive Officer, Stonebriar Commercial Finance.
Third-Party Warehousing focus of November 1-3 Industry Convention: IWLA ‘Back in the Saddle’ for Texas Event
The International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), the only trade association for the third-party warehousing industry, will gather supply chain leaders again for the IWLA Convention & Expo, November 1-3, 2021 at the La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. With a theme of “Hitting ’21: Don’t Leave Your Warehouse Success to Chance,” convention sessions focus on increases the odds of third-party warehouse success, efficiency, and profitability. Traditionally a March event, organizers shifted the 2021 convention to November due to COVID. “IWLA understands the importance of bringing warehouse industry leaders together, and after canceling our 2020 convention, we wanted to ensure we could do that again,” says Scott Mayfield, president and CAO of Kenco Logistic Services, chairman of the IWLA Convention Committee. “Sessions focus on the hottest issues now: staffing, real estate, fulfillment operations, and more. Plus, social events allow for making connections with warehouse peers and the best supplier partners who help us deliver for customers.” The convention kicks off Nov. 1 with the Duke Realty IWLA Golf Classic Tournament and continues with educational sessions, an expo, a Zethcon-sponsored “western” reception, through the evening of November 3. The closing evening event is sponsored by Impact Logistics. In line with the gambling theme, keynote speaker Jeff Ma will tell the story of how he and his MIT compatriots “brought down the house” at blackjack tables in Las Vegas. Other highlights are panels of warehouse executives tackling how to manage in times of crisis; considerations for leasing vs. buying warehouse real estate; leading as a non-family member in a family business; how to hire and retain in this tight market; and much more. Visit the calendar/events section at www.IWLA.com for updates and to register for educational events, including the 2021 IWLA Convention & Expo Nov. 1-3, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. IWLA also offers webinars nearly every month — free to all employees from member companies. IWLA thanks Sustaining Diamond Sponsor Zethcon for its continuing support of the convention, the association, and the industry.
Reusable Packaging Association to host Reusable Packaging Pavilion at PACK EXPO 2021 Las Vegas
Featuring 30 Pavilion exhibitors offering the latest reusable packaging innovations The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) is pleased to announce its 11th Reusable Packaging Pavilion at PACK EXPO 2021 Las Vegas, September 27-29, with RPA member exhibitors of reusable transport packaging products and related services. The Reusable Packaging Pavilion will feature 30 exhibitors: Girton Manufacturing, Booth #7901 Bonar Plastics, Booth #7903 C2it Inc., Booth #7905 Craemer U.S. Corp., Booth #7906 Horen CoRTP+, Booth #7907 Technology Container Corp (TCC), Booth #7909 Kayaplas Kayalar Plastik San. Ve Tic A.S., Booth #7910 Perfect Pallets, Booth #7911 ORBIS, Booth #8001 Liviri, Booth #8004 Reusable Transport Packaging, Booth #8006 TriEnda Holdings LLC, Booth #8008 SSI Schaefer Systems, Booth #8011 Elkhart Plastics, Booth #8013 ID Plastics, Booth #8017 Schoeller Allibert, Booth #8019 The Kennedy Group, Booth #8104 Ongweoweh Pooling, Booth #8107 Greystone Logistics, Booth #8109 Monoflo International, Booth #8111 48forty Solutions, Booth #8114 Acsis Inc., Booth #8118 PTM, Booth #8120 Vantage Plastics, Booth #8205 Wiliot, Booth #8208 iGPS Logistics, Booth #8211 Haidlmair, Booth #8213 CargoTuff, Booth #8214 NimbeLink, Booth #8215 Worldwide Foam, Booth #8310 A preview of the innovative reusable packaging products and solutions on display in the Pavilion can be found on the RPA website, here.
Why we misinterpret wants and needs as problems
I’ve spoken with hundreds of executives, CEOs, and business leaders about their organizational challenges. Across all industries, many of the problems are the same. We need more sales/revenue/members. We need more innovation from our employees. We need to reduce costs. We need to reduce attrition (of customers/employees). Sound familiar? In addition, there are other, more narrow, and specific problems that are voiced as well. We need better outcomes. We need more attendance/participation (whether with a product or service). We need people to have more interest (in what we do, what we sell, what we offer, etc.). It really doesn’t matter what you do or what your company does – these are many of the refrains you’ve probably heard. You’ve actually likely heard them many times over, possibly each and every year as the company sets its “key objectives” for the upcoming business season. If it’s so crystal clear these are the problems, why haven’t they been solved? Because these aren’t really the problems. These statements are not problems, they’re “wants”. Replace “need” every time you hear a leader state the organization’s objectives with “want” and you’ll understand. We all have “wants”. The hard work comes with understanding and deciphering what the actual problem is – and then how to solve it. But we more often than not assume the “want” is the problem, and desperately struggle to find quick, easy, silver-bullet solutions to these broad and generic “wants”. Understanding a problem takes a lot of research, effort, data, insight, and curiosity. It’s not simply proclaiming a “want” and then delegating the task of resolving it to your team. Understanding a problem requires discovering the causes, catalysts, influences, and context surrounding the “want”. For example, take the “want” of increasing sales. Of course – every organization wants to increase sales. Defining this problem requires understanding where sales are declining, what things have changed in the business environment to influence the decline (which could be a lot of things), where things are working well (and why), and what has changed within the customer environment (needs, expectations, etc.), to name a few. Alternatively, organizational leaders will translate “wants” into directives. We need (want) to increase brand awareness. We need (want) to better differentiate our products/services/offerings. Again, these “wants” are not clearly defined problems. How do customers perceive your product/organization today? Where do they find out/learn about your offerings now? Where do they gather and congregate? How do you position the organization today (if at all)? What has changed in the competitive landscape and customer expectations which has caused market confusion/diminished presence? Proclamations don’t easily get translated into action, because they assume the problem’s defined when it’s far from it. Too many organizations don’t take the time to dig into the details. They often default to past initiatives, activities, or tactics – all of which deliver less than stellar results, because the context and circumstances have changed. Or they examine high-level numbers (such as sales being low in one geographic area) and simply proclaim to increase numbers there. (This is yet another “want”, just a little more specific.) If you really want (ha!) to address your organization’s challenges, start with having a stronger, better understanding of the problem. Learn the what, where, when, why, and how of the challenge. Dig into data. Gather new data if you don’t have what you need to develop a comprehensive assessment of the challenge. This is why physicians run so many tests and evaluations – they want to understand specifics – where the problem is stemming from. If you don’t know specifically where the bleed is, you’re not going to stop it anytime soon. About the Author Andrea Belk Olson is a speaker, author, applied behavioral scientist, and customer-centricity expert. As the CEO of Pragmadik, she helps organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500, and has served as an outside consultant for EY and McKinsey. Andrea is the author of The Customer Mission: Why it’s time to cut the $*&% and get back to the business of understanding customers and No Disruptions: The future for mid-market manufacturing. She is a 4-time ADDY® award winner and host of the popular Customer Mission podcast. Her thoughts have been continually featured in news sources such as Chief Executive Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Financial Brand, Industry Week, and more. Andrea is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and corporate events throughout the world. She is a visiting lecturer and Director of the Startup Business Incubator at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, a TEDx presenter, and TEDx speaker coach. She is also a mentor at the University of Iowa Venture School. More information is also available on www.pragmadik.com and www.andreabelkolson.com.
Propane Cylinder 101- Does your crew know all these propane cylinder best practices?
Despite the growing trend towards electrification, propane continues to keep pace in the material handling space thanks to its reliable reputation, clean performance, and easy refueling. In fact, 90 percent of Class 4 and 5 internal combustion engine forklifts are currently being powered by propane. The majority of fleet managers in the middle and top forklift weight classes prefer propane over electric and diesel, according to a survey from PERC (Propane Education & Research Council). Propane cylinders are constructed to U.S. Department of Transportation and National Fire Protection Association standards for quality and contain safety features, like pressure relief valves, making them safe and easy to use. Because propane is a widely used forklift fuel across the country, it’s important for forklift operators to be in the know on cylinder safety and handling practices. Cylinder Handling Following these general guidelines when handling propane cylinders will help ensure safe and efficient operation. Wear an approved protective glove and eye protection. Keep open heat, flames, and ignition sources away from cylinders and refueling equipment at all times. Handle cylinders carefully, making sure not to drop, throw, or drag them. Use proper lifting techniques when lifting cylinders For even more convenient handling, forklift operators can ask their local propane supplier about the use of composite cylinders—a lightweight alternative to traditional steel tanks. Refueling Propane offers a quick, safe refueling process that requires no additional infrastructure or charging needs, like with electric equipment. For forklift operators of propane-powered forklifts, refueling is as simple as swapping out an empty cylinder for a full one. Tips when removing a propane cylinder from equipment Shut the gas off by turning the cylinder service valve until tight (clockwise). Disconnect the gas line by unscrewing the service connection (counterclockwise). A small amount of gas may be released from the gas line upon disconnection, which is normal and doesn’t pose a safety hazard to employees. Release the brackets that hold the propane cylinder. Remove the empty forklift cylinder by using safe lifting practices. Store the empty cylinder in its designated storage area. Make sure to store with the relief valve at the highest point. Tips when installing a propane cylinder on equipment Inspect the cylinder for any damage. If damaged, remove the cylinder from service and notify the local propane supplier on their next refueling stop. In the meantime, tag or mark the cylinder so it’s not used again. Ensure the main service valve on the full cylinder is all the way off. Use safe lifting practices to place the full cylinder on the forklift. The cylinder should be centered in the brackets and in alignment with the alignment pin (with the pressure relief valve at the 12 o’clock position). Once it’s properly situated, secure the cylinder by tightening the brackets. Make sure the straps are secure before operating. Connect the gas line to the service connection and tighten firmly (clockwise). Slowly turn the main service valve on (counterclockwise). Check for leaks. Forklift operators can check for leaks by spraying a solution (one-part soap, one-part water) over the tank connections. If employees notice bubbling or smell any gas, they should turn the valve off and re-check the connection and O-rings. Depending on which refueling option businesses choose, propane suppliers can teach crews how to refill cylinders themselves (on-site refueling) or can refill cylinders for them (cylinder exchange program). Additionally, employees can receive safety training from propane suppliers, including instructions on how to safely install propane cylinders on their equipment. Maintenance Each time cylinders are exchanged or refilled, propane suppliers inspect cylinders, remove damaged cylinders from service, and repair or replace leaky valves and O-rings on cylinders as needed. Storage & Disposal Propane cylinders can last up to three times as long as the average forklift battery. If businesses purchase their propane cylinders, propane suppliers can assist in the disposal of propane cylinders when the time comes. Alternatively, if businesses don’t want to purchase cylinders and storage cases, they can normally lease them from a local propane supplier. Make sure to store propane cylinder storage racks are located a safe distance from heat or ignition sources and protected from exposure to the elements. If need be, local propane suppliers can offer guidance on the best location. To learn more about forklift safety, visit Propane.com/SafetyFirst. Click here to find a local propane supplier. About the Author Matt McDonald is director of off-road business development for the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at matt.mcdonald@propane.com.