Top Fifteen LTL Tips - Part Two

Click here to view the second installment of YRC Freight's Top Fifteen LTL Tips.

Fastener Training Institute Announces New Board of Directors Member Greg Rawlings

SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA – The Fastener Training Institute (FTI), the leading nonprofit provider of fastener training opportunities, announced the appointment of Greg Rawlings as its newest Board of Directors member.

Rawlings is the current president of Nylok LLC, a Marmon Holdings company that is part of the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. group. Nylok is a value-added solutions provider of resin, adhesive and lubricant coatings for threaded fastener applications with five facilities in North America and business partners in 31 different countries across the globe. He has served in various roles at the company over the past 12 years including sales, engineering and management positions.

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Top Fifteen LTL Tips - Part One

Click here to view the first installment of YRC Freight's Top Fifteen LTL Tips.

How to Do Strategic Planning When Nothing Is Certain

From the NAW Blog:

How do you plan when all certainty has gone out the window more than once in the past year? Even with an end to the pandemic in sight, distributors may be looking at their 2020 business plan and wondering if it’s even worth putting a plan together for 2021. It’s tempting to stay light on your feet and be ready to pivot.

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Accelerating Organic Growth with Sales Analytics

From the NAW Blog:

As companies build their plans for growth in this new year, it’s a good time to leverage sales analytics to build actionable sales goals. Sadly, for many distributors, sales planning has historically been anecdotal, intuitive and virtually data-free. Aside from knowing what a customer (or group of customers) bought last year, and then guessing at how that might change this year, there is painfully little insight to identify, organize, drive and measure the daily activities that actually accelerate profitable, organic growth.

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INxSQL Featured in Link Magazine Cover Article

From Link Magazine:

For decades there has been the argument that much of the work taking place in large office spaces could be accomplished from home. Businesses were loath to test the theory for fear that there would be a reduction in employee productivity, but now, out of necessity, more and more businesses are realizing that the opposite is true. Employees are embracing the challenge; with Covid here for the foreseeable future, working from home effectively is one way to help your business survive.

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Ensure Your Contracts Are Profitable in the New Year

From the NAW blog:

It’s no secret that contracts are a great way to secure valuable business for distributors. For many companies, they account for a significant portion of annual revenue and are critical in bringing in key customers. Unfortunately, if they are not managed carefully, contracts can become an area of business where profit leaks or slips through the cracks.

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Defining the Six Faces of Your Value-Based Pricing Cube

From the NAW Blog

Pricing is one of the most complex day-to-day decisions in any business environment, and the distribution industry is no exception. In fact, pricing is the most critical profitability lever for wholesaler-distributors due to their position in the supply chain, ever-increasing competition, and other business forces like commoditization and globalization.

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Olander Company Free Webinar January 28

Don’t miss The Olander Company's free AVK threaded Inserts webinar on January 28. This information-packed webinar takes a deep dive into AVK threaded inserts: design benefits, best industrial applications use cases, and typical concerns around the correct usage of threaded inserts. The webinar wraps up with a discussion on AVK threaded inserts tooling options and tricks for troubleshooting common problems.

Olander is an authorized premium stocking distributor of AVK wire inserts and tools in the US.

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Sales Acceleration: Rethinking Seller Roles

From the NAW Blog

2020 has been a tough year for most distribution sales teams. In certain markets — such as janitorial and sanitation, HVAC, home improvement and landscaping — shifting consumption patterns have spurred rapid growth. Customers increasingly engage with suppliers through e-commerce, market platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, and virtual meeting platforms. These new, emerging buyer and seller engagement models present compelling value and efficiencies that are certain to endure beyond the pandemic.

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Do COVID-Savvy Customers Want More Than Online Shopping?

From the NAW Blog

It has become a universally accepted truth that the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated customer expectations for buying online. Many distributors report a dramatic shift toward customer orders placed on e-commerce platforms. This trend has confirmed what many have said for several years: distributors must invest in modern e-commerce platforms to remain a viable source for meeting customer expectations. But is doing so enough? Is there a more vital lesson that many distributors are missing? Will distribution miss a critical opportunity for locking in unbreakable customer loyalty if they remain blind to the bigger picture? 

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5 Benefits that Prove Customer Stratification Is More than a Sales Tool

From the NAW Blog

In our playbook for distributors to SURGE ahead using customer stratification, we outlined ways distributors could segment customers to boost profitability — particularly to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe it is a foundational analytics practice for any distributor. And its applications in the pursuit of profitable growth are almost endless.

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EFC International Announces Re-Designed Website Launch

EFC International is pleased to announce the launch of a newly designed website delivering innovative products and solutions providing an unparalleled customer experience. The website provides easy access to an extensive on-line resource for engineered specialty fastening solutions used throughout the world.

“Serving as a platform for EFC’s mission to Redefining The World Of Distribution, the website highlights the EFC Difference -- a combination of Connections, Expert People, Engineering, Quality, Local Support, Global Presence and Logistics, providing customers with an information-rich experience and a comprehensive suite of fastener solutions,” states Matt Dudenhoeffer, president and CEO of EFC International.

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Why Distributors Can Make Millions with Messy Data

From the NAW Blog

One of the most valuable resources distributors have is their data. Data can reveal what your customers are likely to buy, what growth opportunities you’re missing out on and where you can cut costs. Distributors with the right data can meet customer needs and dominate competitors. But acquiring and handling data properly is no easy task.

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Holiday Classic: An Open Letter to the Sons and Daughters of Distribution

From the NAW Blog

Last year, I suggested a holiday conversation about the future of distribution as distributor families gather for Thanksgiving. Our idea was that distributors’ sons and daughters, whether they work in distribution or elsewhere, can share vital insights. With the ongoing pandemic, this year’s conversations are even more critical. 

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SPIROL has a new series of high performance Molded-In Inserts for plastic assemblies

SPIROL has a new series of high performance molded-in Inserts for plastic assemblies. The lightweight, lead free Series 63 & 65 inserts are manufactured from 2024 grade aluminum which provides the best combination of strength, corrosion resistance, machinability and cost. They are 40% stronger than brass and 1/3 the weight of the same insert manufactured from brass.

Here is a link for more information about this new insert offering, including links to the inserts specifications as well as to SPIROL'S complete inserts for plastics design guide: https://www.spirol.com/company/news/press_d.php?ID=275

Why is silver plating so popular and why would you choose it for your medical application?

From the U-C Components Blog

Silver plating is a very popular choice for many industries including medical, electronics, telecommunications, automotive, and many more. Silver plating exhibits excellent anti-galling properties, high lubricity, a wide operating temperature range, good corrosion resistance, and exceptional conductivity.

Silver is one of the most common metals used for plating in the medical industry because it boasts a wealth of beneficial qualities plus it is biocompatible and inherently resistant to bacteria. Silver is also extremely ductile which makes it a great choice for shape-memory devices and high precision instruments.

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3 Analytics Myths Holding Distributors Back

From the NAW Blog

If you’re considering analytics as a means to drive profitable growth in 2021, you’re on the right track. The distribution industry is facing an uncertain market, digital acceleration and a changed landscape. Analytics can help distributors make data-driven decisions to stay on course and be successful.

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Anne Salaets from The Olander Company Wins Scholarship

Congratulations to Anne Salaets, business development manager for The Olander Company, who won this this year's Pac-West Scholarship to the acclaimed Fastener Training Week program.

Fastener Training Week is an intensive version of the acclaimed FTI Certified Fastener Specialist™ advanced technical training program. Instead of seven separate one-day classes, Fastener Training Week consists of five intensive days of education and plant tours. The curriculum includes:

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4 Foundations of a Successful Sales Transformation

From the NAW Blog

When was the last time you saw an ad for FedEx? Yet their brand remains synonymous with fast shipping. As Peter Drucker says, “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.”

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