Industry news, expert insights and exclusive content, welcome to IFE’s Monthly Newsletter
From e-commerce to using data to scale your business, from fabrication to stamping, see what’s happening in the Fastener Industry right now.
Best-selling “Becoming a Digital Distributor” is a game-changer.
The digitalization of the distribution channel is inevitable because change is happening up and down the value chain. If your business is not leading, then you must at least keep up. Top-selling “Becoming a Digital Distributor” is your road map to strategically use digital tools — e-commerce, social media, mobility, CRM, advanced analytics and multichannel solutions — to gain a competitive advantage. Download a free Pocket Guide.
Nord-Lock steel washers promise highest salt spray resistance on the market
Nord-Lock Group has officially raised the corrosion resistance on all of its steel wedge-locking washers, promising at least 1,000 hours of salt spray testing, ensuring optimal performance over time and extreme weather conditions (Fast Fix Technology).
Registration for IFE 2019 is open, book your hotel now!
We’ve moved the dates for #IFE2019 to September 17-19, 2019. Registration for the International Fastener Expo is open, and you can also book your hotel at Mandalay Bay or Luxor.
Other Voices: Most of the world’s data is hidden, and it’s waiting to transform your business
For decades, companies have turned to a growing stable of enterprise software options—ERP, CRM, RPA – as a way of improving business processes and customer experience. These solutions have enabled organizations to modernize critical aspects of their operations while shoring up the bottom line. The time has come for the owners of that data to realize its potential as it relates to supply chain management.
The impact of e-commerce on the fastener industry
Today, even the fastener industry isn’t exempt from e-commerce. Whether you have a B2B or B2C, your customers expect e-commerce from you. Even though e-commerce is critically important to any business seeking to continue its growth, the fastener supply market has been remarkably slow in the adoption of e-commerce as a revenue stream.
During IFE 2018, seasoned e-commerce experts, Brandi Bertoia and Rob Reynolds from InxSQL, Nelson Valderrama from Intuilize, Jay Foulkrod from Zilliant, and Brian Beck of Beck eCommerce, help you discover the steps necessary in successfully launching and building your own digital selling capabilities. Watch the video for FREE here.
Rethinking your ERP strategy to gain digital competitive advantage
A core set of critical functionalities loosely coupled with best-of-breed third-party SaaS delivers better insights and performance. By aligning ERP upgrades with strategic goals and appetite for risk, companies can reap the benefits of digitalization, including best-of-breed, cloud-hosted applications and direct connections to vital data feeds.
The Threat of Distributor Disintermediation
When suppliers move to a direct sales model, distribution partners suffer. For large distributors, losing a key supplier can mean a reduction in product lines, an increase in competition and a drop in both top and bottom lines. For small- and mid-sized distributors, losing a supplier can lead to extinction. However, distributors have retained a central place in the supply chain because the benefits to the supplier of going direct to customers rarely justify the costs. Still, distributors recognize the continued threat of disintermediation. Smart organizations who understand the key issues underpinning this threat will position themselves best for future growth.
Is your data strategy helping or hurting your distributorship?
As data continues to proliferate at a rate of about 2.5 quintillion bytes of new data per day, companies across all sectors are trying to figure out how to capture, assess, and use that intelligence to their advantage. A powerful tool, data can help you run your distributorship more efficiently; improve your product and service offerings; serve your customers more effectively; and even retain your workforce in a cutthroat labor market. The problem is that most companies are completely overwhelmed by the data that 1) they’re generating and 2) is coming at them from online and offline sources. In this two part series, learn how to develop a strategy that’s developed from a relevant dataset and set to deliver actionable insights that will set your company up for further success.
U.S. tariffs and trade policies: Developing strategies to overcome International supply chain disruptions
During IFE 2018, Vanessa Sciarra, Vice President for Legal Affairs and Trade & Investment Policy at the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), shared her insights on the impact of Section 232 and 301 on the fastener industry. Because of their impact on importers, distributors and manufacturers, we recorded the session, and you can watch the full videos here for free.
