If not us, who will sing our praises?
By Phyllis Russell
There is never an argument when I make the point that people outside the industrial supply chain are unfamiliar with industrial distribution. We all have our stories of blank looks or mistaken assumptions from extended family members and new acquaintances. We all have short descriptions about our work and our business at the ready for the clueless.
Does It Matter If Nobody Knows?
But here's a question: Does it matter if the rest of the world – those people who are not suppliers, competitors or customers – know about industrial distribution's link in the global supply chain? Does it matter whether we are seen as logistics providers grouped with transportation and shipping businesses or as wholesalers grouped with warehousers and retail distributors? Does it matter if people drive by your company day after day and have absolutely no idea who you are or what you do? After all, you aren't trying to attract customers off the street. You aren't trying to sell your products to them. You aren't going to be tweeting about your great Groupon deal good for 24 hours.
Three Reasons Why It Matters
Consider, though, just these three reasons why industrial distributors should want to be better known in the marketplace.
- People don't look for jobs in industries they aren't familiar with. They may be singing the logistics jingle and heading to UPS, but they won't be showing up at your door. They may know Wal-Mart has made a science of moving goods and stocking their stores, but they don't think of those same skills in keeping manufacturing lines running by having needed parts stocked on shelves. Now that local classified ads are just about dead as a means of helping great employees find you, what category do they look in to find your job among 30,000 job postings?
- Resources go to known players. Concrete producers, boat builders and logistics providers have all received major funding for training in the United States in recent years as part of "sector initiatives." In Canada, the government has invested millions of dollars in sector councils including the Supply Chain Sector Council which, by the way, has no industrial distributor leadership involvement. Because industrial distribution has little presence in the greater marketplace, its leaders are seldom invited to decision-making tables. Its importance in the global supply chain is unrecognized. Its economic impact is not factored into reports and analysis. And its employee training needs are not met on a large scale by colleges and technical schools. We can say we don't have the resources in our companies to train unskilled people, but if those who are able to provide training do not know us, our needs will not be recognized, let alone met.
- It is good to have allies, but how will they find you if you're invisible? Whether you want the outstanding applied technology instructor at the community college to tell his class that industrial distribution is a career option they should consider or we want the National Association of Manufacturers to include an industrial distribution module in its Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model (it has one on Supply Chain Logistics), we need to be on the radar of those partners who can increase the visibility and build awareness of the value of industrial distribution.
OK, it Matters, Now What?
If you accept that greater visibility for industrial distribution can be beneficial to your company, what can you do?
The simple answer: step up and step out. And help your employees step up and step out. Meet that applied technology instructor and tell him about industrial distribution and your business. Send a young employee to the Career Day to talk with high school students about industrial distribution. Ask the Chamber of Commerce if you can put an article in the newsletter about local industrial distributors. There are countless ideas and opportunities that are not burdensome or time consuming where industrial distributors can raise a hand in their community to say, "We are an industrial distributor and here is what we do; We are here and involved; We are important to the community; We are good employers with good careers for the right people." Over time, these activities build awareness, establish a presence and imprint a brand identity on people who might just be your next great employee.
Any employer, and even any individual, can step up in ways small or large. The ICP Ambassador program offers ideas and resources to help distributors and their channel partners increase the visibility of industrial distribution in communities across North America.
Phyllis Russell is executive director of the Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP) Initiative and the PTDA Foundation. For more information, go to www.industrialcareerspathway.org/ambassadors or contact her at prussell@ptda.org.
This article originally appeared in the Sept./Oct. 2011 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2011, Direct Business Media.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
