Controls Group North America

Politics is topic that seems to be getting more and more popular as the years pass but what do you really have to pay attention to? Everyone seems to be talking about the upcoming mid-term elections and how the Whitehouse is handling the economy, amongst other things.

      As companies have grown in size throughout the decades, supply chains have become longer and more tangled. The good news is this has lead to much higher levels of productivity for companies and as a result, cheaper products for consumers. The problem however, with these long supply chains, is that many of the supply chain members are able to stay under the radar and as a result will take risks to increase their profit – sometimes extremely dangerous ones.

     Honesty is definitely an issue within large supply chains, and luckily the article “Keep Your Suppliers Honest” from the Wall Street Journal offers some valuable tips on how to accomplish just that. I thought two points in particular were very helpful.

     The article first claims that the fact that there was a very long chain of people involved with the buying and selling of mortgage-backed securities made the 2008 financial crisis easier to happen. As a result, it’s important to “make suppliers and intermediaries responsible and accountable.” The article goes on to suggest that “contracts with bonuses, delayed payments or explicit quality guarantees may result in slightly higher costs, but they reduce risk.” These ideas work well to promote quality but I’d also recommend also thinking about how you would penalize a supplier for their negligence. Promoting positive behavior and discouraging negative behavior is vital to having a health relationship with your suppliers.

     The other recommendation given was to “change the ways you test and measure.” Suppliers will take any opportunity they can to cut corners, even if it means “substituting ingredients, fooling tests and sanitizing a planet just before inspection.” The key here is to make sure to keep your suppliers on their toes by changing your testing dates and methodology frequently.

     A recent Wall Street Journal article entitled “The Price Isn’t Right” explained the issue of companies losing price control online due to intermediary discount sites, promotional codes, and shopping search engines. This is a rising issue among many manufacturers and while some have employed successful strategies to counter this problem, others have seen their profits shrink at the hands of aggressive bargain-hunting shoppers. The article provided eight strategies to help tackle this problem, but three of them in particular stuck out.

 

     The first suggestion was to “Control the Sales Network.” Manufacturers must set price standards and let their authorized retailers know what the lowest possible price is, and to deal with those who break this rule harshly. The second tip that could prove to be useful was to “offer discounts through intermediaries who hide the brand.”...

Hello,

As the new Communications Manager at Controls Group North America, I’ll be managing our social media strategy and acting as a PR contact. I look forward to helping CGNA and its Distributor Members succeed in the coming years.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.



Aaron Ahmadi Communications Manager CGNA 714.529.2700

aahmadi@cgnacontrols.comhttp://cgnacontrols.net



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Controls Group North America has become a point of connection for distributors, manufacturers, architects and engineers and our lineup this year reflects that synergy. 

 

We want to congratulate the following 2009 winners: CGNA Board of Director’s, CGNA Synergy Award, Preferred Vendor Award of Excellence, Preferred Vendor of the Year, Preferred Vendor Top Volume, and Top Dog Award.

 

Pete Horton, VP of Market Development at WattStopper, has over 30 years experience with integrated design and intelligent buildings specializing in HVAC and lighting controls. In this webinar Pete went over the five important points in selling WattStopper digital lighting with WattStopper.  Download PowerPoint and View the Video...

Message to all Emerson Climate Technologies wholesalers:
Condensing units today are built to perform in ambient conditions up to 130°F. But in certain areas, temperatures may put extra stress on units and the condenser fan motor. So when you need that extra cushion of performance - look to Emerson to bring you the motor that is at home in the desert - the MOJAVE® motor.
Newly expanded to include 460V ratings!
 

We have made major changes to the Automation Components, Inc. web site! Besides aesthetical improvements, the new web site now offers photos, dimensional drawing files, instructions, and product write ups for each individual product.