| December 27, 2012 | News for the wholesale distribution industry |
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- Universal Forest Products to acquire Custom Caseworks
Universal Forest Products said it has agreed to acquire Custom Caseworks, a maker of commercial woodworking based in Sauk Rapids, Minn., in a deal that will close by the end of the month. "We are excited to have the opportunity to add Custom Caseworks to the Universal family of companies," said Matthew Missad, CEO of Universal Forest Products. St. Cloud Times (Minn.)
(12/20)     
| Operations and Technology | | |
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- How to make the most of the supply chain
Examining the unique characteristics of your supply chain should yield insights into how you can influence it, Douglas Alexander of Component Engineering Consultants writes. "When you have more control of the upstream mechanisms, you also have more assurance and earlier notification for product availability and pricing issues," he advises. EBN
(12/21)
- The value of working with a master distribution partner
A component supplier might be able to reduce the risk that accompanies new-product introductions by working with a master distribution partner, Bob Derringer of Waldom Electronics writes. "Once the new items gain traction in the market, the channel partners can invest in the new products with confidence that there are customers ready and able to purchase," he writes. EBN
(12/20)
- Security will be front and center next year and beyond, IBM says
Steve Robinson, IBM's vice president of worldwide development for strategy, expects enterprise IT security to be a major focus for IT leaders as well as legal and business development teams within the enterprise. Looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, IBM predicts cloud computing security will become more routine and mobile devices will overshadow laptops in terms of how secure they have become. ITBusinessEdge.com
(12/21)
| Sales and Marketing | | |
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- The best salesperson you've ever met could be serving you dinner
The difficult hunt for excellent salespeople has one often-untapped resource in waiters, argues Jeff Schmitt, who points out that waiters specialize in the same things as great salespeople: creating connections, demonstrating expertise, showing hustle and solving problems. "The best servers, like sales stars, never lose sight of the big picture: Their job is to maximize revenue," Schmitt writes. Forbes
(12/20)
- Content marketing errors to avoid at all costs
An over-reliance on external distribution channels and a failure to properly segment messages are two of the top five content marketing mistakes outlined in this article by Patricio Robles. Avoid the poles of being too flashy at the expense of solid B2B content, or being bland and impersonal in pursuit of the serious business buyer. Finally, measurement of content return-on-investment must be carefully synced with an industry's unique sales cycle, Robles writes. eConsultancy.com
(12/21)
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