N OTA B L E WO R D S
PUBLISHER Innovative Designs & Publishing, Inc. 3245 Freemansburg Avenue, Palmer, PA 18045-7118 Tel: 800-730-5904 or 610-923-0380 Fax: 610-923-0390 • Email: Art@FluidPowerJournal.com www.FluidPowerJournal.com
Keeping Customers Engaged in a Changing World By Hakan Erdamar, Group President, Discrete and Industrial, Emerson Automation Solutions
»
NO ONE COULD have foreseen the enormous personal, financial, and social damage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses and livelihoods have been disrupted around the globe, presenting challenges beyond those brought by new technologies, climate and demographic change, and government regulations. But with those challenges come opportunities to strengthen commerce and our relationships and communities. Customers are counting on us to deliver. We need to meet their evolving needs and expectations. Our focus on our customers has increased efforts to ensure our customers are safe, well-informed, and continuously educated. Here are a few ways we’ve adapted to their needs. As an essential business that supports critical infrastructure, we have numerous strategies in place to safeguard our employees’ health and ensure that customer interaction is safe. We have rethought key aspects of how business is conducted. For example, we successfully moved our entire sales support staff to a remote model during the height of the pandemic and leveraged the technology to train and expand capabilities. And we actively engage with our customers to assess when we can safely resume faceto-face collaboration. In some cases, personal interaction is still preferable to aid the application of new technologies, support a solution design, or help with operational and service issues. One way to do so is with our Mobile Road Show, which will allow us to meet with our European customers over the next year. We now have a virtual means of sharing the same experience with customers who cannot allow third parties into their facilities because of social-distancing practices. We’ve pivoted to meet the evolving needs of our customers by adjusting and prioritizing production to help ease supply-chain burdens caused by demand ramp-up in key categories. Our facilities are operating with minimal downtime, and we’ve implemented extensive safety protocols. The channels through which we communicate with our global teams and customers are changing. We have reimagined how we use digital tools for trade shows and industry events that were shuttered. Our priority remains being available to collaborate with our customers and partners on the operational, safety, and efficiency challenges they face. And that’s why we’ve prioritized updates to our website, developed interactive content, and made investments to keep our sales teams wellequipped and our engineers accessible. The COVID-19 pandemic has afforded us an opportunity to leverage our digital tools and communications capabilities to reach out to our field sales, service, and business development resources and provide training and development opportunities. (Continued on page 5)
4
NOVEMBER 2020
Founders: Paul and Lisa Prass Associate Publisher: Bob McKinney Editor: Michael Degan Technical Editor: Dan Helgerson, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPS, CFPECS, CFPSD, CFPMT, CFPCC - CFPSOS LLC Art Director: Quynh Fisher Eastern Region Acct Executive: Norma Abrunzo Director of Creative Services: Erica Montes Accounting: Donna Bachman, Sarah Varano Circulation Manager: Andrea Karges INTERNATIONAL FLUID POWER SOCIETY 1930 East Marlton Pike, Suite A-2, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003-2141 Tel: 856-489-8983 • Fax: 856-424-9248 Email: AskUs@ifps.org • Web: www.ifps.org 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Jeff Kenney, CFPMHM, CFPIHM, CFPMHT - Dover Hydraulics South Immediate Past President: Timothy White, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPS, CFPECS, CFPMIH, CFPMMH, CFPMIP, CFPMT, CFPMM - The Boeing Company First Vice President: Rocky Phoenix, CFPMMH - Open Loop Energy, Inc. Treasurer: Jeff Hodges, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPMHM - Altec Industries, Inc. Vice President Certification: Denis Poirier, Jr., CFPAI/AJPP, CFPHS, CFPIHM, CFPCC - Eaton Corporation Vice President Marketing: Scott Sardina, PE, CFPAI, CFPHS Waterclock Engineering Vice President Education: Kenneth Dulinski, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPECS, CFPHS, CFPMIH, CFMMH, CFPMT - Macomb Community College Vice President Membership: John Bibaeff, PE, CFPAI, CFPE, CFPS DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Chauntelle Baughman, CFPHS - OneHydraulics, Inc. Stephen Blazer, CFPE, CFPS, CFPMHM, CFPIHT, CFPMHT Altec Industries, Inc. Randy Bobbitt, CFPAI, CFPHS - Danfoss Power Solutions Cary Boozer, PE, CFPE - Motion Industries, Inc. Lisa DeBenedetto, CFPS - GS Global Resources Daniel Fernandes, CFPECS, CFPS - Sun Hydraulics Brandon Gustafson, PE, CFPE, CFPS, CFPIHT, CFPMHM - Graco, Inc. Garrett Hoisington, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPS, CFPMHM Open Loop Energy Brian Kenoyer, CFPHS - Five Landis Corp. James O’Halek, CFPAI/AJPP, CFPMIP, CMPMM The Boeing Company Mohaned Shahin, CFPS - Parker Hannifin Randy Smith, CFPHS - Northrop Grumman Corp. HONORARY DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE AND EX-OFFICIO Ex-Officio: Donna Pollander, ACA, Executive Director Elizabeth Rehfus, CFPE, CFPS Paul Prass, Fluid Power Journal Robert Sheaf, CFPAI/AJPP, CFC Industrial Training
IFPS STAFF Executive Director: Donna Pollander, ACA Communications Director: Adele Kayser Technical Director: Thomas Blansett, CFPS, CFPAI Assistant Director: Stephanie Coleman Certification Coordinator: Kyle Pollander Bookkeeper: Diane McMahon Administrative Assistant: Beth Borodziuk
Fluid Power Journal (ISSN# 1073-7898) is the official publication of the International Fluid Power Society published monthly with four supplemental issues, including a Systems Integrator Directory, Off-Highway Suppliers Directory, Tech Directory, and Manufacturers Directory, by Innovative Designs & Publishing, Inc., 3245 Freemansburg Avenue, Palmer, PA 18045-7118. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of any material in this publication is acceptable with credit. Publishers assume no liability for any information published. We reserve the right to accept or reject all advertising material and will not guarantee the return or safety of unsolicited art, photographs or manuscripts.
WWW.FLUIDPOWERJOURNAL.COM • WWW.IFPS.ORG
