Electronics Representatives Association

> Implementing big goals and ideas

VIEWPOINTS

by John O’Brien

John O’Brien, CPMR
Coakley, Boyd and Abbett
ERA Chairman of the Board
jobrien@cbane.com

Fresh off a record setting 2023 ERA Conference, I find myself wondering how I’m going to implement everything I learned and thought of at this year’s Conference. If you’re anything like me, I have more action items than I could ever accomplish before the 2024 ERA Conference. So here are some of my thoughts on how to prioritize what I learned:

1. Sometimes I believe less is more. If I can accomplish 2-3 of the big goals I envisioned at the Conference, that will have the greatest impact on my organization and those are the ones on which I need to focus.

2. Don’t go it alone. Find people in your organization that you can bring into the discussions and can provide valuable insight into implementation. The mark of a good leader is someone who can take inputs from the team and coordinate it all to fit within the company’s vision.

3. Define what changes are driving you and your organization and work with your team to decide how these changes will affect your organization.

a. Our principals are always changing either through mergers and acquisitions, leadership restructuring, new product introductions and industry trends.

b. Our markets are constantly changing. Whether it’s robotics/AI, electrification or 5G evolution, our customers are looking to us to help navigate these changes.

4. Realize that a good decision made today may not be a good decision three months from now. I’ve stressed the need for flexibility and adaptability in previous articles. These changes will continue and they will accelerate.

5. Embrace new technologies. I had only heard of ChatGPT immediately prior to the 2023 Conference. Now I find myself referencing it for any number of things that come up in my day to day. I’ve been reluctant to utilize video, if for no other reason than I don’t like the way I look or sound in it. I’ve gotten over that and am working on my first video shoot as we speak. The ERA Conference really provides an opportunity to not necessarily work in your business, but work on your business, so use those ideas to make an impact on your company. Embrace the changes and use them as opportunities to grow.

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> A view from the top

EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY

By Walter Tobin, ERA CEO

Walter Tobin, ERA CEO

We are back from the 2023 ERA Conference in Austin. It was a great three days. Here are some of my thoughts as I look back on all that went on.

Economy

The economy is strong and there is little, if any, chance of a recession. Yet, the economic world continues to be upside down. Adding jobs is bad for the economy. (Huh?) Rising interest rates slowed inflation but caused a few banks to fail. Will interest rates keep rising to slow inflation but possibly weaken more banks? A strong U.S. dollar may be bad. (Huh, what?) Common sense may be out the window! The war in Ukraine is bad for everyone worldwide. There is no upside to this and no winners at all – this will only fuel global uncertainty. Yet, there is cautious optimism. Folks want to have a strong year but headwinds are blowing. How is your windmill coming along?

New tools and technology

There are many new and exciting software tools available now – get great at using them and do not fear them! (e.g. ERA SearchLink.ai) ChatGPT has been here for six months. It will only get stronger and perhaps a bit scarier; look into this and manage it; do not let it manage you and do not fear it. Times are both scary and exciting. Allow yourself to be scared but use this fear as fuel to change. New markets and new worlds are before us – e.g., EV vehicles. These new markets present huge new opportunities for the electronics industry. Change and adapt, or become irrelevant. Embrace reps doing marketing and market research. Do not rely on anyone else to find new customers or opportunities for you — you must do it!

Our industry

The rep model is getting stronger and is here to stay in a big way. In-person selling is back but virtual selling is here to stay. Do not revert to the old ways prior to the pandemic. Selling is still a full-contact sport, we are just changing the tools we need to use. Do not become irrelevant or a fossil! Business travel is back. Pick your spots and make sure the reason for your trip could not be done on a Zoom call. Do not waste your silver bullet with your supplier or customer. Social media: What is your social media image? Do you have one? Get great at social media! Do not mix your personal footprint with your business footprint.

ERA Conference

I’m proud that there were so many smart and confident female general session and breakout session panelists at the 2023 ERA Conference. This is long overdue! There were also many more young folks in Austin. We must empower them, nurture them and mentor them. Do not fear them – they are the future of your company. Our industry has never been more exciting – what other industry would you want to be a part of?

Final thoughts

Our customers and manufacturers want more out of their rep network and their channel partners. We need to clearly understand their wants before they have to tell us what they are. Then we must work hard to meet/exceed their expectations or we will be replaced by someone else who is embracing the future, using new tools and providing new services before we are asked to by our customers. Trust and honesty never go out of fashion. Keep your eye on both of these attributes every day. Who will be at the ERA Conference in 2028? Will you be there? Do you and your company have a clearly defined succession plan? Who will represent your company’s leadership in five years? Sharpen your skates and get your game face on! See you in 2028!

Author’s note: This article was written by me and not by ChatGPT or another “bot.” So, blame me if you do not like it!

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> Like déjà vu all over again

FROM THE TOP

by Chuck Tanzola, CPMR

Chuck Tanzola, CPMR
The Fusion Sourcing Group Inc.
ERA Board President
ctanzola@fusionsourcing.com

As I start writing, I am struck by the feeling that this is “like déjà vu all over again.” Just as I was four years ago, I am truly honored and humbled to have the distinction of being elected your President at the ERA Board meeting, following the 2023 ERA Conference; and as a result, I find myself once again writing The Representor’s “From the Top” article as opposed to the “Viewpoints” column.

Before I go further, let me also ask each of you to join me in offering thanks, congratulations and well wishes to both Dave Fitzgerald and Craig Sanderson for their insight, wisdom and service to ERA as they end their terms as members on the ERA Executive Committee. We welcome John Hutson and Gary Zullo as they bring their incredible talents in filling those positions.

Speaking of the ERA Conference, I can only say kudos to the entire team for producing a world-class event full of opportunity to learn, network and exchange ideas. My LinkedIn feed has been overflowing with an ongoing recap of the many great moments shared by the record-breaking crowd of attendees. One of the subjects that I found particularly interesting from Austin was the discussion of OpenAI and specifically ChatGPT. I opened this article with what I know as a “Yogi’ism” – and as I thought about both of these factors, I decided to experiment. I asked ChatGPT, “What is a yogi-ism?”

The result: “A yogi-ism typically refers to a phrase or saying that embodies the teachings and philosophy of yoga. These sayings are often attributed to prominent yoga teachers or gurus and are meant to inspire and guide practitioners in their yoga practice and in their daily lives.

Some examples of yogi-isms include ‘Be present in all things and thankful for all things,’ ‘The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments,’ and ‘Yoga is not about touching your toes, it’s about what you learn on the way down.’

These phrases often emphasize the importance of mindfulness, self-awareness, compassion and acceptance, and are meant to help practitioners deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them.”

That was not the result I expected, so I made a subtle, yet what proved to be significant, change to my question and asked, “What is a Yogi-ism?” (See what I did there?)

“A Yogi-ism is a witty, humorous, or insightful statement made by the late American baseball player Yogi Berra. He was known for his unconventional statements that were often paradoxical or contradictory but contained underlying wisdom and truth.

Examples of Yogi-isms include ‘It ain’t over till it’s over,’ ‘When you come to a fork in the road, take it,’ and ‘It’s like déjà vu all over again.’ While these statements may seem nonsensical or confusing at first, they often have a deeper meaning and can be interpreted in different ways depending on the context. Yogi Berra’s unique way of expressing himself has made him a beloved figure in American popular culture, and his Yogi-isms have become famous and widely quoted.” Better.

If the world has Yogi-isms, ERA is blessed with the memorable and witty sayings of our CEO that we affectionately call “Walter-isms” – some of which leave me shaking my head with amusement; others of which leave me in awe for their wisdom and intelligence (I’m certain none of which is artificial).

So, not being content to leave my Chat- GPT exercise where it was, and thinking of ERA, I decided to go a little further and asked, “What is a Walter-ism?” The result: “I’m sorry, but I’m not aware of any specific term or concept called ‘Walter-ism.’ Can you please provide more context or information about what you are referring to?”

Okay. I went further and asked, “What are Walter Tobin’s favorite sayings?” “I’m sorry, but as an AI language model, I do not have access to personal information about individuals. I don’t know who Walter Tobin is, nor do I have any way of determining his favorite sayings.” Your loss, OpenAI!

One favorite saying that Walter has been using consistently in leading us, and I find most profound is, “Skate where the puck is going.” This direction has served ERA well, such that as we move forward as an association, we do so from a position of unprecedented strength.

Our financial position is strong. ERA membership across all segments of our industry is broad and growing. Our educational programming, both at the local and national levels, continues to provide valuable opportunity to our members for personal and professional growth and development. After many years of industry lament about the lack of new people entering our profession, our Association has taken tangible and productive steps to address this issue. Our chapters are increasingly active within the industry, as well as making significant charitable contributions to their local communities. We have benefitted from the wisdom and increasing input of our manufacturers and distributor partners, and within the structure of our organization, we will be encouraging expansion of those inputs. Finally, our ERA staff is simply unparalleled. By every measure, we have reason to celebrate!

We have great opportunity ahead of us as well. Consider the introduction of ERA SearchLink.ai at the conference. This tool will prove to not only be a great differentiator and a valuable resource for our members, but a model for future efforts. If you are not aware of ERA SearchLink.ai, I strongly encourage you to reach out to the ERA staff for an introduction. And thank you, Sam Richter, for your partnership with ERA!

As we move forward, we will undoubtedly come to forks in the road, and we will take them, but in closing, I want to leave you with another hockey reference from the 2004 movie, “Miracle.” Kurt Russell, portraying 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, said, “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”

As always, I can be reached at ctanzola@fusionsourcing.com and welcome your comments and feedback. (I’d enjoy them much more than speaking to a machine!) If you attended the ERA Conference, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you didn’t attend, you will get another chance next February and I encourage you not to miss it. More great moments to come…but sign up early!

Oh, and in the meantime, I hope to see you all in Las Vegas at EDS!

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> ERA Quick Connections – April 2023, Vol. 2

April 2023, Volume 2

MONTHLY POS REPORTS

Our base point of January 2021 saw the COVID-19 pandemic begin to lose steam, resulting in a significant rebound in POS activity. That being said, due to the strong growth in 2022, there is the good probability that we will see a slowdown of POS activity in 2023. Distributor inventories have swelled and demand has begun to slow down a bit. Outside influences will also affect 2023, including supply chain issues, inflation, the Ukraine/Russia conflict, etc.

February 2023 dipped slightly from January, down about 3 percent from the previous month. This is typical, due to fewer days in the month of February. However, February 2023 was up 6 percent from February 2022, and continues to perform way above the basepoint of our index of January 2021, when we were just starting to see a bounce back from the impact of the pandemic. We always see a spike in March numbers so it will be interesting to see what next month will bring. We continue to believe that we will see a slight slowdown for the year. View the report.

For details on Budde Marketing’s services, visit BuddeMarketing.com.

INDUSTRY NEWS

> The European Union has reached a provisional agreement on the Chips Act, an initiative hoped to increase the EU’s global market share in semiconductors from 10 percent to at least 20 percent by the year 2030. Read more.

> Microsoft is reportedly working to build its own AI chips that can be used to train large language models, in a suspected effort to decrease purchasing reliance on AI server chip giant Nvidia. Read more.

> The “golden age of connectivity” will provide the electronics industry opportunities for years, writes a TTI business development leader. Read more.

ERA NEWS

> We hope to see you at the EDS Summit in three weeks! Be sure to stop by the ERA Business & Hospitality Center in the Grand Ballroom of the Mirage where you can relax, connect with colleagues, charge your devices and enjoy coffee and snacks. Ask ERA staff about becoming a member, or ERA member perks such as ERA SearchLink.ai, the HoverMap or STEP training. See you there!

> ERA proudly announces the recipients of the 2023 Mark Motsinger White Pin summer internships. The rep firm recipients and interns are: Imad Hankour (UMASS-Lowell) interning at JEBCO in Nashua, N.H.; Dylan Phillips (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), interning at TAARCOM in Santa Clara, Calif.; and Liam Liburdi (Michigan State University), interning at C C Electro Sales, Inc., in Detroit, Mich. Congratulations! Read the full press release .

> Search. Find. Win. ERA SearchLink.ai is a customized search engine for the electronics industry, allowing you to find prospecting opportunities, engineers, decision makers, job seekers and industry news with a few clicks. If you missed ERA’s virtual demonstration of this exciting new tool a few weeks ago, it is available for viewing. Register your company for ERA SearchLink.ai today!

> ERA announces the formation of the ERA Manufacturer Executive Council, which held its inaugural meeting in March 2023. The Council hopes to collaborate and discuss shared values in order to be able to put forth action items to ERA manufacturer members in the future. Read the full press release.

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> ERA Forms the ERA Manufacturer Executive Council

ERA is pleased to announce the formation of a Manufacturer Executive Council under the leadership of Ken Bellero, president of Schaffner EMC, Inc., and senior vice president of manufacturers on the ERA Executive Committee. The members of the Council are:

David Bennington, vice president of sales, Orion Fans
Robert Derringer, director, global channel, Crouzet North America, Inc.
Holly Good, director, global distribution sales, Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc.
Bob Gourdeau, vice president of sales, Americas region, Kyocera-AVX Components Co.
Caroline Wells, senior distribution sales manager, Omron Electronic Components, LLC

The goal of the Council is to have ERA manufacturer member leaders collaborate and discuss shared values and objectives and put forth action items to the rest of the industry — all with the objective of creating better relationships between manufacturers, manufacturers’ reps and channel partners to better serve the end-customer.

The Council’s inaugural meeting took place in March 2023 in Austin, Texas, where members discussed challenges facing electronics components manufacturers in daily interactions between manufacturers’ representatives and channel partners.

“There was a healthy exchange of best practices as well as a discussion of measures taken that perhaps have not worked to expectation,” said Bellero. “It was agreed to capture these items, report back to the Council and schedule the next follow-up meeting. It was certainly an active and wonderful dialogue and represented the true spirit of helping all manufacturers in the industry.”

“ERA is proud to have Ken’s leadership in spearheading this Council, and is grateful for the time dedicated to this effort by all of these manufacturing leaders,” said Walter Tobin, CEO of ERA. “We look forward to the next update and will be sharing the output of the Council with ERA members on a regular basis.”

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> ERA Announces the 2023 Mark Motsinger White Pin Internship Recipients

The ERA White Pin group is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Mark Motsinger White Pin Internships:

Imad Hankour (University of Massachusetts-Lowell), interning at John E. Boeing Co. (JEBCO) in Nashua, N.H.
Dylan Phillips (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), interning at TAARCOM in Santa Clara, Calif.
Liam Liburdi (Michigan State University), interning at C C Electro Sales, Inc., in Detroit, Mich.

This is the second year that the ERA White Pin Group and ERA National have partnered to award three internships to manufacturers’ representative firms in the East, Central and West regions of North America to help hire and onboard college students as interns during the summer or academic year.

“The ERA White Pin Group is very excited to award these internships for Summer 2023,” said Kingsland Coombs, CPMR, CSP, senior vice president at large for the ERA Executive Committee and director of the White Pin group. “Each intern is a rising college senior in engineering curriculums from prestigious universities. The interns will be tasked with basic marketing responsibilities and will also be given the opportunity to shadow account managers on customer calls, as well as attend trade shows. We hope that these interns will learn the manufacturers’ representative model, appreciate it, embrace it and join their rep firms in future employment after graduation.”

ERA launched the Mark Motsinger White Pin Internship program in 2022 as a way to help the rep community introduce the rep model to college students and attract, hire and retain young people to keep the electronics industry fresh and relevant. The program allows rising college juniors or seniors to work for a manufacturers’ representative firm over the summer months to gain a better understanding and hands-on experience of the electronic components industry.

“These interns will bring so much excitement to these ERA rep firms,” said Ellen Coan, CPMR, senior vice president of education for the ERA executive committee. “These rep owners found new talent that will spark a fire of success that will spread and grow their principal’s lines with the help of distribution and teamwork in the rep firm. These interns will shadow, learn and contribute. Congratulations to all!”

The internship program was named after Mark Motsinger, president of Wallace Electronic Sales, who served as executive director of the ERA White Pin group for more than 16 years. Motsinger helped to define the educational role of the White Pin group and helped promote the hiring and onboarding of new college graduates into our industry.

Please join ERA in congratulating all the rep companies and interns!

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> ERA Quick Connections – April 2023, Vol. 1

April 2023, Volume 1

MANUFACTURING DATA REPORTS

Manufacturing data reports from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) are released at the beginning of every month and can be accessed at ISM. The latest report says economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in March for the fifth consecutive month after a period of 28 months of growth.

The electrical equipment, appliances and components sector, as well as the computer and electronic products sector, reported contraction in March. Read the full report.