Page 67 - MetalForming Magazine June/July 2022 80th Anniversary Issue

Dan Bruce says that he has seen mid- dle-market manufacturing companies that have been successful doing things the same way for years now taking a step back and really defining, or redefining, their vision for moving for- ward. “For many years,” Bruce explains, “company leaders did not have to think too hard about these things, but today they must. Managers need to develop strategic roadmaps, determine what theywanttobein5to10yr.,andhow they plan to get there. All of this in addition to what, for many, also is a period of leadership transition, espe- cially with family-owned companies.
“Ownership needs to be aligned on where they see the company going,” Bruce continues. “We sometimes see ownership and management on dif- ferent tracks. And we believe in a data- driven strategy—understand your strengths and weaknesses, opportuni- ties and threats, and how you can best serve your customers.”
For many manufacturers, the pan-
demic made it easy to drift away from being customer focused. “To a large extent, companies have lost their way when it comes to customer relations,” says Charles Clevinger, principal at UHY Consulting and focused on supply chain, procurement and operations. “Winning companies over the next 5 to 10 years will be those that can auto- mate, hire, train and retain skilled workers while following a path to oper- ational excellence. And, in parallel, they must ensure that their customers feel good about them as suppliers. Most customers don’t really know, or maybe don’t really care, how you make their parts or how you procure materials. They see you from a different perspec- tive, and we need to get back to the point where customers feel good about what they’re getting.”
Cultivating Customer Relationships
... is core to Marion Mfg.’s Johnson as he looks to promote the youth move-
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ment amongst his leadership team. “I spend a lot of time on this,” Johnson says. “For example, when we have online meetings with customers, I ask our team to turn their webcams on. I want customers to see that our team consists of young and energetic leaders, committed to our customers’ success, and that we are growing and sustain- able. And when we exhibit at local tradeshows, I want our young leaders out front talking to prospects.”
For automotive supplier BTD, Fled- derman finds that the definition of “relationship” has changed greatly. “Relationships aren’t as personal as they used to be,” he says. “While we used to work closely and more as friends with customers, the relation- ships today are more businesslike. There are exceptions of course, depending on the customer, but now we just focus on meeting our commit- ments and understanding the rules of the game, which of course vary among customers. But as long as we know the
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64 MetalForming/June/July 2022
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