Business Trends

By John Mackay If your company wants to increase profitability and continue to grow in today’s competitive environment, you have to realize that sometimes even your best instincts may not be enough (and without an industry benchmark, they’re only instincts). It is essential that you take the time to analyze your industry’s best practices and build them into your company’s ...

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By Bill Kaiser Today, more than ever before, culture has become the “hot topic” in business. You can hardly open a business journal or magazine without finding some article about the importance of organizational culture. The first 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review features culture as the lead topic. Deloitte’s annual Global Human Capital Trend Report consistently ranks culture among ...

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By Paul Reilly Sales organizations are facing familiar challenges at unprecedented levels. There are top-line pressures impacting your organization’s profitability. These topline pressures include “sameness,” technology, and a culture of cheap. “Sameness” is the commoditization of products and services. “Sameness” is a combination of blending in and a lack of differentiation. Organizations sound, look, and feel the same. If everyone ...

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By Kenneth W. Gronbach I went to school at California State University at Long Beach. With 35,000 students, it was a great place to remain anonymous. Ironically, I was recruited out of the graduate program by Volkswagen of America, Inc. This was my first real taste of marketing and the automobile business. I loved it, but I didn’t love Southern ...

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How companies will succeed in the algorithmic era The 2018 MHEDA Convention Keynote Speaker, Mike Walsh, designs companies for the 21st century. Companies built to survive the future are no accident. They are a result of deliberate business design decisions smart leaders make today. In his ongoing research on the world’s most innovative companies, Walsh has organized these decisions into ...

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“Given the 2018 Material Handling Business Trends as identified by MHEDA, what is your vision for the future of the industry?” Asked by Lisa Brink, Marketing Director Riekes Equipment, Omaha, Nebraska Doug Carson, VP Marketing / Sales, Fallsway Equipment Company, Akron, OH I believe the future of material handling will evolve along the lines of ever increasing automation. Advances in ...

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This year, MHEDA decided to rebrand its Critical Impact Factors to “Material Handling Business Trends.” The following trends were defined by MHEDA’s Executive Committee. They are defined as “critical” in that they are significant challenges or opportunities that have recently emerged or become pervasive and should be considered as members develop their internal business plans. 1 It is critical for ...

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MHEDA dealers across the country expect growth, though Storage and Handling anticipates a slow down Each year in the 1st Quarter issue of The MHEDA Journal, we survey the industry to try to determine what can be expected from the economy in the coming year. To do this, we solicit forecasts from our partner associations like MHI (page 65), ITA ...

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The mood on the supplier side of the material handling equation is generally upbeat going into 2018. While a few companies predicted their sales would soar by 30 percent or more, most saw growth in the 5-10% range. Several suppliers attributed their positive outlook to President Trump’s economic policies, but others were wary about what could happen if tax reform ...

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B-to-B will continue to be strong in 2018 and outperform B-to-C in 2019 ITR Economics CEO Brian Beaulieu will be presenting at the MHEDA Convention on Monday, May 7, 2018, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. His presentation, “The Winds of Change” will discuss the current business cycle status of the U.S. and North American economy ...

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