I attended the GIFA foundry trade show in Duesseldorf, Germany recently and wanted to share some thoughts. Our three clients who exhibited all had great shows and they all sell very high-end equipment or services to the foundry and other industries. Top quality guys, every one. That’s very encouraging. Folks were there from every corner of the planet and many were buying, another good sign that the world economy is rebounding. All three clients sell the world market and I was impressed by the decidedly United Nations feel of their booths. One client brought their agents, even a Russian translator, to the show, so they could speak EVERYBODY’S language. It was the Tower of Babel…and this one worked!
In some cases, these have been the hardest hit clients in the down market, because they simply would not sacrifice the quality and performance they build into their machines and software to sell head-to-head against the cheaper competition, a move we applaud always. Our agency is in exactly that same boat.
Though all relatively new clients, these three companies recently joined the ranks of the world leader in industrial ovens and furnaces (52 years with us), the world leader in rubber/TPE injection molding machines (41 years) and the absolutely best fine/medium pitch gear manufacturer in the solar system (since they have products on Mars at the moment!) at our agency, in business since 1976, though we’ve changed the lineup and the service package a bit, over the years.
See a pattern here? Quality endures, to be blunt. There’s more to the story, of course, but that’s a pretty good foundation!
This occurred to me, as I was sitting in a 450-year-old church in Duesseldorf. Although the church was partially destroyed in WWII, the folks saved the treasures that remained, dug up the old prints and rebuilt an old-looking new church around them. That fact spoke volumes to me.
Anyhow, the show was terrific and the atmospherics of a 5000-year-old industry (metalcasting) reminded me that, faced with adversity, the very best tactic is to figure out what you do that made you successful in the first place and keep doing it. And, of course, keep advertising it, sending PR on it and telling the world your success stories. (OK, that part was a commercial and I think that thought, every hour of every day, even when not walking the banks of the Rhine!)
Tim Daro
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