DisTribute

Eaton Distributor Meeting Wrap-Up

Returning from the Eaton Distributor Meeting in Nashville, Tribute staff Tim Reynolds, Susie Hopper and Bill Horrigan declared the annual event a success.

In addition to presenting how TrulinX software can streamline an Eaton distributor’s business processes, Tribute staff enjoyed visiting with many of our customers and attended some informative presentations.

There were over 1,200 registrants representing distributors and vendors from around the globe. Eaton provided hundreds of sessions on everything from Succeeding in the Changing global Machinery OEM Market to the Aeroquip Express Store & On-Site Mobile Service Program Review.

Tribute partner, Mark Tomalonis of WarehouseTWO, gave a well-attended presentation on Excess Inventory: How to Prevent, Identify and Reduce It. The Eaton Hydraulics Team now utilizes WarehouseTWO as their official inventory sharing network.

Susie, Tim and Bill enjoyed meeting with Scott Pharis, Eaton’s Manager of Channel Marketing and Ken Ostensen, Eaton's Retail Program Manager, to discuss Tribute’s ongoing partnership with Eaton and Tribute’s proactive programming to provide Eaton Distributors the tools to streamline their supply chain.

The hit of the show was Eaton’s new iPad sales tool app, called PowerSource, for use by its distributors. The completely custom built program allows sales reps to design a system solution easily because they have all the tools right at their fingertips.

Eric Stager, Eaton’s Product Manager IT, Web and Mobile Apps states that, with PowerSource, distributors can determine a client’s needs and find a solution all while they are still sitting in the client’s office, factory floor, or out on a job site.

Mary Gannon, editor of the blog, Fluid Power Talk - Hydraulics & Pneumatics Magazine, attended the show and reports on the advantages of the new iPad application plus the latest efforts of Eaton’s Hydraulics Training Services - a second-generation Portable Electrohydraulic Training Simulator designed to provide a hands-on method of reinforcement of the electrohydraulic principles taught within the classroom and Eaton’s inroads into the Chinese marketplace.

Tribute Customer Spotlight: S.G. Morris

Since 1932, S. G. Morris has worked hard as a full service independent stocking distributor. S. G. Morris supports, services, and trains the industrial, mobile and automation markets with offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Founded by “Bill” Morris, S. G. Morris has had a long and interesting history. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, S.G. Morris started with just one manufacturer, Racine Hydraulics, now known as Bosch Rexroth. Not long thereafter, Ross Operating Valve, currently known as Ross Controls, and Tomkins Johnson, best known as Vickers, were added.

Throughout their 79 years in business, many top hydraulic, pneumatic, motion control and lubrication equipment manufacturers were added to their line cards. S.G. Morris makes it easy to “Partner with Experience” for high quality components and systems.

S. G. Morris became an employee owned company in 1982 and in 2002 they became an Eaton Premier Distributor. A Tribute customer since 1998, S.G. Morris opted to continue their partnership with Tribute, Inc. in 2009 by investing in their Windows-based package, TrulinX.

Tips for Organizing Computer Files and Folders

It usually doesn't take long for our PCs to become cluttered with files and folders. To make sense of the clutter, we need to devise a system for managing the files we create and download.

This article from Microsoft lists nine ideas for managing your files and folders in Windows:

1. Use the Documents feature, which is called Documents in Windows 7 and in Windows Vista and is called My Documents in Windows XP.
2. Adopt consistent methods for file and folder naming. Develop a naming scheme for the kinds of files you create most often and then stick to it.
3. Keep names short. Even though you can use long file names in Windows, they can be harder to read.
4. Separate ongoing and completed work. To keep the Documents folder from becoming too unwieldy, use it only for files you're actively working on. Every month or so, move the files you're no longer working on to a different folder or location.
5. Store like with like. Restricting folders to a single document type (or mostly one type) makes it easier to find files.
6. Avoid large folder structures. If you need to put so many subfolders in a folder that you can't see all of them at a glance, consider creating an alphabetic menu.
7. Use shortcuts and shortcut links instead of multiple copies.  If you need to get to the same file from multiple locations, don't create copies of the file. Create shortcuts to it instead.
8. Quickly get to the items you use every day. Jump Lists, a new feature in Windows 7, are lists of recently opened items, such as files, folders, or websites that are organized by the program that you use to open them.
9. Consider storing certain documents online. This allows you to easily access them from outside the office, share them, and edit them.

Another technique for making sense of all those files is by focusig your searches. You can use advanced features in Windows Search to quickly find the file you are looking for. Here are a few highlights from this article by Varun Kashyap for www.MakeUseOf.com:

• Use the AND, OR and NOT boolean operators to fine-tune your Windows search
• Use wildcards as well ('*' and '?')
• Search by file kind using the kind: operator
• Enclose your search term in quotes for exact matches
• Use the size: operator to restrict searches by file size
• Launch files directly from the Search window
• Search by file properties

You can find guidelines for using the advanced features of Windows Search from Microsoft here.

LIFO Accounting Method’s Future Questionable

Last-in, first-out accounting, or LIFO, is favored by many companies for the tax relief it provides. However, the folks in Washington, D.C. are talking again about doing away with LIFO accounting for business – and that could cost companies across the nation billions in new tax liabilities.

Efforts to repeal LIFO have been in place over the last five years because it would raise a significant amount of revenue. This year, as the debt level continues to increase and discussions on tax reform take place, LIFO is at serious risk of being repealed. Repealing the LIFO accounting method will result in a significant tax increase both retroactive and prospective on companies using this accounting method.

In a recent article in Crain’s Cleveland Business, Cleveland area distributor, Applied Industrial Technologies Inc., stated that they have tens of millions of dollars riding on the issue of eliminating the last-in, first-out method of accounting.

Mark Eisele, Applied Industrial's VP and CFO, said the recent proposal to eliminate LIFO and require companies to pay taxes for its use to date would be expensive. It would mean his company's tax liability could rise by more than $50 million based on current inventory levels — and as much as $60 million if those levels climb to where they were a few years ago. The company would have 10 years to pay, but that is little comfort in this tough economy.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has estimated the repeal of LIFO to equal $52 billion in new taxes on corporations over the next ten years alone and substantially more beyond that. The White House’s own estimates are even higher, figuring that ending LIFO in 2012, which the White House considers a loophole in the code, would raise $72 billion by 2016, to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The accounting method assumes that the less expensive inventory remains on hand for calculating taxable income.

Leonard Steinberg, a tax advisor for the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, a Washington-based advocacy group opposed to move, says in an article for the Wall Street Journal blog, In Charge, that it would impact small firms in any sector that make continuous inventory purchases: “Carrying inventory would become more expensive. How do you not pass that along to your customers?”

Over 120 trade associations support the NAW and NSBA in opposing the repeal of the LIFO including, AHTD, ISA, ISD, NAHAD, and PTDA, joining forces in the LIFO Coalition. However, with the President of the United States, the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Standards Accounting Board, and the Joint Committee on Taxation all weighing in recently against LIFO in one form or another, the possibility that it will repealed is increasing.

“Most of our customers utilize the weighted cost average for their accounting method,” states Susie Hopper, VP of Tribute’s TrulinX Division. “However, if a distributor is using LIFO, now would be a good time to reevaluate their accounting strategy and start making contingency plans.”

Get A Good Night's Sleep When You Travel

When you travel for business, you spend a lot of energy getting to your destination. Then you put in full days of work and focus on the business at hand. So how do you unwind at night and get the all-important rest you need?

This article by Kentin Waits for the OPEN Forum lists six ways for business travelers to get a good night's sleep. One great tip: Bring a large binder clip to close up those hotel curtains which never seem to meet in the middle. Here are some other highlights:

• Choose a flight itinerary with reasonable departure and arrival times
• Avoid hotel rooms near the elevator, vending and ice machines, lobby and breakfast area
• Pack some disposable foam earplugs and a sleep mask (in addition to the binder clip)
• Run just the fan from the AC or heater unit to create a little white noise in your room
• Step away from email, your laptop and other devices a full hour before you turn in for the night

If you are flying a long distance, you may have to deal with jet lag. This article from WebMD offers some suggestions for coping with time differences:

• Several days before traveling, try to gradually adjust your sleeping habits to the destination time zone.
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
• Limit your sleep to no more than two hours immediately after arrival.
• Remember that daylight can help reset your internal "clock." Take a one-hour walk as soon as you get up in the morning.
• Check your room's thermostat. Your sleep can be disrupted if the room is warmer than 75° F or colder than 54° F.

And don't forget the other travel-related articles we have published on this blog:

The Best Travel Apps

How Small Businesses Can Score Hotel Discounts

What is the future of manufacturer / distributor working relationships?

Robert Nadeau, managing partner of Industrial Performance Group, Inc., has noticed several trends emerge in the relationship between distributors and manufacturers.

A consultant that facilitates the relationship between these two groups, Nadeau has found that prolonged economic uncertainty, intense competition, razor-thin margins and the ever-shifting sand of government regulation are just a few of the challenges faced by manufacturers and distributors.

He states that the actions being taken by manufacturers and distributors in response to these challenges are in some instances, changing the very nature of their working relationships.

Manufacturers and distributors have both shed seasoned veterans to cut costs and their absence has created an environment where issues and concerns that were once quickly resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, now escalate into major points of contention. This has resulted in frustration, a breakdown in communication, and an increase in the level of conflict between the two parties.

Despite sluggish markets, the pressure has increased on some distributors to maintain high inventory levels. This comes at a time when many distributors are reducing inventory levels to better manage cash flow.

Downsizings and layoffs in the manufacturing sector have greatly reduced some distributors' access to information and support. This greatly hinders the distributor's ability to serve customers in their local markets. The result has been a decrease in the distributors' level of commitment to the supplier's product.

Downsizings and layoffs at the distribution level have greatly reduced the manufacturers' access to local market information. This makes it extremely hard for manufacturers to do market-based planning.

What does this all mean for your business? Nadeau believes that it's impossible to predict what the future may hold, but that doesn't preclude us from thinking about and discussing how and why manufacturer/distributor relationships are changing and evolving.

In an effort to gain a better understanding of how manufacturers and distributors are responding to the economic downturn, The Industrial Performance Group is asking you to share your opinions and concerns by filling out this brief survey. We will then publish the results and you will also be able to view them in the next issue of the Industrial Perormance Group newsletter.

Choices for Mobile Internet Access

In the last several years, we have grown more and more dependent on the Internet. The ideal way to access all of these tools and resources is with a broadband (high-speed) Internet connection, something we've come to expect at home and at the office.

But what about when we're on the move? There are many choices for mobile access to the Internet. This article by Tim Ferrill for Maximum PC gives a thorough review of the pros and cons of each method:

• Free Wi-Fi: This type of connection is offered at many restaurants, hotels, airports, and public places. Some may require registration, while others let you simply connect with a single click (like Starbucks). Try a website like wififreespot.com and openwifispots.com to track down free Wi-Fi hotspots near you.
• Paid Wi-Fi: A paid Wi-Fi subscription service is useful if you are traveling in an area with few free Wi-Fi hotspots, or if you need constant Internet access wherever you are. Be sure to investigate whether the provider uses a cap, coverage fees, roaming fees, or activation fees, and whether you will need to buy a network card.
• Wireless Broadband: The short-range nature of Wi-Fi technology sometimes affects coverage. For the best coverage you will want a cellular-based option using 3G or 4G technology. The hardware may be built right into a laptop or other device, or added using a plug-and-play USB modem. For ultimate flexibility, try a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that can provide a network connection to several devices at once. Again, you must figure out which service provider will give you the best service for the cost involved.

Some factors to consider when making your decision:

• Wi-Fi vs. 3G/4G: Consider where you will be traveling and connecting to the Internet. Will free Wi-Fi hotspots meet your needs? Or do you truly need a constant high-speed connection?
• Phone vs. Dedicated Hardware: You may already have a smartphone for basic access to the Internet. However, consider whether you might exceed the data cap on your smartphone plan if you start sharing it among several devices, and whether your smartphone carrier supports simultaneous voice and data. These issues might be good reasons to consider a USB modem or dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot.
• Which Service or Carrier: How much are you willing to pay for your always-available connection? And what kind of coverage area do you usually find yourself in?
• Prepaid or Contract? A pay-as-you-go plan may save you money in the months when you don't need access. However, signing a two-year contract may be cheaper in the long run.

You can read the entire article from Maximum PC here.

For an in-depth article about how mobile broadband services work and their features, terms, and fees, see this article by Dave Roos for HowStuffWorks.

Try TopTenREVIEWS for reviews and side-by-side comparisons of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and other popular service providers.

You may also try the WirelessInternetReviews website for a variety of articles, including "16 Places You Shouldn’t Use Wireless Broadband Internet Just Because You Can".

How To Dry Out a Cell Phone

If you carry a cell phone, there's a good chance that sometime it will get dropped into a swimming pool, bathtub or - ugh - the toilet. What should you do if your phone gets totaly soaked? If you act fast, there's still a chance you can save your phone.

This article from Popular Mechanics gives step-by-step instructions on how to fry out a wet cell phone. A few tips to remember:

• Immediately remove the battery. Do not power up your phone to see if it still works.
• Remove the SIM card (if your phone has one).
• If your phone fell into salt water (or the toilet), flush with clean water. Wipe the exterior with rubbing alcohol if you want to disinfect it.
• Dry the phone using a can of compressed air, an air compressor set to a low psi, or a vacuum cleaner. Do not use heat.
• Submerge the phone and battery overnight in a bowl of uncooked rice or other dessicant (like silica gel).
• Insert the battery and SIM card and see if the phone will work.

And to keep your cell phone dry, clean and functional in the future, check out these tips from PC World.

Tips to Speed Up Your Browser

An internet browser is usually speedy when you first open it, but after opening a few tabs and visiting your favorite websites over the course of a day, its performance may slow down.

If you have experienced this problem, you might try some of the suggestions from this article by Lifehacker, including:

• Uninstall unneccessary extensions and add-ons for Firefox and Chrome. Firefox has even created a special web page listing its slowest add-ons.
• Uninstall and re-install Flash and Java. Many websites are designing Flash-free versions of their sites, so you may be able to live without Flash. If you still want to use it, it's a good idea to stay updated to the latest version. For Java, try a tool like JavaRa to remove old and redundant versions from your computer.
• Clear your cache and browsing history. This is an old standard tip, but a necessary one for cleaning out the old data cluttering up your computer. Once it's all cleared, you might consider reducing the duration between automatic cleanings (for example, only save your history for a day instead of a week or month).
• Work with multiple browsers. Consider using Chrome for Flash-intensive sites and Firefox for other web browsing. Or try Opera or Safari and see if you have a speedier experience.

If your primary browser is Internet Explorer, first be sure you are using a newer version (either 8 or 9). Then, try this article from Microsoft for five ways to speed up IE.