Team Work is Important in Realizing Success in the Supply Chain

In recognition of MHI's I work in the supply chain hashtag, Mike Roper has contributed a blog and video about his time in this dynamic industry.

Hi, I’m Mike Roper, Sales Manager at Handling Specialty, and I work in the supply chain. I started my career at Handling Specialty as the technical sales representative 13 years ago and became the company’s sales manager one year ago.

Working in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain industry has allowed me to meet fascinating people working with some of the biggest companies in the world, all over the globe.

Through these connections, and with the help of our engineers, manufacturing and services group, we’ve successfully delivered custom engineered material handling systems to a diverse range of industries.

Something I’ve learned through my experiences with the supply chain is that team work is integral in designing, building, specifying, and selling the right equipment for the appropriate application. It’s a fantastic feeling; watching a company grow with the solution or solutions you’ve provided.

Working in the manufacturing and supply chain industry has taught me that this is a diverse industry with many contributors, and I’m proud to be one of them.

Mike Roper

Handling Specialty Manufacturing Ltd.

800-559-8366

10,560 Transport Trailers in 30 Seconds

The marketing department at Handling Specialty carried out a quick data gathering exercise recently.



We placed our video camera at the windows facing the high way to capture the transport trailers that rumble by day after day. We counted 11 transport trailers within the span of 30 seconds pass by the windows of Handling Specialty at 2:30pm EST along a stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) which runs parallel along the south end of lake Ontario from Hamilton to Niagara Falls.

Now that’s just thirty seconds during a time of day which isn’t particularly busy. Now, imagine those 30 seconds times 2; to make up a minute. That’s 22 transport trailers. Now times that by 60 to make up an hour. That’s 1,320 trucks every hour on average. Now multiply that number by 8; to make up an average work day. That’s 10,560 trucks on the road moving product on a Wednesday.

That’s just trucks carrying product on one particular stretch of highway in southern Ontario, Canada. Imagine the planes and ships and trains doing the same and all of the trucks all over North America and the rest of the world! It's kind of mind-blowing; the amount of people employed to move product from point A to point B.

That’s the industry we're in. #iWorkInTheSupplyChain

The Supply Chain from a Marketing Point of View

This document was prepared for the MHI #iWorkInTheSupplyChain event.

It’s truly incredible how many aspects of everyday life are affected by the supply chain. Before I began marketing in the manufacturing industry, I had no idea the range and scope my marketing efforts could achieve.

 

I’m thankful for my entry into this dynamic industry, where marketing has a tangible effect on business and brand recognition. Much of what I do is internal marketing, keeping our employees encouraged by our growth, training dealer networks how to market themselves and the brand I am representing at the time, and, of course, externally marketing my company’s capabilities to the world.

 

Each business I have represented in the past eight years has either been active in global markets or communicated to me their interest in pursuing a worldwide audience for their products or services. My job, regardless, has been to broaden our reach and bring new opportunities to my manufacturer through advertising, social media, web applications, proposals, and tradeshows. I have seen a lot of the world in my short time representing manufacturers on a global scale, and I look forward to seeing more of it.

 

But the scope of the supply chain is seen on both fronts, abroad and here at home. The footprint in our daily lives is unmistakable. Now, when I drive the highways, spot a warehouse, or look out my office window, I am reminded by the ratio of transport trucks to pedestrian vehicles, and what it truly means to be a part of the supply chain. It is a web of endless activity which spans the globe, and brings goods and services to the world at large.

 

Michael Poeltl

Handling Specialty Manufacturing Ltd.

800-559-8366