Traveling for SMC is always an adventure, and our recent trip to the Design-2-Part trade show in Atlanta, GA was no exception! Atlanta is such a beautiful city, and I have been looking forward to the D2P show for months. By Tuesday, our team had already driven from Lexington, KY to Nashville, TN, from Nashville to Huntsville, AL, and then Huntsville to Atlanta, GA where we stayed at the Hilton Downtown, about 15 miles from the Cobb Galleria Convention Center for the two day exhibition starting the very next day!
It is all about partnerships in this business. Across from us was 3D Systems Corporation who does quick parts solutions. This is definitely a resource for high definition parts when needed quickly! Our neighbor to the left, Rob Stohlman at Service Stampings, was so kind, fun and quite funny. This always helps pass time when there is less traffic. We talked about everything from marketing techniques, different tradeshows to attend, our pets, families and even discussed why women like to wear heels at a show where you will be on your feet all day! Might not be practical, but this 5’ 2” lady right here needs to be able to stand tall and make eye contact when shaking hands and telling them about SMC!
Two booths down on the corner were Wesley Knotts and Gregg Bair, the man with the cool hat. The company, Seaway, is another great resource for production molds. I found this out after Gregg kindly came over and offered me a fresh chocolate latte. I was teasing him as he walked by with four cups in a holder by asking him if he was walking around to sell them, and we both laughed. It was only a few seconds later when he came back with a cup for me because one of the intended recipients gave up chocolate for Lent. I LOVE coffee, so I gladly accepted. How nice of him! He probably did not know this absolutely made my day.
I love my job, and this industry, and getting to meet with other suppliers, clients and potential clients at trade shows is always exciting. No two days are ever the same. I feel I am in this position for a purpose. To bring companies and people together, therefore I spend a lot of my time conversing, learning about what people need, and not only sharing our capabilities but enlightening them. Along the way many doubt the ability of US manufacturers to be competitive with other markets, but that is changing. It is amazing that we here at SMC have been able to be more competitive than a top 3 EMS company out of Mexico. Through balanced TACT time and our cellular manufacturing strategies, in addition to many other contributing factors, we have been able to provide a high quality product at a minimum Total Acquired Cost. The ability for small/ medium sized EMS organizations to be competitive at that level, has permitted US companies to invest in their own economy and build relationships with other US establishments. This is a very powerful effort to be a part of! Thank you SMC for showing me a different side of the business- a much kinder and fulfilling one. And thank you to everyone who came to see us, talked to us, or smiled our way walking by the booth.
