Current Issue
May 2016
Welcome to the May issue of ERA’s monthly wrap-up, designed to provide you with a quick, convenient way to catch up on information, announcements and other news you may have missed.
Watch for future issues coming during the FIRST week of every month.
To share recent newsworthy or noteworthy items and/or calendar dates with your fellow members, please email info@era.org.
POS Index Update
• Budde Marketing, which provides monthly POS Index reports to ERA members, has issued its latest summary, running from January 2015 through March 2016. Go to era.org to view the new index which to view the new index which shows that March was a very strong month, trending up more than 10 percent from February 2016. The March 2016 POS number was almost identical to March 2015, which was last year’s best performing month. For details on Budde Marketing’s services, visit BuddeMarketing.com.
Industry News and Other Items of Interest
• Remember that manufacturing data reports from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) are released on or about the first of every month and can be accessed at ISM. The May 2 report for April shows that economic activity in manufacturing expanded for the second consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 83rd consecutive month. Also, of the 18 manufacturing industries included in the April report, the computers and electronics products sector was one of 11 reporting growth.
• Worldwide spending on Internet of Things (IoT) security is expected to reach $348 million in 2016, a 23.7 percent increase from 2015. The IoT security market spending is expected to increase at a faster rate after 2020, as improved skills, organizational change and more scalable service options improve execution. Visit PRWire for details.
• The PC market continues to struggle as more consumers are opting for smartphones and tablets over traditional desktops and laptops. More people also are hanging onto their PCs longer rather than refreshing them every few years. See more at CNET.
• The Worldwide semiconductor revenue is forecast to total $333 billion in 2016, a decrease of 0.6 percent from 2015, according to Gartner, Inc. This is following a decline of 2.3 percent in 2015 due to weakened demand for key electronic equipment, elevated inventory levels and the continuing impact of the strong dollar in some regions. Click on Gartner to learn more.
• A new report shows healthy revenues for 21 benchmarked IoT companies in the last quarter of 2015, with revenue growing by almost 15 percent to levels approaching $7 billion. Cloud computing and IT infrastructure are the key drivers of IoT revenues. Read the full report at ReadWrite.
• Scientists have tested several biodegradable materials for making transient electronics that can be implanted in the body and then dissolve almost without a trace. According to the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces journal, a team has created a dissolvable device component out of egg proteins, magnesium and tungsten. Learn more at PHYS.ORG.
• Electronics industry executives will meet in Amsterdam in May for the 10th Annual High-Tech & Electronics Supply Chain summit to discuss the issues facing the industry and chart plans for taking advantage of emerging opportunities. The event will take place on May 25 and 26 at the Novotel Schipol Amsterdam Airport Hotel. Visit EPS for more information.
• According to a recent CallidusCloud study, only 11.5 percent of sales and marketing pros said their forecasting was very accurate. Learn how to improve sales forecast accuracy by using an automated commissions system, tracking sales activity, sharing information with customers and using predictive analytics. Read more at SMM.
• Territorial management is key for effective sales force planning, performance tracking and financial reporting. Find out why using a territory management system can help companies increase sales productivity. Visit B2C for more information.
• Salesforce plans to integrate its CRM tools with Facebook Messenger this year. This will enable businesses to take advantage of Facebook’s bot technology — automated and intelligent apps — to have more seamless conversations with customers throughout the marketing, sales and service processes. Click on TopTechNews to read more.
• Businesses looking to improve their online visibility should focus on search engine rankings. Learn how to employ good search engine optimization practices that will improve search results ranking and generate long-term ROI. See Entrepreneur for details.
ERA Updates
• Register now for the ERA-ECIA annual free breakfast program at EDS on Thursday, May 12. The breakfast will feature guest speaker Don Hnatyshin, senior vice president and chief supply chain officer of Jabil, who will offer a presentation on “The Digital Economy Impacts on the Design Chain, Manufacturing and Supply Chain.” Visit ERA-ECIA to register.
• ERA members attending EDS 2016 are invited to make the ERA Business and Hospitality Center in the Mirage Grand Ballroom their EDS headquarters. Members can pick up their ERA ribbon, a copy of the EDS Lines Available Bulletin, and take advantage of the center for meetings, networking and coffee breaks during all EDS hours. Read more at ERABusinessCenter.
• Also at EDS, all ERA members are invited to bring a non-member to a free lunch on Thursday, May 12, at noon in the Grand Ballroom of the Mirage Hotel. The non-member guest is a requirement to attend, and reservations will be limited to the first 100 individuals. To register, go to FreeLunch.
• The next free teleforum is scheduled on Tuesday, May 24, at 3 p.m., EDT. The topic, “Planning the Most Effective Buddy Calls,” will be discussed by Nicki Weiss, management coach and sales columnist in The Representor with two facilitators: Jim Gleason, owner and managing partner at FJM, and Zach DeVillers, director of sales for Brainard-Nielsen Marketing. To register for this teleforum, go to ERASaleswise.
• ERA’s 48th Management and Marketing Conference is coming in 2017! Save the date — Feb 26-28 — for a return to Austin, Texas. Watch for more details coming soon at ERAConference.
• The Spring 2016 issue of The Representor, featuring the EDS ad supplement, should have arrived in your mailboxes by now. Read the online edition or download the pdf on ERA’s website at Representor.
• The new ERA Sales Representative Agreement, prepared by Gerald M. Newman and Adam J. Glazer of Schoenberg, Finkel, Newman & Rosenberg, LLC, is available online now. Members must login to the ERA website to download the agreement at RepAgreement.
• Join the conversation on ERA’s social media sites. Check out Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the association’s professional LinkedIn group.
For Your Calendar
•Click here to browse the ERA Industry Calendar listings in the NEW searchable industry event calendar!
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