{"id":6060,"date":"2023-03-14T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T15:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/?p=6060"},"modified":"2023-03-14T10:11:34","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T15:11:34","slug":"open-communication-critical-to-successful-partnerships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/14\/open-communication-critical-to-successful-partnerships\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Communication Critical to Successful Partnerships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Solutions Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BY&nbsp;CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1864792&amp;app=false#\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images-cdn.dashdigital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/data\/articles\/img\/131-02.jpg\" alt=\"open communication critical\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">ISTOCK.COM\/JAY YUNO<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1864792&amp;app=false#\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1864792&amp;app=false#\"><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the rate of change in the logistics industry continues to grow exponentially, companies across the supply chain are increasingly partnering to find solutions that allow every aspect of the market to perform more effectively and efficiently. Industrywide collaboration is necessary, but ensuring a successful partnership can prove difficult, especially if the partners fail to adequately identify the problems and solutions and communicate openly when the market changes or problems arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The need for more partnerships is clear. &#8220;The market is moving so much faster than it was a decade ago,&#8221; said Andy Lockhart, director of strategic engagement and warehouse solutions for MHI member Vanderlande\u2019s North America operations. &#8220;We are seeing huge strides in robotics in recent years. As [artificial intelligence]continues to get better and better, integrators are going to have to partner with specialist companies. You can\u2019t do all aspects yourself, and that\u2019s why partnerships are becoming even more imperative.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, the advancement of computing power and vision systems have fueled innovation in robotics, while at the same time &#8220;reduced participation in the labor market has created an urgency to automate,&#8221; added Les Makant, product sales manager in the smart automation solutions division of MHI member Fives Intralogistics Corp. New partnerships are also spurred by new practitioner specifications, largely related to safety and energy efficiency.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1864792&amp;app=false#\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Communication is essential<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Communication is the most critical factor to a successful partnership\u2014during the initial process of identifying solutions, before entering a transaction, as the product is developed and beyond, the industry leaders said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a seller of MHI member Murrelektronik automation solutions, Allana Calamari, the company\u2019s territory development manager in Georgia, said the main goal is to listen to the customer. &#8220;You need to know their pain points,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If you don\u2019t fully understand [a customer\u2019s]problems, you can\u2019t come up with the appropriate solutions. The goal is to provide a solution\u2014a product\u2014that allows the customer to improve their efficiency. It\u2019s a win-win for all of us if we can successfully do that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is imperative to truly understand a client\u2019s problem to create a successful solution. &#8220;Sometimes the thing they think they need isn\u2019t really what they do need,&#8221; said John Hill, director at MHI member St. Onge Company, a supply chain strategy and logistics consulting firm. As a consultant working with endusers, &#8220;You have to get at the heart of the problem to successfully meet the client\u2019s needs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understand and analyze market trends<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Integrators and suppliers are always willing to develop, manufacture and distribute new products that help enhance their customers\u2019 operations if they understand the need and see an industrywide trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;You need to reach out to our existing customers often to get the pulse of the market,&#8221; Calamari said. &#8220;If you are listening\u2014if you have a rapport with our clients\u2014you can investigate their problem and come up with the solution,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If one client has a problem or wants to improve a product, other customers often have the same or similar issues. For integrators and suppliers, it is important to do your research to get a better sense of the issues. &#8220;Reaching out [to additional clients]allows you to bring more perspective to the problem, and that could lead to a bigger product that addresses multiple issues within the broader problem,&#8221; Calamari said. Ultimately, this can lead to the expansion of existing partnerships or forming new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysis of market need allows a supplier to develop, patent and manufacture a prototype, Makant explained. The supplier can then &#8220;demonstrate [the prototype]for current and prospective clients who partner with us to develop customer-specific iterations. In this way, customers serve as virtual extensions of the research and development department,&#8221; Makant said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutions-digital.com\/mhiq\/0223_volume_11__issue_2\/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1864792&amp;app=false#articleId1864792\">Click here to read the full feature.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Solutions Community BY&nbsp;CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP ISTOCK.COM\/JAY YUNO As the rate of change in the logistics industry continues to grow exponentially, companies across the supply chain are increasingly partnering to find solutions that allow every aspect of the market to perform more effectively and efficiently. Industrywide collaboration is necessary, &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":6061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[3605,442,1902,1907,3709,466,2295,2195],"class_list":["post-6060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-departments","category-industry-trends","tag-communication","tag-mhi-solutions","tag-mhi-solutions-magazine","tag-mhisolutionsmag","tag-partnerships","tag-supply-chain","tag-supply-chain-communications","tag-supply-chain-partnerships"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Open Communication Critical to Successful Partnerships - MHI Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mhisolutionsmag.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/14\/open-communication-critical-to-successful-partnerships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Open Communication Critical to Successful Partnerships - MHI Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Solutions Community BY&nbsp;CHRISTIAN DOW, MHI EXECUTIVE VP OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP ISTOCK.COM\/JAY YUNO As the rate of change in the logistics industry continues to grow exponentially, companies across the supply chain are increasingly partnering to find solutions that allow every aspect of the market to perform more effectively and efficiently. 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