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INTERESTING... I received more phone calls and emails about the March/April issue of AFJ than about any issue I can remember in the last few years. The comments were encouraging. Many readers were thankful we took a different direction for that "special" fastener marketing issue. "Maybe one positive to the slow economy is that we have more time to read and build skills that help make us better business professionals," said Kelly McCallum, Brynolf Manufacturing. Another reader said it was "equally important [AFJ] worked hard in confronting the economic conditions we are all laboring under at this time." Several AFJ readers emailed us for additional copies. All comments are greatly appreciated, and they help motivate us as we go onward and upward. Feedback is very important to us! To a large extent, our readers' feedback helps set the direction we take with the magazine's editorial content. Please contact us anytime with your comments and questions. I firmly believe that marketing is an ongoing process, and companies actively promoting themselves will come out ahead as we recover from this recession/depression. I have always said that the fastener industry, as a whole, should read more of the articles and editorial available to them, including the American Fastener Journal and other fastener publications. After 9/11, we took a hit, but we continued to promote and publish a trade magazine that we believed met the needs of our readership. We will do so again. I considered an article for distributors and manufacturers on "what to do" and "what not to do" in sales, inventory management, etc., in these difficult times. I had an abundance of resource materials for the article, but I concluded that most of our readers had seen or received many of the same emails, newsletters or industry publications on this topic, and it would be redundant. I didn't want to be a fake cheerleader! Our cover story, Fidelis Fasteners, is about two young pioneers starting a global fastener sourcing company to reduce costs. Larry Thomas and Rob Lucas will redefine how global fastener supply chains work. Jim Bannister, CEM, continues to write about marketing in a recession and gives us an update on the National Industrial Fastener Show/West, to be held November 16 - 18, 2009. Our other standard feature articles on the economy and fastener stocks provide an update on the fast changes we are all experiencing in these challenging times. Looking ahead, we have already started to put together our July/August "Summer Purchasing Issue," and we will have some new features that should be of great interest. It is also a great opportunity to promote your latest catalog or brochure to your distributor customers. See our ad on page 24 for more details. Keep in contact, Mike McGuire Publisher/Editor Welcome message from AFJ in Multiple Languages
© 2009 American Fastener Journal. All Rights reserved. |
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