Leading our Manufacturing Practice, I speak with dozens of clients each week, and with the reopening of most businesses, I have again been traveling across the country. The macro themes are all the same. Workforce challenges. Supply chain issues. High input costs. Lower productivity. The need to automate and streamline processes. Despite all these challenges, one other theme seems to eclipse them all. How can Connection be a better partner?
You might think this is a tricky question to field on the spot, but it’s quite the opposite for Connection, our committed sales teams, and our vertical practices. Our company has been building its business around the simple idea of being a better partner, with less focus on the reactive and transactional, and more on being proactive, strategic, and able to deliver solutions for procurement, technology, and operations that enable our clients to focus on what’s most important: business growth.
Customer-focused Support
While I’m partial to the investments in our Manufacturing Practice, our sales organizations genuinely make the difference in being a better partner. When I first joined Connection to establish the Manufacturing Practice, I was struck by how fondly clients would speak of their sales relationships. This is furthered by leadership’s commitment to keep account executives with their clients to preserve continuity and maintain relationships, regardless of how the organization is reorganizing internally. This mindset is founded on culture and a commitment to do what is best for the client—not the other way around.
For an outstanding example, look no further than to our Enterprise division to see how our company invests in leading-edge solutions to streamline procurement processes with its proprietary procurement system, MarkITplace®, which includes deep integrations with ITSM and procurement platforms like ServiceNow, SAP Ariba, Coupa, and others. Combined with our outstanding sales teams, we aim to deliver more value through proactive features like optimizing critical workflows, delivering vital procurement analytics, supply visibility, and better asset management to transform warranty and software management. These differentiators make it easier for your employees to request, approve, and acquire approved solutions through integrated and automated processes that lighten the load for IT and procurement while also delivering a more extraordinary end user experience.
Delivering Optimal Technology Partnerships and Solutions
As part of our Industry Solutions Group, the Manufacturing Practice is led by a team of industry experts from the manufacturing trade. We understand the manufacturing business because we have worked in various business functions and information technology. We understand the taxonomy, job roles, challenges, and the measures business objectives are held to. As a result, the team can engage with various stakeholders to better understand your business and what makes it unique, and recommend use cases and solutions that prioritize the business outcomes you seek.
The manufacturing practice also has a diverse and evolving portfolio of hardware, software, and services aimed solely at supporting manufacturing businesses. Through regular client engagement, industry working groups, and market analysis, we introduce new partnerships to make available the technology and solutions necessary to support your manufacturing’s growth and transformation initiatives. Each offering focuses on critical capabilities that a manufacturing organization may require, whether IT, operational technology, cybersecurity, or business functions like facilities, field service, production, research, development, or warehousing.
Through in-person workshops or virtual collaboration sessions, our Manufacturing Practice works closely with clients on an ongoing basis to form a deeper understanding of your business objectives, facilities, infrastructure, and processes. This allows our teams to proactively educate OT and IT teams on emerging technologies, proven use cases, and what solutions might be viable options now or as part of a longer-term investment strategic plan.
Many of our clients are looking to simplify their sourcing process in favor of a partnership that rationalizes disparate products, consolidates purchasing to achieve better pricing or terms, simplifies procurement and renewal processes, and ensures they get the best service delivery. Working closely with our sales teams, our Manufacturing Practice can sit down with your procurement teams to collaboratively review the existing inventory of products for opportunities to streamline your sourcing operations or identify solutions that bring better value or capabilities.
Another way we support clients is by supporting their efforts to comply with industry standards or regulations. While each manufacturing subindustry has different obligations, we are prepared to support the diverse needs in waterproof, sanitization, intrinsically safe, hands-free, fanless, and traceability solutions. Let our Manufacturing Practice recommend products and services that mitigate environmental conditions, enhance how your employees work, and ensure compliance.
Our team is passionate and well prepared to help your business by establishing a partnership that is better, relevant, and long-term.
Yes. Let Us Prove We’re a Better Partner!
Connection is committed to continuously investing in the future of our manufacturing clients through an evolving manufacturing portfolio of hardware, software, and services, along with world-class sales teams, client portals, procurement automation, and backed by manufacturing-certified sales teams who care about your business and go above and beyond to help you succeed. If your business is looking for a better partner, engage Connection’s Manufacturing Practice or contact our Sales Team to help simplify your efforts to acquire the best-fitting technology solutions for your unique business.
Ryan Spurr
Ryan Spurr is the Director of Manufacturing Strategy at Connection with 20+ years of experience in manufacturing, information technology, and portfolio leadership. He leads the Connection Manufacturing Practice, go-to-market strategy, client engagement, and advisory services focusing on operational technology (OT) and information technology that make manufacturers more digitally excellent.
