The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) has formed a new council, the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Representatives Council (HDMRC).
The council will be charged with providing a discussion and networking forum for senior executives of North America’s top heavy-duty, OEM and aftermarket manufacturers’ representative firms. HDMRC will meet on a regular basis to discuss industry and market trends, compare best practices and strategies to communicate the value proposition of HDMRC member manufacturers’ representative firms to the industry, HDMA says.
“HDMRC was developed by HDMA and owners of independent manufacturer representative firms interested in providing a professional, ethical and effective business partnership with those manufacturer/principals that choose to use independent manufacturer representatives as a cost-effective alternative to, or in conjunction with a factory-direct sales force,” John Stojak, HDMRC board member and manufacturers’ representative of the Sherman-Pearson Co, says. “Our goal will be to continually add value to these relationships and to inform, educate and promote the role of the independent manufacturer representatives in the heavy-duty, OEM and commercial vehicle markets.”
In today’s business environment, the ability of many suppliers to field a large sales force has diminished due to the fixed cost associated with market development. HDMRC plans to encourage the strategy of using manufacturers’ representatives and the variable cost associated as an effective method of maintaining a direct customer interface. HDMRC members are pre-screened by its board of governors and the council membership on a set of requirements regarding the rep firm structure, market focus, integrity and professional image. All must be under a representative agreement and in good standing with HDMA member supplier companies.
“We are very pleased to be able to include HDMRC in our family of HDMA councils and forums,” Tim Kraus, president and COO of HDMA, says. “The council will improve the overall professional image, business practices and knowledge base for all members. It will also provide the ability for our supplier members to review manufacturers’ rep firms, their websites, operating areas and other pertinent information. It will place HDMRC members in a differentiated strata in the industry, while providing the council members with opportunities to learn, grow and participate in so many of the industry activities that are important to their peers and customers.”
Currently, HDMRC consists of 22 member firms, all representing HDMA member supplier companies, covering territories across the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Those who wish to join HDMRC must represent at least one of the current HDMA member company, be nominated by three current council members, approved by the HDMRC board of governors and then voted upon by the active membership of the council.
The next HDMRC meeting will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, prior to the HDMA/Randall Reilly Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference Aug. 20-21 in Dallas.
