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Year-end 2010: Some of our manufacturers stopped the flow of goods. Why? Because their goals had already been reached - 2010 was a better year than planned. I thought it must be a joke, but it wasn't.

Early 2011: Suddenly nearly all manufacturers swarmed their distributors and agreed to 2011 growth targets. Since they guessed too low in 2010, the manufacturing centers in America and Asia said: goal-achieving bonusues will only be given above 20% growth. Secretly, the manufacturers are calculating with a 6% market growth, when they really mean they can easily add on 20%. And Jarltech, as the best partner, wants to realize this.

What will the results be? All distributors will agree to utopian quarterly figures, then during the last month in the quarter, sell their goods at wholesale prices, to achieve their goals. Since they will all be doing this, goods will be squeezed and stretched until nothing is left over. That means the following quarter will be tougher, for everyone. It is this scenario that every manufacturer should think about twice. It will be interesting, since our colleagues not only represent one manufacturer, but rather, multiple, and in various segments. And we all pay our S&M according to margin. But if one manufacturer is enough for each segment, and the margin is hereby secured, the customers, out of self-preservation instinct, will come running. This could mean enormous moves away from manufacturers, whose goals cannot otherwise be reached.

It is going to be an interesting year. Maybe the exception to the rule will triumph, where business rational prevails.