{"id":10791,"date":"2018-05-02T10:56:03","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T14:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/avtech.com\/articles\/?p=10791"},"modified":"2018-05-02T10:56:03","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T14:56:03","slug":"avtech-embraces-distributors-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avtech.com\/articles\/10791\/avtech-embraces-distributors-found\/","title":{"rendered":"AVTECH embraces the distributors that found them"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Frederick Baehner, Publisher, IBNewsmag<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t often that a small to medium-sized exporter (SME) has distributors\/resellers that come to them, but it happened to Warren, Rhode Island-based, AVTECH, a manufacturer and world-wide exporter of Room Alert environmental monitors, sensors and accessories.<\/p>\n

As AVTECH President Richard Grundy explains, \u201cAt the time Room Alert was released, there wasn\u2019t much available on the market capable of monitoring, logging, reporting and alerting of environmental conditions. As a result, many of our now customers and resellers (distributors) found us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because AVTECH Room Alert monitors have FCC and CE approval, the company ships power adapters that are compatible with all international market applications, and has been exporting all of its 30 years in business.<\/p>\n

\"Rick<\/a>

AVTECH President Rick Grundy with a Room Alert 12E<\/p><\/div>\n

One of its newer products is the Digital Active Power with Temperature Sensor that allows customers to place the sensor on the outside of any electrical cord to determine power status and temperature of the connected device, versus having to isolate conductors or open their electrical panels to install current-loops. It was instantly in demand and is being sold worldwide.<\/p>\n

While AVTECH has always been in the data center market around the world, its markets have evolved monitoring some of the largest warehouse and storage facilities. And, many hospitals rely on Room Alert to monitor sensitive equipment, medications and vaccines.<\/p>\n

Additionally, food and beverage distributors depend on Room Alert to preserve product qualities.<\/p>\n

\u201cData centers are often early adopters of new technology,\u201d said Mr. Grundy, \u201cbut other markets are quickly catching up and using our Room Alert to monitor and avert environmental conditions that could impact their business.\u201d According to Mr. Grundy, the greatest barrier AVTECH faced in both domestic and international sales is its low overall product cost. \u201cThis may seem counterintuitive,\u201d he claimed, \u201cbut resellers initially thought it might be easier to sell one high-end switch than 5 \u2013 10 Room Alert monitors.\u201d It proved otherwise.<\/p>\n

Another challenge is the protection of its patent and intellectual property. \u201cWe work with a team of intellectual property attorneys who regularly advise us as how to best protect our IP in the over 180 countries we sell to,\u201d said Mr. Grundy. \u201cDespite the best legal efforts, we find the best way to protect our IP is to continue to focus on the overall value and integration of Room Alert, our sensors, software and tools. Someone may copy one or two of our products, but it\u2019s tough to replicate the entire suite of products and the way they seamlessly work together. We feel it\u2019s impossible to replicate the quality of our team, the quality of our products, and how we treat our customers, resellers and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

In finding and keeping its distributors or resellers, the company discovered that its best ones are managed service providers or out-sourced IT firms whose clients install firewalls, gateways, Wi-Fi and other IT equipment. \u201cOur Room Alert monitors are a good fit in protecting the capital invested made into other equipment, while rounding out an organization\u2019s business continuity plan,\u201d said Mr. Grundy.\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate to have so many international resellers who have been with us for many years,\u201d he continued, \u201csome for well over 15 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about the recently-imposed import tariffs on steel and aluminum, Mr. Grundy noted, \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing the impact of the tariffs starting to affect our supply chain. Most of our Room Alert monitors use a steel enclosure. We proudly manufacture all our products, including the enclosures, in the USA with US steel. The rising cost of foreign steel has increased demand for US steel. That increased demand is causing higher pricing. We\u2019re hopeful that US suppliers will be able to ramp up to meet demand so the price increase is temporary, although we must regularly monitor our supply chain to minimize the impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cWe believe strongly in and are 100% committed to domestic manufacturing. Our customers depend on Room Alert to monitor for extreme conditions at their most critical facilities and locations. For us, maintaining high quality means keeping all aspects of the manufacturing process as close to our
\nheadquarters as possible.”<\/p>\n

Mr. Grundy\u2019s tips for SMEs striving to identify and qualify international distributors? \u201cThe Internet has made the entire world be just a click away. Embrace the opportunity and don\u2019t be afraid of the unknown. There are resources available that can help open the international market while minimizing the risk to your business. Engage your state commerce office and US Commercial Service for assistance. Identify a couple of key markets for your products, then determine if any changes will be required to sell your products in that market.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re lucky to have incredible support from Commerce RI, US Commercial Services, and the Chafee Center at Bryant University with other state and local agencies available to assist us with both domestic and international business development needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article originally appeared in the April, 2018 edition of IBNewsmag. Reprinted by permission. Click here<\/a> to read the original article<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Frederick Baehner, Publisher, IBNewsmag It isn\u2019t often that a small to medium-sized exporter (SME) has distributors\/resellers that come to them, but it happened to Warren, Rhode Island-based, AVTECH, a manufacturer and world-wide exporter of Room Alert environmental monitors, sensors and accessories. As AVTECH President Richard Grundy explains, \u201cAt the time Room Alert was released, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[20],"tags":[36,131,132,133,134],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n