The Competitive Edge
About The Competitive Edge
The Competitive Edge is AIM North America’s monthly, quick-read e-newsletter. Our purpose, as the title suggests, is to help you maintain your competitive edge and grow your business by putting you in touch with key information. Inside you’ll find highlights on current reseller, integrator, distributor, or manufacturer issues and market trends (a feature titled Headline AIM), along with member-specific news and information. As good as The Competitive Edge is, we’re open to new ways of making it even better, so your comments and suggestions are welcomed.
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AIM North America. Be in the Know!
In a crowded market, growth doesn’t just happen. It takes knowledge and connections for your business to reach its full potential. You’ll find both at AIM North America (NA), the premier source of industry support for the AIDC market.
From sales leads to market trends to discounts on training, products, and services, membership in AIM NA delivers access to growth opportunities you won’t find anywhere else.
What’s more, AIM NA offers membership levels tailored to you. So whether your business is large or small, there’s room to grow with AIM NA.
Learn more.
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Headline AIM—The Millennials: Retaining Generation Next
by Shel Myeroff, President, Direct Recruiters, Inc.
Part 3 of a 3 Part Series
Kudos to all those resellers, systems integrators, manufacturers, and distributors who have followed this series about the Millennial Generation and are currently implementing new hiring initiatives to meet the fierce competition for Millennial talent. No doubt, having the right bait on the hook may get the Millennials on board, but how do you keep them from jumping ship? This challenge brings us to my final article offering solid strategies that I believe will be key in retaining them.
AIM NA Members: Login to learn how you can take advantage of this unique opportunity.
Direct Recruiters, Inc., Human Capital Resource Specialists since 1983, focuses on Supply Chain, AIDC, RFID, and Mobile Enterprise. Top industry companies rely on DRI to help build solid teams in Sales, Sales Management, Marketing, Engineering, and Technical Support. For more information, contact Shel Myeroff, President, 31300 Solon Road, Ste #4, Solon, Ohio 44139, 440-248-3370 x103, e-mail: shel@directrecruiters.com, and www.directrecruiters.com.
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UID Supplier Alliance Committee Made Their Voices Heard
Adoption of UID and awareness of the value added by the requirements are steadily gaining momentum thanks to the efforts of the AIM North America UID Supplier Alliance (USA) Committee. This group intends to bolster that momentum in Washington, DC where they recently gathered for grassroots training, briefings on UID issues, and to meet with Congressional and Senate offices.
After political training by Greg Redick, legislative agent for the USA committee, members fanned out to cover Capitol Hill. They met with seven legislative offices representing six states. “The Legislative Fly-In demonstrated how important it is for individual AIM NA members to get personally involved in the legislative process,” said Mary Lou Bosco, AIM NA manager. “Our members showed both an understanding of and commitment to a strong and persistent legislative effort through their direct support for an increase in the UID adoption process.”
Many of the members were first-timers and initially nervous about visiting with Congressmen and their staffs. Issue briefings and grassroots training helped. “I wasn’t sure I was ready for the experience, but the briefings, and working as a team, helped me learn what to say and I felt really confident after the first visit,” said Jeff Tazelaar, Lowry Computer Products (MI).
“I believe I speak for everyone on our mission team when I say that this trip far exceeded expectations. In each of our meetings, we had plenty of time to articulate our most pressing needs and concerns of the UID adoption process,” said Chuck Evanhoe, Evanhoe & Associates (OH).
David Rau, Seagull Scientific and Pete Ginkel, ID Integration preparing to enter the Rayburn House Office Building to meet with staff in Representative Norm Dick’s (WA) office.
The USA Committee includes many of the leading providers of UID and other automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) solutions. Collectively these members have implemented hundreds of successful UID marking and data management systems, and demonstrated how the systems benefit maintenance, inventory, production and traceability operations for the military and contractors alike.
If your company would like to get involved in ongoing advocacy work on behalf of UID adoption, please contact the AIM North America office at + 724 934 5688 or by email info@aim-na.org. For up-to-date information on committee activities, visit www.aim-na.org/UID.php.
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AIM Industry Reseller Survey—Let Your Voice Be Heard!
AIM North America and R.W. Baird & Company partnered to conduct a new Reseller State of the Auto-ID Supply Chain Survey. Visit here to take part now!
Why should I participate?
- The results will be presented in a fair, unbiased manner.
- Receive a FREE copy of the survey results and research notes.
- Examine regional trends—new, never been offered before!
- Participate in a FREE Webinar conducted by Reik Read highlighting key market trends followed by a Q&A.
- Enter to win one of six $50 American Express Gift Cards.
The survey will take no more than 15 minutes to complete and all individual results are STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Simply visit here. Deadline for completing the survey is March 27, 2008.
Questions? Contact Reik Read at (414) 298-1030 or AIM North America at (724) 934-5688.
Just another way AIM North America is working for YOU!
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New Members
ID Label, Inc
Join Date: 2/19/2008
ID Label designs and manufacturers a broad range of high quality, technically innovative preprinted bar code labels for a variety of applications. From asset tracking and printed circuit board labels to warehouse location labels and warehouse signs. . Learn more.
Lockheed Martin
Join Date: 2/18/2008
I-GUIDES® by Lockheed Martin is at the forefront of UID and RFID development and implementation, providing cutting-edge software solutions. I-GUIDES® provides a flexible, user-friendly, common tool to facilitate communication and. . Learn more.
For a complete list of AIM North America Members, visit www.aim-na.org/memberlist.php or to join, visit www.aim-na.org/membership.php.
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Recent AIM RFP Postings
- We are a global communications solutions company based in Delaware, US with Fortune 100 clients (i.e. Citigroup). We are looking for a solution implementing RFID technology for the mass consumer market. We need to get in touch with vendors that can produce low cost readers/writers that we can buy and "give-away" to consumers to support our applications.
- We have a client who is looking for a bar code solution that will allow them to print out feedback/comment sheets with bar codes tied to the item they are giving feedback on. We are in the process of bidding the project, but the interface should work with PHP, PERL, or XML. We would like to store the bar code info in a MYSQL database along with the rest of the items info.
- We want purchase 1553 Module, AIM AXM1553T-4MB, QTY = 2 EA. Please send us your quotation as soon as you can.
- I have two thousand sheep that we farm intensively on a 4 acre unit. We need to identify the sheep regularly for registration and information processing regarding life cycle events. I need to have automatic ID of the sheep. Mechanical means are inaccurate and time wasting.
- We are looking for a Web-based system for a new project we are working on for inventory and assets. We send daily reports to our customers. We are putting together a proposal at this time and need a quote and some samples of what is available.
- We are looking to integrate a bar code tracking system to inventory items being moved during office relocations. We do tens of thousands of relocations each year, moving hundreds of thousands of items
For complete details and how to respond to these and other recent RFPs, members can login .
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Members in the News
Which Way Would You Rather Learn? New, User-Directed E-learning Provides RFID Working Knowledge in Hours. RFID Revolution. Learn more.
Metalcraft Announces UID Online Service for Automatic Validation, Digital Registration of Data, MoreRFID. Learn more.
New Tharo PA2000t Label Printer/Applicator By Tharo Systems, Inc. Learn more.
IIMAK Takes the Silver with 25 Years of Growth. Learn more.
Seiko Instruments Partners with Specialist Printer Distributor Current Components. Learn more.
ScanSource Purchases Point-of-Sale Distributor PC4. Learn more.
Lowry Secures $8.5 Million Defense Contract. Learn more.
GS1 Healthcare US Forum to Address Industry Challenges. Learn more.
4800dr From Honeywell Offers a New Take On Document Imaging Technology. Learn more.
Have a news item you’d like to share? Submit your news release to AIM NA and we’ll feature it on the AIM NA website as well as in a future issue of The Competitive Edge.
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Introducing AIM Quarterly
AIM Quarterly is provided exclusively to AIM members. It is designed to update members on the important work going on throughout the AIM network supported by Global and Chapter members (AIM North America is a chapter of AIM Global) on behalf of the industries we serve. The AIM Quarterly will deliver news of opportunities that are emerging in the world of automatic identification.
Aspects of the report will include updates from the Global standards and policy committees, recent RFID Outreach wins, and a regional report from the AIM chapters around the world (including AIM North America!).
To view the inaugural issue, AIM members can login (you will be required to login to the Members Only section). If you've forgotten your password or username, the Member login page contains a quick link to retrieve these details.
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AIM Education
Our most recent webinar— Unique Device Identification–The Next Big Auto ID Opportunity Webinar with Jay Crowley, FDA's Senior Device Management Manager—is now available for download. Members can download the audio recorded session and accompanying PowerPoint presentation by visiting AIM Member Services
April 27 – 29, 2008
Washington, DC
http://www.aimglobal.org/events/TLS08
Each year, AIM Global and AIM North America invite the AIM (automatic identification and mobility) industry executive community to gather for an exclusive, strategic meeting that includes education and networking at its finest. The registration list reads like a “Who’s Who” in our industry – where else can you meet the innovators when they are not focused on customer interactions?
This one-day event is filled with educational content from all facets of the automatic identification marketplace. Also included are exclusive executive networking opportunities, personalized visits to your legislators on Capitol Hill, and recognition of the industry’s finest at the Awards Gala. The theme, Think Forward!, reflects the continuing need for our industry to think ahead strategically and collectively. The Summit provides just such an opportunity.
For more information and to register, visit www.aimglobal.org/events/TLS08/index.htm.
Not a Member? A special code for resellers only is available with a savings of over 50%. Contact Mary Lou Bosco at info@aim-na.org or +1 724.934.5688 for details.
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Industry Events
Submit your events to AIM NA. Include your contact information, event name, dates, location, and website.
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THE FINE PRINT
This e-newsletter is brought to you by the
AIM North America
125 Warrendale-Bayne Road, Suite 100, Warrendale, PA 15086 USA
Phone: +1 724 934 5688 ● http://www.aim-na.org
If you do not want to receive The Competitive Edge by e-mail,
please e-mail AIM NA.
