Wearing Two Hats
By Charlie Gorman

The Equipment and Tool Institute (ETI) is an organization that creates a means for companies involved in the automotive tool and equipment industry to interact to the mutual benefit of all concerned. Funded by dues and event fees paid by member companies, ETI often functions as a means of enhancing the image of our industry by providing a unified voice on matters that may have an impact on our industry.  ETI Makes it possible for companies involved in our industry to work together on issues of common concern.

With this in mind I'd like to take a little newsletter space to ask you to think about your ETI involvement.  Do you volunteer for committees and leadership positions?  Do you participate in ETI events?  Do you take advantage of one or more of ETI's services?  Regardless of your level of participation, it is very important for you to remember that you wear two hats.  The most important hat of course is your company hat.  Never forget who you represent when involved with any ETI activity or service.  But, there is another hat you need to wear from time to time, your ETI or industry hat.  If you believe that the phrase "what is good for my industry is good for my company" is true, it follows that industry solutions based on compromise, consensus and broad based support is much better than 'every company for itself'.

ETI Marketing Efforts:
While many companies mount public relations and marketing plans to raise the visibility of their company and its products, ETI's job is to educate tool and equipment users and generate interest, not by focusing on the products of a particular company, but by engaging in marketing campaigns that entice end users to purchase the goods produced by the Tool and Equipment industry as a whole. Part of this marketing approach can be seen at ToolTech through presentations and panel discussions.  It is also accomplished by providing facts and figures through our marketing survey programs.  Through these surveys ETI can and does pave the way for the marketing efforts made by individual member companies.

But, when it comes to another important association marketing service, statistical reporting, we fall way short.  Back in the day this was a very valuable service to ETI members.  Today it doesn't exist despite a strong demand for the information from both ETI members and outside concerns. 

For those not familiar with statistical reporting, it is a service where member companies anonymously (through a third party) report sales in units and dollars for certain agreed to product categories.  The reports are then consolidated and shared with those companies that participated in the reporting.

During the heavy company consolidation years in the late 1990's statistical reporting fell out of favor.  There have been two attempts to bring it back and both have failed.  I admit that there is resistance on the part of some companies to revive this service, but I think this is one of those examples where everyone needs to put on the ETI hat and see the value.  Then figure out as a team how we can get this done.  ETI represents the Tool and Equipment companies and we should be providing the industry as a whole more information about our segment of the market.

ETI Technical Efforts: 
Companies are constantly fighting for some kind of technical advantage in their products.  Being able to do something no one else can do quicker, more accurately, cheaper, or simpler is the very essence of competition and free enterprise, but sometimes it is better to work on some issues as a trade association rather than as a company.   No one is asking anyone to divulge trade secrets, but some of the things member companies are working on would be better done through a cooperative ETI effort.  Certainly we do this already to some extent. Vertical group meetings, SAE and ISO reports are some examples, but there is so much more we could do.  For example:

We are not getting enough information from our members regarding what they want to hear and see from the automakers at Tech Weeks.  Every member company has something they need and cannot find from one or more vehicle manufacturers.  If you have a question, there is a strong possibility a few other member companies have the same question as well.  Put on your ETI hat and make sure your questions become industry questions. Questions asked this way are more likely to be answered and even though all of your competitors will see the answers, you will be able to see the answers to the questions they ask as well.

Few ETI member companies can afford to have someone represent them on every SAE and ISO committee that pertains to equipment and tools.  In fact, some committees require a certain level of in-person participation in order to receive committee corespondance. But, what if ETI hired an engineer to attend these meetings, speak for our industry and report back to the membership on a regular basis?  Would this be helpful?  Would your company be willing to chip in a little more than you do now to make it happen?

Diagnostics via telematics is going to be an issue of huge imporatnce to ETI.  Personally, I think it already is.  We need to get out in front of this one. we can't afford to be left out of any future specifications or regulations.  You can try to tackle this one as a company, but my experience tells me that we will be much better off tackling this as an industry.  All of my attempts to get opinions and help on this subject have been met with tepid enthusiasm. A large portion of the scan tool vertical group has some involvement in Telematics and a large percentage of those companies are gathering some form of diagnostic information from telematics applications. Do you have some ideas about what ETI should be doing in this area?  Would you like to help?  Please let me know.

Put on the right hat at the right time:
In these days of short staffs and tight budgets, volunteering to work on trade association issues and projects makes little sense to some.  But, I prefer to look at it as a consolidation of effort.  If the association is run right and the work of the association is for the good of the whole industry, the results of this work are worth much more than what any one company puts into it.  This is why trade associations exist and it is why you should always have your ETI hat handy.