Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

In the magazine business, this is a very important time of the year.  While many advertisers have made their reservations and booked their advertising space for the year, some companies are still working to get their marketing budgets finalized and space booked for 2017. For Fluid Power World and Design World , this is an especially important time because our Design World Leadership issue will be published in January! Our January Leadership issue is an extra special issue because it includes our profile section.  Every advertiser has the opportunity to extend their marketing message by including a full-page profile in this issue.   This feature gives our audience a further insight into the products and solutions offered by our advertisers.  Additionally, our readers vote on the top provider of the year and that company is award our Leadership Award for the year. If your company is on the fence about advertising, don't delay, we only have until the e...

I have found that LinkedIn is a very useful tool in getting and staying connected with business contacts.  You may have received an invitation from me recently or found that I have followed your company? If so, I hope that you will accept my invitation.  As Publisher of Fluid Power World magazine and digital network, my specialty is providing my clients the best means for connecting with their customers and prospects through the many media options that we offer. Connecting by LinkedIn allows me to stay in touch with key contacts while sharing information about our media that might be useful to them.  If I have not yet reached out, please send me an invite to connect and we can use this service very effectively to share information

As an exhibitor in the upcoming IFPE Show being held in Las Vegas in March, I invite you to utilize our special media opportunities to promote your booth and your presence at the big show!   We have a great package of opportunities that are outlined in the attachment. Three integrated media packages are available for your company to make the most of your IFPE 2017 experience.   Our Gold Package offers the most with full-page ads in both Fluid Power World and Design World along with an IFPE preview e-newsletter sponsorship, two types of videos, web impressions, Tweets, and more. This package will give your company an optimal preview of your presence at IFPE and invite customers and prospects to visit your booth and learn more about your products and solutions.   I recommend this package to take advantage of an improving market and the biggest show in three years, the largest display of fluid power technology in North America. We also are offering our Silver an...

On any given day, making the rounds of the websites included in our Fluid Power World digital media network, will connect you to some great product and application information. Take today for example: Fluid Power World Sealing & Contamination Control Tips Hose Assembly Tips Pneumatic Tips Mobile Hydraulic Tips Do you see what I mean by saying that we have great content available every day?  I invite you to refer to our websites often for the latest fluid power product and application information available.  If your company makes and/or uses fluid power technology, feel free to send us your product reviews or application stories.  

The 2017 IFPE Show held in conjunction with the ConExpo/ConAg will feature the largest display of fluid power technology in North America.  It will attract the largest audience of interested buyers and specifiers of fluid power components. If your company is participating in the event, then we at Fluid Power World  have a great preview (actually three of them) to offer you.  Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Included in these preview packages are advertising pages, videos, e-newsletters, and much more.  Rather than try to tell you about what we have planned over this blog, I would rather talk to every exhibitor personally, so please give me a call at 408-769-1188. Fluid Power World magazine and digital media network offers marketers of fluid power components and related products a great way to connect with customers and prospective customers in 2017.  I am very excited to tell you more.  You can also e-mail me at mference@wtwhmedia.com Let's make the mo...

We continue to improve Fluid Power World Magazine and digital media network as we strive to offer the very best media service possible to our clients.  We have a few new features rolling out. One is our distributor search found on the homepage of Fluid Power World .  While far from perfect, his new feature offers our audience members of fluid power buyers and specifiers the opportunity to fine a distributor near them.  It is a work in progress. We have loaded information on all fluid power distributors in the United States that we can find and have made their information available to buyers.  If your company is a fluid power distributor and you are not listed, please contact me at mference@wtwhmedia.com .   This new feature makes a connection from audience/buyer to distributor/seller and who would be better to make that connection than Fluid Power World?  Please let me know your feedback on his new service. The next new vehicle is our brand...

Well, 2016 is not over yet.  In fact, we have whole month to go.  Like most Decembers though, the time really flies during this holiday season. We did however publish our final 2016 issue of Fluid Power World and it is a great one. Our November 2016 edition offers our print magazine and digital edition audience some really insightful editorial content including our cover story about handling heat in a hydraulic system.  Our real strength is our content and that strength starts with our editorial team of Paul Heney, Mary Gannon, Ken Korane, and Mike Santora.  It continues with our contributors Ron Marshall and Josh Cosford.  Our content is extended through social media with our SM expert Josh Breuler. If you are not already a subscriber to Fluid Power World, I invite you to click on this link  http://www.fluidpowerworld.com/subscribe-fluid-power-world-print-magazine/ and join us in 2017 as we continue our excellent coverage of fluid power techn...

I don't mean to ignore my blog.  I really like blogging about fluid power marketing and all that we have to offer our clients and the industry from Fluid Power World magazine and digital network.  It is just a matter of being so busy this time of year contacting so many clients about next year. 2017 should be a great year for fluid power as it is an IFPE year meaning that the IFPE Show held in conjunction with the ConExpo/ConAg will be taking place in March 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  I am working with my clients to promo and prepare for that big event. Our February Issue of Fluid Power World will be our IFPE Preview Issue and if I have not spoken to you about it already, I would like to before too long.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving which always indicates that we are nearing the end of the year for making plans for next year. We kickoff our 2017 with our Annual Leadership in Engineering Issue published in conjunction with Design World.  Our clos...

This has been a very long and very difficult presidential election.  Who could argue with that? I my profession, fluid power marketing and advertising professional, I choose to stay focused on our industry, fluid power.  No matter what happens in the election, crops need to be planted and harvested, roads and buildings need to be built and maintained,  automation machinery will continue to manufacture the things our society needs.  Garbage will continue to be collected.  Medical equipment advances will continue to benefit humankind.  Entertainment will continue. My point is that business will go on as scheduled.  No matter who wins the White House, no matter who wins the Senate, no matter who wins the Congress, fluid power will go on and on, because we need it. So, go out and vote, support this great country, The United States of America!  I contend that 2017 will be a very good year for fluid power and last week's economic webcast seems to ...

... to learn more about sealing and filtration for fluid power systems Sealing & Contamination Control Tips

Without giving away too much information, I learn a lot from the NFPA quarterly economic webcasts.  Not always able to view them live, the archived version works for me and I just took in the October webcast today. My key takeaway is a macro one, to use an economics term.  That is that these webcasts really inform us in the industry about how things are going economically and what to expect in the coming months, quarters, and years.  So, if your company is a member of NFPA, the National Fluid Power Association, then you really should consider viewing these webcasts in addition to attending the August Industry and Economic Outlook Conference. Click on the icon below for the NFPA website Since the information conveyed during these events is really intended for the members of NFPA, I will only highlight some of the key lessons from the October webcast.  In a nutshell, the fluid power industry has experienced some challenges over the past few years with some n...

... an advertising program to your fluid power component manufacturing or distribution company for 2017.  Why?  Because it makes sense. Advertising in a magazine, one a website, or through e-mail based vehicles to deliver your sales message to a qualified and interested audience is the best way to increase the brand awareness of your company and products.  It also generates sales leads to increase sales and market share. That is what we, at Fluid Power World, can do for your fluid power company.  Just let me know when you are ready to talk and we can set up a GoTo Meeting.  Don't wait too long though.  You will want to take advantage of our January Leadersship Issue and February IFPE Preview issue. Just let me know at mference@wtwhmedia.com

Hey to everyone who works ... think about they way that you make a living.  Is it a job?  Is it a career?  Or, is it a calling? I think that we would all like to say that our position is a calling and that we have special gifts and talents that we are using and sharing to get paid enough money to live on.  On the way to work this morning, I was listening to an audio book titled The Happiness Advantage by Sean Achor.   Click here for a link to the book.   The content of this audiobook is what stimulated me to revisit this though process about working people. This started me to think about my own position and how I have viewed my "job or jobs" over my "career."  The author describes a job as something that we do for the paycheck mostly.  We punch in and punch out and look forward to off time. To me a "career" is a somewhat connected period of a person's work life that utilizes skills and knowledge from one point in that career to the next and...

We have big plans for 2017 here at Fluid Power World .  We will kickoff the year with our big Leadership in Engineering issue combined with Design World .  It will follow our winning format of providing a full page company profile to every advertiser. I invite all fluid power companies to take advantage of this opportunity to promote your company and products.  You get the ad and a profile page for one price. We move on to our February IFPE preview and we have a Gold, Silver, and Bronze package that will fit every advertiser.  Please contact me for more details. Fluid Power World will be published in print 8 times next year and every issue covers fluid power technology from end to end.  We offer complete and expert coverage of fluid power products and applications.  Put Fluid Power World to work for your company in 2017. We will start the year in a big way with our Leadership and IFPE issues and continue strong with our print magazi...

At Fluid Power World, we surround our audience with content in many forms.  One of them is the webinar.  I ask, do you like to learn from webinars? Here is an example of our of our 2016 webinars titled Cylinder Mounting I invite you to visit this link  to determine of our webinars are for you.  If so, we have a new one planned for October 18 titled Dealing With Contamination Sources in Hydraulics - Part 1.   Here is a link for you to register.

The September issue of Fluid Power World is now available for everyone to read.   Here is a link. I say groundbreaking because the cover story is about a groundbreaking hydraulic hybrid.  But even with that said, Fluid Power World is something of a groundbreaking publication and media network.  In addition to our print magazine featuring informative and interesting fluid power content, we offer much more. Our five websites include Fluid Power World, Pneumatic Tips , Mobile Hydraulic Tips , Hose Assembly Tips , and new in 2016 Sealing & Contamination Control Tips .  Each of these titles also includes a monthly e-newsletter with the great content found on the websites being sent out directly to our opt-in audience. Our custom offerings include webinars, white papers, video, our Fluid Power Technology Conference, and more.  2017 is an IFPE year and we have a special promotional package leading up to the event.  So, fluid power marketers, pl...

After missing a few years, I had the privilege of attending the 2016 FPDA/ISD Joint Industry Summit in beautiful Savanna.  For more information about FPDA visit their website . I wasn't sure what to expect because I had been away from the event for a few years and I was very pleasantly surprised to find out the the FPDA is alive and well.  The meeting provided some networking opportunities along with interesting topics and speakers.  Again, visit the FPDA website for all of the details. The leadership of the Board of Directors went from Tim Gillig of Livingston & Haven to Andrea Tysdale of JEM Technical.  Thanks to Tim for a year of leadership and best wishes to Andrea. The keynote speaker who created a lot of positive buzz was Herb Meyer in a session titled What in the World is Going On?  A Global Intelligence Briefing for CEOs.  I missed the session but heard that it was memorable.  That was followed by the UID-in-a-Day Workshops,...

This week, the IMTS show is taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, in fact, it wraps up tomorrow.  This year's event featured hundreds and hundreds of exhibits and over 110,000 attendees. There were several Pavillions and co-located events at McCormick Place too. I can remember when only the East Building existed at McCormick on the shores of Lake Michigan. Now there are several show halls and IMTS took up every one of them!  Wow.  In fact, there are North, South, East, and West buildings all attached by sky bridges and the Grand Concourse. The co-located shows include Industrial Automation, MDA, Surface Technology, Industrial Supply, ComVac, EDM, Controls & CAD/CAM, and Quality Assurance.  These were held in the good old East Building, that brown, big roof structure that I visited in the 1970s for the very first time. There was an NFPA Pavillion at the show featuring exhibits from fluid power companies in the MDA portion of the event.  To get the...

One of the challenges of launching a new website is getting the critical mass of content posted to that site to make it interesting and attractive to new viewers.  We are getting there with our new website Sealing & Contamination Control Tips. We launched this website just this year to address matters of sealing and contamination in hydraulic and pneumatic systems.  As our content grows overall at Fluid Power World , our content involving sealing and contamination or filtration issues grows as well. Now we have a place to host information specific to seals and filters.  It is more than that though.  This new website contains content about the components but also about system designs and materials used to effect better sealing and cleanliness in fluid power systems. So, if your company has such content, send it to us for posting on our new website.

Well first of all, no, I don't think so.  While we have been experiencing a difficult few years in fluid power, we are still a stable industry with applications across many markets with new innovations every year.  However, that was a good lead in to my discussion about the book "Our Iceberg is Melting" by John Kotter which I listened to this week. This is a book about dealing with change and you can learn much more about Mr. Kotter's works on this subject by visiting his website .   Our fluid power industry is always in a state of change and many companies have dealt with the changes very well while some have not.  There have been challenges from other technologies, from other countries, and from changes in the marketplace. If you read or listened to this book, your company will probably benefit from the insights about dealing with change in business as portrayed there.  Give it a look.

I never get tired of seeing a brand new issue of our magazine, Fluid Power World , for the first time.  Today was that day for our August issue. This issue feature some very important information from our advertisers.  Every ad contains a message that is helpful to designers and maintenance people working with fluid power systems.  So, to gain and hold an advantage for your company's machinery both OEM and aftermarket, check out our issues regularly. The main feature articles are:  Industrial Hydraulics - How does water glycol fluid affect hydraulic seals? Sensors - Using your senses to better understand your system Pneumatics - Right-sized cylinders ensure performance and efficiency Mobile Hydraulics - Pilot systems for mining shovels - also the cover story If you are not yet subscribing to Fluid Power World and you find this lineup of articles to be interesting, then please visit our subscription page of our website  to order yo...

I heard a lot of economic news and evaluation this week specifically regarding the fluid power industry and all of the markets served.  I attended the 2016 Industry and Economic Outlook Conference presented by the National Fluid Power Association.  What are my key takeaways and what does it all mean? Well, let's start with the key takeaways 2016 has been a fairly soft year for all of fluid power with some negatives in mining and oil & gas dragging things down US Industrial Production is low but growing and should grow through 2018 There is a possibility for inflation down the road Brexit has had minimal effect on the world economy The U.S. has once again become a great place to manufacturing all types of goods, machinery, and materials 2017 could be a good year for mobile hydraulics Mining has been very depressed but could be showing a turnaround The Chinese economy remains a concern for global economics The U.S. construction industry has a good ups...

The fluid power industry has long been a very stable and mature industry.  There have been many innovations that have kept hydraulic and pneumatic components very competitive with other motion and control components even though the technology remains very much the same year over year. In the November issue of Fluid Power World, as I have written about recently, we are using the occasion of our company's tenth anniversary in business to give our customers the opportunity to convey to their customers through our media, the major changes and improvements that have taken place over the past 10 years.  Additionally, they are asked to share their vision for the next 10 years. I hope that your company will consider taking part in this special issue.  Our audience would like to know what challenges your company and products have addressed over the past 10 years.  What innovations have helped to keep fluid power moving forward?  What vision does your company hav...

That, of course, stands for the Industry and Economic Outlook Conference taking place on August 15-17 at the Westing Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL. The three-day event kicks off with a golf tournament called the IEOC Invitational and the funds raised by the event are used for fluid power education.  It is always a fun event and it will be taking place at the Chevy Chase Country Club also in Wheeling.  I encourage all fluid power golfers to come out and join in. The golf tournament is followed immediately by a welcome reception also at the Chevy Chase Country Club.  This is an opportunity for all attendees, both golfers and non-golfers, to network and get to know other industry professionals and get reacquainted with others. On Tuesday, the Conference gets under way with opening remarks by the NFPA and then presentations by this year's speakers.  Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics will talk about Global Economics from an ITR Perspective.  Mark Killion of ...

Here is a post  from our new website Sealing & Contamination Control Tips I think you will find it amusing and fun.  I did! If your company is involved with sealing and contamination control of fluid power systems in any way, please send us your content to post.

In the world of technology, things are changing faster than ever.  I would contend that the rate of change is also increasing.  Think of the innovations that have affected your lifestyle since 2006. Our company WTWH Media LLC was formed in 2006 with the launch of Design World magazine and digital media network.  So, in 2016 we are commemorating our 10th year in business.   Fluid Power World launched in 2014 as a part of WTWH Media and we are helping to mark this very important time with an anniversary celebration of our own. In our November issue, we will be publishing content provided by our advertisers about the past ten and next ten years.  They will be addressing questions such as: What have you learned about managing innovation in the past ten years? If you had the chance to do one thing differently over the past ten years, what would it be? What has surprised you most about your business over the past ten years? The answers compiled in th...

In the business-to-business marketing world, what is the value of technical product or application video?  My answer to that is simple, it is very important from the prospective that it offers potential customers the opportunity to learn about a company's products in yet a different way. We embrace that concept here at WTWH Media and Fluid Power World.  Just check out our Video http://www.fluidpowerworld.com/fluid-power-world-videos/ to learn more. We offer our clients several types of video options.  We do in-studio tutorial videos either with an interviewer or solo with the client doing the talking.  We also do product review videos with products and scripts presented by our editors. We conduct many trade show videos because they provide a great setting for a video considering that products are usually on display and marketing people or technical experts are ready to talk.  Additionally, we do on location videos at clients plant locations.  ...

My how time flies!  It seems like just a few years ago that we started Fluid Power World magazine and digital media network ... well that is actually true, we did start it in 2014.  But, our parent company, WTWH Media LLC did start 10 years ago in 2006. Therefore, all of the magazines at our company are joining the party with Design World, our very first publication to celebrate our tenth anniversary! I will be getting more details out about this event but two very important issues will be forthcoming.  The October issue of Design World and the November issue of Fluid Power World will be our anniversary issues.  Thus, we will be announcing special advertising offers as well as editorial opportunities.  Not only will we be looking back over the past 10 years to see how far technology has come, but we will be asking about the next 10 years with such questions as: 1.  What technologies will change manufacturing for the better in the next 10 yea...

I have been involved in the Business-to-Business media, also know as B2B, for a long time.  I started in print media only and then moved to print and digital, and then to print, digital, and custom, and then to who knows where. My point is that media consumption in the B2B world continues to evolve.  The way that engineers, in my case, consume media continues to change and that is why Fluid Power World  offers our audience media content in many forms.  Our digital network now includes six websites and e-newsletters that report in one way or another on fluid power technology. We offer custom media in the form of webinars and e-based content, and now an in-person event called the Fluid Power Technology Conference.  All of this still leaves open the question of "What is the value of print media in today's business world?"  I cannot completely and accurately answer that question because the value has always been very hard to measure. I direct your attenti...

Would you like to know more about the performance of the economy involving machinery and equipment powered by fluid power systems, both hydraulic and pneumatic?  Would you like to know more about what to expect in the next 12 months and beyond? If the answer to either or both questions is YES, you should consider attending the 2016 Industry and Economic Outlook Conference by the NFPA. Over the years, I have found this to be one of the most informative events available to industry professionals looking to learn more about our economy to aid in planning their own budgets.  For more information about the event, please click here. The event will feature IEOC favorites such as Alan Beaulieu, Eli Lustgarten, and Jim Meil.  On the NFPA website, you will find a full list of speakers and sessions. Fluid Power World is very proud to once again be a GOLD sponsor of the event!

We have three remaining print issues scheduled for Fluid Power World this year.  The next issue will be published in August and I have described that here in this blog in the recent past.  I know it is still just mid-Summer but it is not too early to start talking about September and November. Here are the lineups for those issues: September will feature: Mobile:  Construction Equipment Industrial:  High-Speed Industrial Applications Pneumatic:  Packaging Machinery PackExpo Preview Product Focus:  Pneumatic Valves and November Mobile:  Maintaining Mobile Hydraulic Systems Industrial:  Hydraulic Efficiency Pneumatic:  Focus on Vacuum Product Focus:  Hose and Tubing If your company sells fluid power components to Design Engineers, Maintenance Professionals, or into the Supply Chain, consider advertising in Fluid Power World   in 2016.  Please contact me with any questions.

Seals are used in virtually all fluid power applications making them a vital part of every system.  The importance of proper sealing for a fluid power system is a big part of why we launched our new website and e-newsletter titled Sealing & Contamination Control Tips .  It give our audience a unique forum for all matters involving fluid power sealing. If you are a system designer, repair and maintenance professional, or are involved in the supply chain, please check out our new website .  If your company makes sealing products, please send us press releases and application success stories to post on our website. On another note involving seals, we will be hosting a webinar on August 16, 2016 on the subject of sealing for fluid power.   You can register for free by clicking here.

Our 2016 Fluid Power Handbook contains updates on fluid power components to offer our audience a guide to making the best selections.  While safety is obviously not a component, it is an important enough of a topic that we give it a separate section in this edition. We are very interested in more contributions about the topic of fluid power safety.  We invite all component and system users and designers to send us their safety stories.

If you have not yet had a chance to review our 2016 Fluid Power Handbook, then you should take a look.   Click here for the digital edition. We have updates and descriptions on 12 pneumatic categories including Air Brakes and Clutches, Air Dryers, Air Springs, and Compact Cylinders.  There are updates and descriptions on 20 hydraulic categories including Accumulators, Bar Stock, Filters, and Fittings. It could take you all year to read the entire thing.  Not really but you should keep the print issue all year and refer to it often as ... the content goes on and on!

Regardless of what you already know or would like to know, our Fluid Power Handbook  offers you an update on gauges used in fluid power systems.  Without pressure gauges, fluid power systems would be both unpredictable and unreliable.  Read more in our Fluid Power Handbook. This issue is our regular June issue of Fluid Power World but it is our Handbook issue.  It features explanations on a wide variety of fluid power components.  So, whether you are a seasoned veteran of fluid power technology or a student, there is a benefit to this issue for you!

Where are we with green technology in fluid power?  If you would like to learn more about that subject, I refer you to our 2016 Fluid Power Handbook.   Starting on page 6 you will find an article titled Fluid Power Fights Back. by our Associate Editor, Mike Santora. In this article, Mike draws on the expertise of some industry professionals for their insight on the subject.  I think that you will be surprised on how far our industry has come in the area of clean and efficient operation of machinery both in the plant and in the field. This issue is our annual Fluid Power Handbook containing many pages of tutorial type content on all types of fluid power components.  This is a keeper for engineers and other technical people looking to learn more about components or just brush up on the technology.  If you are a subscriber, this issue has already arrived in your mailbox.   If you are not a subscriber but would like to be, just visit our website ...

At Fluid Power World , we report on complete fluid power systems and all of the components involved to make them work.   The only way to design, maintain, and operate an efficient and productive machine or vehicle is by understanding the whole system.   All of our excellent content furthers the fluid power education of our audience members.   Your advertising embedded in our content is the very best way to raise the awareness of your company and brand.   We will also generate sales leads for your sales team through our network. We offer a unique approach to marketing your products to our engineering audience using print and digital media to surround our reader/user with excellent content received in the method of delivery that they prefer including print, digital, or both. Our upcoming August issue will feature mining equipment, in-plant hydraulics, pneumatic system design, sensors for fluid power and much more. Our digital network includes six websites...