Michael Ference Fluid Power Marketing

We have a great issue planned for the last month of 2020.  Our December issue will feature the use of hydraulics in mobile equipment used for Snow and Ice Removal .  That could be a very timely topic as we approach winter.   Fluid power systems on this special segment of work trucks offers power and accuracy for keeping our roads clean in the winter. Next, we will take a look at the Power Gen industry.   Whether it is hydro electric, solar, wind, or other, fluid power plays a role in all power gen options to keep the world lit up.  Of course power is critical to all industry and to our everyday life in general. One of the biggest markets for pneumatics is Pneumatics in Automation.   With the application of IoT, AI, and Machine Learning, automation machinery improves on a regular basis to make industry more efficient. Our product focus components for December will by pneumatic grippers and hydraulic pumps .  Both are heavily used components in their re...

 One of many things that a magazine does for readers is to allow reading at your leisure.  That is just what I am recommending for our October issue of Fluid Power World. In this issue, our readers will find lots of content about the use of fluid power in both industrial and mobile applications.  That includes minimizing downtime in industrial machinery using phased upgrades on page 40.  It also includes high efficiency with hydraulics in electric machinery on page 44. Here is a link to the digital issue  however, I prefer the printed copy so that I can "read at my leisure" even when I am not connected.  If you would like to subscribe to our print edition, please visit our website .  There you can subscribe to our print issue as well as our five e-newsletters. You can also find our digital issue right on our website as well.  All of our article also appear in posts on our websites so we are making it as convenient as possible for readers to get th...

We have another great presentation scheduled for next week in our Fluid Power Technology Conference Virtual Series.  Our sponsor and presenter will be ProportionAir.  Our speakers will be Application Engineer Ron Hibbler and Business Development Manager Jeff Johnston. Engineers working on solutions for pneumatic applications have many options for compressed air and gas control, from simple mechanical valves to complex assemblies. Add finding a product to meet all the specifications, and the entire process is a challenge. For those who are ready for a product that works without the trial-and-error of a manual device or the uncertainty of off-the-shelf units, electro-pneumatic regulation could be the answer. Join  Ron Hibbler  and  Jeff Johnston  from Proportion Air on  Tuesday, October 27 at 2PM EST  to discuss applications that require precision, accuracy and repeatability that electro-pneumatic control can provide.  Click here to register fo...

During my selling career in fluid power, I have been blessed with many great customers who have very much helped me in my career.  There are hundreds, but I would like to mention a few in this post as the people who had the biggest impact on me. Early in my career, I had the honor of meeting and working with the late Lynne Parry of Apple Rubber Products in Lancaster, NY.  Lynne detected some shyness on my part in our first meeting and she promptly told me "Come on, let's go to lunch and talk." She took a personal interest in my career and wanted to share some of her enthusiasm and give me some ideas on how to be more open and engaging.   Lynne was known throughout the sealing industry as a passionate, engaging, professional, and all around wonderful person.  She was very customer oriented and actually taught people how to run trade show booths.  We became great friends and in fact, Lynne invited me to her home for dinner with her and her husband several times. ...

 On Tuesday, October 13th, Ashley Busquets of FD-Groups America presented some very interesting information on fluid power system controls on our Fluid Power Technology Conference Virtual Series.  I invite you to view this and all of our past 8 sessions on-demand by clicking here . FD-Groups America offers to its customers a complete Model Based Design (MBD) approach. Following the design and verification of the satisfactory behavior of a machine, the MBD approach can be extended to the control system development.   Please take some time to review this informative presentation and feel free to reach out to Ashley with questions. Our next presentation will take place on October 27 and our sponsor and presenter is Proportion- Air. Improving Your Process with Precision Electro-Pneumatic Control in Any Industry Engineers working on solutions for pneumatic applications have many options for compressed air and gas control, from simple mechanical valves to complex assemblie...

Since graduating from college, I have basically worked for three companies including CRC Press for one year, Penton for 36 plus years, and WTWH Media for almost 7 years.  Many of my coworkers have been like family to me because, over the years we shared so much.  You need these kinds of people in your life and I would like to acknowledge some of them in this segment. Even though it has been decades, one person in particular at CRC Press made quite an impression on me.  All I remember is that her name was Jan O and she ran the word processing department.  I observed and learned from her dedication to her career clearly understanding that your career is your livelihood.  I haven't spoken to her in over 40 years but Thank You Jan O! Paul Lange and Mike Weil were two of my very best friends during my years at Penton.  We worked together on the same staff and shared hours and hours of excellent times including daily lunches.  Everyone needs great work frien...

 On October 13, 2020 our Fluid Power Technology Conference Virtual Series will continue with a presentation from FD-Groups America who has been a regular participant in our live conference over the years. Our speaker will be Ashley Busquets of FD-Groups America, a company that offers its customers a complete Model Based Design approach.  Following the design and verification of the satisfactory behavior of a machine, the MBD approach can be extended to the control system development.  Applications on industrial cases including a hydrostatic transmission control, virtual intervention zones for a platform, and the latest endeavor of autonomous driving of agricultural machinery will be presented in this FPTC virtual session. We thank Ashley and FD-Groups America for sharing their expertise with our audience.  Registration for the event is free and you can follow this link to sign up.  This will be the seventh in our Virtual Series.  Following Ashley's present...

I made it a point early in my selling career to get the advice of experts.  I found several authors and speakers who offered great advice to a professional salesperson/business person.  I learned a lot from Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar, Jim Collins, Tony D'Alexander, Marcus Buckingham, Shauna Shue, and many more. Brian Tracy has always been my number one virtual mentor as I have read and listened to many of his books and audio programs.  He shares great advice on selling, personal development, time management, leadership and more.  I own a set of CDs that I have listened to over and over while driving my car. I strongly recommend that you listen to and read the works of Brian as he offers great practical advice for all business people.  I actually had the privilege of meeting him at a seminar in Cleveland several years ago.  I consider him a virtual mentor. The other virtual mentor that I would like to mention is Jim Collins .  My interest in ...

Our Fluid Power Technology Conference Virtual Series has been very successful in the second half of 2020 with seven sessions taking place already and four more scheduled.  You can view our first seven sessions on demand by clicking here. We will be continuing our Virtual Series in January 2021 with sessions schedule for January 12 and 26, 2021.  We invite your company to share your solutions from our virtual stage and take questions from our audience.  Please contact me for more details at mference@wtwhmedia.com  

It takes a community to make a business professional, and I have been blessed in my journey with some wonderful coworkers, many who have been mentors.  I would like to recall and acknowledge a few in this segment. When I started at Hydraulics & Pneumatics in 1977, Ned Stull was the Executive Editor of the magazine.  I was 23 at the time and Ned was at least 20 years older and an Air Force Veteran and former pilot.  At first, I was not sure how to relate to Ned but I didn't need to worry about that because he made sure that he related to me.  Over the years, we were not only colleagues but dear friends.  Over the years, I accumulatively spent hours and hours speaking with Ned one-on-one about work and about life.  Ned taught me a lot!  I even picked up many of his sayings and use them to this day.  Ned was a mentor and a great friend! Another great friend, colleague, mentor, and coworker started at the same time that I did.  Dick Schneider...