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Supply chain issues have been a hot topic since the pandemic started, making their way into headlines across the world. IBEX 365, in partnership with the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), held a webinar addressing supply chain concerns for manufacturers on April 29, 2021. IBEX 365 is North America’s largest technical trade event for marine industry professionals. NMMA is the leading trade organization for the North American recreational boating industry. Andrea Sordi, Clinical Professor Supply Chain Management, University of Tennessee, spoke with Scott Berry, Director of Engineering Standards, NMMA, to answer questions about planning for disruptive events such as costly shipping, innovation, and consolidation. Global and environmental factors are shaking the principles on which the supply chain has built itself. The pandemic, trade wars, tariffs, etc. have all impacted the global supply chain over the last 18 months. With these tumultuous landscapes changing daily, many manufacturers are struggling with no end in sight. Sordi explained that extreme solutions do not solve these problems. He said, "You need to find balance. Extreme doesn't work. Some materials can be sourced nearshore [vs. offshore], so the question becomes how do you control that balance?" He encouraged manufacturers to think critically about their supply chains and pivot quickly when issues, like costly shipping, arise. How can manufacturers plan for disruptive events?Although no event can be fully anticipated, some preparations can be made in advance. Sordi explained that too much time is spent perfecting data and forecasts when the truth is accurate forecasts are entirely subjective. Each company has to decide for what "accurate" means for them. However, Sordi elaborated that what matters is the ability to turn those forecasts into directional data and understand how different scenarios might play out. Accuracy is less important than ability to be flexible. This can be difficulty to do since the supply chain has built itself around the bottom line and growth, which downplays risk management; all industries need to move to a supply chain that is lean and has groundwork built on flexibility instead. Another way companies can prepare for disruptive events is to ask the question, "How can the company shape demand in the future?" Sordi posed this question so companies look beyond current demand and determine how they can influence it. Looking for new customers and tracking new customer interests are ways the companies can shape demand; the idea is to get ahead of the curve and lead demand in the business's favor. Investing in infrastructure, personnel, and automation can also help anticipate or lessen the effect of disruptive events. For example, if companies take the time to understand where bottlenecks occur in their supply chains, they can mitigate those effects now instead of waiting until the bottleneck causes issues. Innovation and the Supply ChainManufacturers are constantly looking for ways to innovate their products, services, and processes, but there are many hurdles to innovation, including the supply chain. It is unlikely innovation will be found within the supply chain; businesses may need to forge relationships with more than one supplier to create the desired result. Use long-term tactics and strategies with suppliers so a stable, symbiotic relationship is made. When looking for suppliers, small and medium enterprises may be worthwhile investments. According to Sordi, small and medium businesses are more diverse and 20 to 30 percent more creative than big businesses. Many companies start with a tool and then build business around that tool. However, that is not a sustainable business model. It is much more effective to have a goal or an answer to the question "why are you making this tool/product/service/etc.?" and work backward from there to create a business. Understand why this particular product needs innovating. Even working from this model, innovation can still fail if the values and goals are not aligned internally. If the team does not understand why this innovation needs to be made, not only will confusion run rampant, but trust between leadership and employees could break down. Consolidation in the Supply ChainWhen questioned about consolidation within the supply chain, Sordi did not believe it was a solution. "Consolidation means putting too many eggs in the same basket," he said. It is not a solution the the issues that exist right now. He explains there was a big push for consolidation several years ago because it made managing more efficient. Keeping the supply chain diverse does not only spark innovation, as mentioned above, but can also create competitiveness within the industry. Overall, diversifying supply chins is a much safer solution than consolidation. Quick Tips to Improve Supply Chains
Update courtesy of the National Association of Manufacturers. New Supply Chain Plan Released This week the White House released a report on “Building Resilient Supply Chains” and outlined measures our government will undertake to address the supply-chain challenges that continue to plague manufacturers. The report includes policy recommendations and highlights work that is underway to address supply chain vulnerabilities, including: steps to strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity for critical goods, to recruit and train workers to make critical products here at home, to invest in research and development that will reduce supply chain vulnerabilities, and to work with America’s allies and partners to strengthen collective supply chain resilience.
You can read NAMs response here.
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 Terry Jones, NATM Technical Director In the past year, NATM has implemented several changes to the Compliance Verification Program (CVP) due to the Association’s continual effort to improve, while also protecting the health and safety of members and staff in the wake of COVID-19. These changes, combined with the vast diversity in our membership in types of trailers produced and geography, make it an interesting career as we assist members with their compliance requirements across the country. NATM currently has two compliance consultants on staff who regularly conduct compliance consultations, and as Technical Director, I complete a small number of consultations each year.
Pre-COVID-19, the average week looked much different for consultants than it does today. They would fly to a region and conduct the entire consultation process onsite. This process would typically take around three days and would include anywhere from a handful to a dozen consultations. At present, due to safety precautions, consultants avoid air travel whenever possible to minimize possible exposure to the virus. Further, NATM has separated consultations into two parts, the onsite trailer inspection and the remote documentation/informational portion rather than conducting the entire consultation onsite to reduce possible exposure to virus both for our members and consultants. This means the amount of time onsite has also been minimized, and thus more consultations can be conducted within the same time frame. The concentration of members varies wildly across the United States. Certain parts have a cluster of members such as Elkhart, Ind. or northeast Texas while other parts of the country have very few member facilities like areas in Nevada or Wyoming. In early March, I travelled to Elkhart and I was able to conduct 21 trailer inspections within two and half days. On the other hand, I have also travelled thousands of miles in many more days only to be able to conduct a fraction of the inspections completed in Elkhart. When determining the length of consultations, the type of trailer involved is yet another factor. Inspecting a utility trailer that is 79 inches wide and has a GVWR of 2,990 lbs. can be fully inspected in less than a few minutes, while a horse trailer or car hauler with a GVWR over 10,000 lbs. will take significantly more time. This drastic change in inspection time is due to the number of relevant items on the CVP checklist that need to be accounted for, such as clearance lamps. The small utility trailer will not require them but the horse trailer will. Conspicuity treatment (DOT tape) is another example; a car hauler is required to have the tape while the small utility trailer is not. If the consultant is inspecting a boat trailer, the hand winch must also be inspected. Each of these checklist items will add to a compliance consultation’s length. Additionally, new members and re-certifying members usually have differing consultation lengths. Re-certifying members’ consultations typically flow smoother and conclude quicker than new member consultations. This difference in length is expected. A new member will usually have more questions or need more clarification as they have not been through the process. The plethora of regulations governing trailer construction are complicated, so it is unusual for a new member to have all of their trailers align with regulations the first time around. In addition, just over half of recertifying members pass their consultation outright; though, these members are generally familiar enough with the regulations that explanations do not take as long. I can’t speak for the other two compliance consultants, Scott Crimmins and Sean Sloan, but I am a talker—guilty as charged. If a member is unable to accompany me during the trailer inspection, I can move quickly through the process, but if I’m conducting a consultation where the member is present and that member is also a talker, I could be on-site for considerably longer. Favorite college football teams (Kansas State), my or the member’s children (I have three boys and always have a story), outdoor vacation spots (Glacier National Park or Yosemite), and many more topics have been discussed during consultations. More serious topics of conversations include the workforce shortage or component availability. These discussions help me better understand that particular member and the trailer industry as a whole. If I receive the same questions or concerns over and over again or notice other trends from consultations, then I know our members would benefit from further education on said topics. These topics often result in webinars, forums, Tracks articles, or any other form of communication we think would best disseminate the information. Although the structure of the day is pretty straight forward, the times can vary wildly. While many manufacturing operations begin well before 8:00 a.m., some do not. With this in mind, we typically start our day with the first consultation at 8:00 a.m., followed by as many consultations as we can fit within the day while still allowing ample time for the consultations themselves, driving between member locations, and time for lunch. With many operations starting before 8:00 a.m., often times offices will close before 5:00 p.m. which limits how late into the day we can conduct consultations. Usually, consultations begin no later than 3:30 p.m. Deceivingly, this sounds like an early day, but I usually eat lunch in my car driving between member facilities, and at the end of the day, I can either be five minutes from the hotel or five hours. I’ve gotten to the hotel as early as 2:00 p.m. or as late as 2:00 a.m. The rare early days are much preferred as they allow me to input reports, answer member questions, and catch up on email, rather than an overloaded workday once I return. Speaking of hotels, we all have our favorite companies to use while traveling. The NATM Board is fantastic in allowing consultants to plan and schedule their own travel as long as it is cost conscious. While each consultant differs, my favorites include Southwest Airlines, Hertz or Dollar Rentals, and Holiday Inn Express. When it comes to food, I’m famous around the office for eating McDonalds or pizza multiple times a day and certainly multiple times per trip! For example, I had pizza five times in three days on my recent trip to Elkhart, Ind. Food options have been limited as we attempt to avoid any unnecessary potential exposure to COVID-19; we often use drive-thru or delivery options. Having great conversations and seeing this wonderful country is fun and exciting, but our purpose is to support our members. This is the driving force behind all of our processes and recent changes, and why we gladly accept repetitive, subpar food or time away from our families. We are constantly putting effort into molding our program, travel-related and not, to reach the Association’s goal of an extremely high level of member support. For more information or questions on NATM’s Compliance Verification Program, contact NATM Technical Director Terry Jones at Terry.Jones@natm.com  The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) is gearing up for the fourth annual national Trailer Safety Week to be held June 6-12, 2021! With this traffic safety campaign, the Association hopes to improve the safety of the nation’s roadways by raising trailer safety awareness through education of trailer end-users, dealers and manufacturers. The goal is to close the communication gap between trailer manufacturers and end-users to make towing safer. This weeklong celebration is the perfect opportunity to share some safe trailering tips with your community.
The truth is most end-users are vastly undereducated on the proper use of trailers, and with millions of trailers traversing the nation’s roadways every day, safe trailering practices are life-saving. We recognize we wouldn’t buy a car without key safety features, such as seatbelts, but purchasing a trailer with missing safety components can be just as dangerous. It is crucial that trailers are being towed safely for the sake of everyone on the roads. NATM makes it easy to learn about safe trailering practices. From driving tips to trailer maintenance and components, the Trailer Safety Week website provides need-to-know information regarding trailer safety in an easy-to-understand format. Visit www.TrailerSafetyWeek.com to access these materials and more! The website houses the Safely Towing Brochure which contains important information on hitching, cargo securement, tires, driving tips and the importance of purchasing NATM compliant trailers. It is free, easily accessible and mobile friendly. We encourage you to join the hundreds of companies, associations and end-users already celebrating Trailer Safety Week! If you are part of an organization that would like to further support Trailer Safety Week, visit www.TrailerSafetyWeek.com/interest to sign up as a Trailer Safety Ally. As an Ally, you will receive a pre-crafted marketing kit to promote your involvement in TSW and share safe trailering practices. Don’t delay, join this trailer safety movement taking the nation by storm today. Questions? Contact the Trailer Safety Week team at TrailerSafetyWeek@natm.com. Trailer Safety Week (TSW) is an annual nation-wide awareness campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of being committed to trailer safety, educating end-users about proper trailer maintenance and usage, and creating a stronger alliance between stakeholders of the industry including trailer dealers, manufacturers, and end-users. Last year alone, TSW reached over 90,000 individuals.
First launched in 2018, TSW sought to help bridge the gap of communication between trailer manufacturers and end-users. Talking about the importance of trailers built to meet required Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) can be a daunting task as end-users do not understand the complex regulations governing compliant trailer manufacturing. They recognize that they would not purchase a car without seat belts, but they do not understand that buying a trailer without key safety features can be just as dangerous. End-users are vastly under-educated on the proper use of trailers, and it is crucial to utilize the connections that dealers and manufacturers have with consumers in order to raise awareness of proper towing techniques and maintenance. Getting involved in this important industry campaign shows potential customers that not only is the dealership a leader in the industry, but truly committed to trailer safety. Impress customers and instill confidence in the company’s dedication to safety by joining this trailer safety movement. Participating in TSW is easy! Becoming an Official Trailer Safety Week Ally is a wonderful opportunity for companies who want to be involved in the safety movement but don't have significant time to invest. The TSW team provides Allies with the official Trailer Safety Communications kit to promote their involvement in Trailer Safety Week and to share information about safe trailering practices. This digital kit includes:
Promoting the dealership’s involvement with Trailer Safety Week is a breeze with this jam-packed kit. The content can even be customized to include content specific to the dealership’s typical customer. TrailerSafetyWeek.com also houses a free towing safely guide to ensure trailer-users have readily accessible safety information at their fingertips. Wow your customers by highlighting this free safety resource that reminds them the dealership is looking out for them and their well-being long after they leave the lot. Topics include:
Now especially, safe trailering practices are important. NHSTA is cracking down on compliance violations, and two recent accidents have brought to light the importance of safe trailering practices. One accident, previously covered in an article on behalf of NHTSA, resulted in a fatality due to inappropriately connected safety chains between the tow vehicle and towed unit which led to disconnection on a highway. More recently, safety chains saved a couple dangling nearly 100 feet above a river. Safe trailering practices save lives, and with millions of trailers—used by businesses, local governments, and individuals—traversing the nation’s roadways every day, it is crucial to ensure that trailers are being towed safely for the sake of everyone on the roads. NATM calls upon trailer dealers to join the movement in making roadways safer one trailer at a time. Learn more at www.TrailerSafetyWeek.com/interest or email TrailerSafetyWeek@natm.com.  For 15 years, Monica Johnson has been a fixture of NATM and an invaluable contributor to the Association’s success. On Jan. 31, Monica will be joining her husband in their next great chapter —retirement!
In 2006, NATM hired Monica to assist with part-time administrative work. She quickly proved herself to be capable, versatile, and meticulous with details, and as such, she started supporting the Convention, member services, and the NATM Compliance Verification Program. While in this role, Monica became the master user of NATM’s membership database, serving as a resource to her entire team. On top of this, Monica has also been a vital part of NATM’s onboarding process over the years. Her expansive knowledge of NATM’s programs and processes as well as her innate teaching ability and endless patience have made her a key trainer for new staff. As NATM’s staff structure continued to evolve, and Monica continued to prove her adaptability and attention to detail, she was promoted to Trade Show Director, working with exhibitors and overseeing registration. She helped to streamline processes and sold out the trade show floor year after year. In this role, Monica also led the transition of the Association with the unenviable task of switching membership databases —a project which took many months and long hours to carry out. Monica quickly learned the new system and again trained her fellow employees. Not long after, Monica played a significant role in transitioning NATM’s Convention booth sales process to an online software—a transition which has paid dividends in time, resources, and user ease since its implementation. In 2017, as the NATM staff again evolved, Monica was approached to take over the role of Quality Director, handling NATM’s Quality Management System and ensuring its adherence to ISO 17020, an international standard for certification bodies. Monica was the perfect fit for this role. Her attention to detail, expansive knowledge of NATM and its processes, and ability to work independently and self-motivate set her apart. While the Quality Director role was not one that Monica had envisioned for herself, it was her commitment to what is best for her team that led to her taking on the role willingly and with fervor. Monica is a “Jane-of-All-Trades”, the best example of a utility player. She knows it all because during her 15 years she has done it all. She provides historical perspective, but is equally invested in change and progress—she truly lives a life devoted to continuous improvement. Monica has spent her tenure being a reliable, hardworking, and loyal member of the NATM team. She has taken on new roles and changing responsibilities with incredible grace and flexibility. She is trusted by her entire team to do whatever needs to be done and to do it well. She will be leaving the Association better than she found it. As Monica embarks on her well-deserved retirement, NATM will miss her immensely. The NATM staff will miss her steadfast approach to all tasks, her willingness to pitch in, and the baked goods she would bring throughout the year —but most especially the giant tray of goodies around the holidays. She treated her coworkers like friends, she cared deeply about everyone, and she showed that in countless ways over her 15 years with NATM. NATM wishes Monica well as she settles into the full-time role of wife, mother, and “Grandmama” to four adorable grandsons! May this next chapter be filled with things she loves most! The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM), known as the resource for safety and compliance for the light- and medium-duty trailer industry, has published the 2020 edition of the Guidelines. This massive document takes the guesswork out of meeting federal requirements governing the manufacturing of trailers under 26,000 lbs. GVWR and is a benefit of NATM membership.
Building trailers to meet the federal regulations outlined in the NATM Guidelines is not optional. It is required by law and enforced by law enforcement every day on the nation’s roadways. But it can be very time-intensive for trailer manufacturers to research the numerous federal rules, regulations, standards, and accepted industry practices that govern trailer construction. NATM addresses this by compiling the Guidelines for Recommended Manufacturing Practices for Light- and Medium-Duty Trailers. The document consists of over 400 pages of laws, regulations, rules, standards, and industry best practices. This information is gathered from resources such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, the Traffic Safety Administration, the Maintenance Council, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association amongst others. The Guidelines is updated annually by industry experts that stay abreast of changing regulations and who vet the addition of recommendations and best practices. Members report substantial time savings by utilizing the Guidelines, particularly on the topics of lighting and reflectors, VIN and data plates, gross vehicle weight ratings, and state brake requirements. While the Guidelines focus on U.S. regulations, many may have an interest in Canadian compliance. For more information, visit Transport Canada’s website at www.TV.GC.ca/en/transport-canada.html. In recent years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has increased its enforcement activity concerning the compliance of motor vehicle manufacturers, including trailer manufacturers. NHTSA has placed particular concern on meeting tire recordkeeping requirements, which includes both manufacturer records as well as the provision of TIN cards to dealers, distributors, and purchasers. This is only one of the many requirements outlined in NATM’s Guidelines. NATM assists its trailer manufacturing members in avoiding costly fines and decreasing liability related to trailer compliance through the NATM Compliance Verification Program (CVP). The NATM CVP is an unbiased, third-party audit of the trailer manufacturing process and uses the Guidelines as the backbone for the program. The CVP provides biennial on-site consultations to trailer manufacturers and technical assistance throughout the entire process to ensure companies are manufacturing trailers consistent with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and other industry best practices. Once a trailer manufacturer has successfully passed the Compliance Verification Program, the company is able to purchase NATM Decals and market their company’s dedication to fulfilling their safety requirements by participating in an unbiased, third-party audit of their trailers. While participation in the NATM Compliance Verification Program is an additional, voluntary cost for manufacturers, there are economic benefits of participation. “The first-year sales saw a 20 percent boost and blew past the forecast over three years for the sales improvements for revenue targets for the existing trailer product. We will continue to use up the [NATM] labels we have in stock, and then order more,” said Pete Dixon, Engineer at Karcher North America, Inc., regarding the benefit of being a member of the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers. For more information about how the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers can assist your trailer manufacturing company, visit www.NATM.com, email NATMHQ@natm.com, or call (785) 272-4433. Your 2021 NATM membership renewal notice was mailed to the attention of your accounts payable department in November. For international members, invoices were emailed. You have the option to renew your membership online at www.NATM.com. Log into the Members Only section to view and pay the invoice. Should you decide to pay online, please advise accounts payable to disregard the notice. Your membership login credentials are below. Pay Membership Dues Online Instantly:
Troubleshooting Online Payments: No Invoice When Logging In? Thank you for attempting to renew your membership with NATM online! Did you try logging into the Member’s Only portal to pay, only to find that there are no open invoices attached to your account? Are you seeing your main contact’s first and last name instead of only your company’s name? Then unfortunately your computer is remembering the wrong credentials! When logging in, you should only see your company’s name. To ensure that your computer accepts the new credentials sent to main contacts in late November, please try the following:
Correct: When using the correct credentials, your business name will be seen.
INCORRECT: If you are seeing an individual’s name, then your computer is remembering old credentials. Please use a different browser or clear your computer’s cookies.
Membership dues must be paid no later than January 31, 2021. If dues are not received by Jan. 31, the member company will be considered delinquent and all membership benefits will be terminated until paid per the NATM Bylaws.
Thank you for your continued support of the Association. Please don’t hesitate to contact Meghan Ryan, NATM Assistant Director, at Meghan.Ryan@natm.com if you have any questions or concerns.  Join NATM’s leadership, staff, and your fellow members for the 2021 Annual Membership Meeting from the comfort of your own desk! On February 18, 2021 at 1 pm central, NATM members are invited to attend a virtual meeting to learn about what their Association has accomplished in the last year, its plans for 2021, give feedback on programming, and vote on Bylaws amendments.
Members will hear from NATM’s board president, members of the staff, government affairs representatives from K&L Gates, as well as our affinity program partners throughout the meeting. With an agenda to be circulated in January, members can expect to learn about upcoming changes to the compliance program, advocacy efforts in 2020 and areas of focus in 2021, newly released member benefits as well as upcoming programming in the works as part of the NATM Strategic Plan. The Association will also be polling attendees about potential programming and benefits changes. NATM wants to hear from the industry to guide the work it undertakes – let your voice be heard and register today! The NATM Board will also be recommending changes to Bylaws, including adding a new membership type, that attendees will vote on during the meeting. There will also be time throughout the meeting to answer members questions, making it easier than ever to interact with your Association. Please join us February 18, 2021 at 1 pm central, register now! Once registered, please add @gotowebinar.com to your whitelist or address book to ensure you receive the login credentials for the meeting. *The NATM membership meeting is only open to Association members per the NATM Bylaws. Registrations from non-members will be denied.   On November 9th, NATM launched its first annual giving campaign – NATM Feeds America – an opportunity for the industry and NATM to join together in giving back to charitable organizations. For 2020, NATM chose to support Feeding America, an organization that works nationwide to provide meals to those in need. With 98.7% of all funding going directly into programming, Feeding America is able to turn each dollar donated into 10 meals.
With more than 54 million Americans expected to face food insecurity this year as a result of the pandemic and wildfires, feeding our neighbors is more important than perhaps it has ever been. As a new wave of COVID-19 continues to debilitate the country and with schools choosing to go remote this winter, it is estimated 18 million children will face food insecurity – many of whom rely on school for meals. When NATM launched this campaign in early November, the Association set the goal of raising $5,000 from members and promised to match that first $5,000 dollar for dollar. In less than 36 hours, the trailer industry showed up and exceeded that goal. The fundraising bar was then raised to $8,000 and just 10 days after launching the campaign, the industry again exceeded the goal. We’re asking for your help to raise $11,000 and create 100,000 meals for those in need. NATM will contribute the promised $5,000 creating an additional 50,000 meals. Help NATM Feed America today! To thank our members for giving back, the company that collectively contributes the most will be covered in NATM’s marketing of the campaign, both in print and online via various industry publications, and receive a free full-page ad in Tracks. And, for every $100 donated, you get one entry into a drawing for a free full Convention registration – the more you give the more entries you get! The 2021 membership renewals are hitting inboxes, which is the perfect time for the Association to reflect on how membership dues are critical in supporting the actions, services, and educational programming that NATM provides for its members and the light- and medium-duty trailer industry. NATM is constantly evaluating costs and benefits to ensure your annual membership investment is being met with valuable returns.
In 2020, membership dues allowed NATM to:
NATM’s commitment is to its members and ultimately to trailer safety. Supporting NATM members’ ability to grow and prosper, while also contributing to the safety of the nation’s roadways, is what drives the Association’s work. Your support of this mission and your feedback along the way is vital to NATM’s success. NATM looks forward to continuing this important work in the coming year! 2021 NATM Membership Dues Your 2021 NATM membership renewal notice was mailed to the attention of your accounts payable department in November. For international members, invoices were emailed. For 2021, Membership Dues are remaining the same:
You have the option to renew your membership online at www.NATM.com. Log into the Members Only section to view and pay the invoice. Should you decide to pay online, please advise accounts payable to disregard the notice. Your membership login credentials are below. Pay Membership Dues Online Instantly:
Membership dues must be paid no later than January 31, 2021. If dues are not received by Jan. 31, the member company will be considered delinquent and all membership benefits will be terminated until paid per the NATM Bylaws. Thank you for your continued support of the Association. Please don’t hesitate to contact Meghan Ryan, NATM Assistant Director, at Meghan.Ryan@natm.com if you have any questions or concerns. |
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