NFPA Helping to Expand Your Business in International Markets

By Eric Lanke, NFPA President/CEO

Most NFPA members have come to rely on the business connections that can be made within NFPA’s supply chain forum. Fluid power suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors are all well represented in the NFPA membership and, together with a growing number of OEMs, frequent participants in NFPA education and networking events. Given NFPA’s current geographic scope, almost all of these connections are U.S.-based. But, thanks to a new strategic initiative championed by our Board of Directors, your ability to leverage the NFPA membership to reach into international markets may increase in the next few years.

The Board has challenged us to bring more internationally-based distributors and suppliers into the membership, so that our largely U.S.-based members can better connect with them and potentially increase their production efforts and/or sales in their chosen international markets. Our bylaws already allow these “foreign-based” distributors and suppliers, but as of today we only have seven such members (suppliers or distributors with their primary offices located outside the continental United States). These members are:

• Canimex (distributor, based in Canada)
• Collison-Goll (supplier, a provider of precision machined parts, in Canada)
• Famic Technologies (supplier, a provider of simulation software, in Canada)
• Hydraulic Components (distributor, based in Trinidad)
• Hydrolico (distributor, based in Canada)
• Interlynx Systems (supplier, a provider of sales management software, in Puerto Rico)
• Rollon Hydraulics (supplier, a provider of valve/pump subcomponents, in India)

We sincerely thank these members for their involvement in NFPA, and would encourage your connection with any that represents products, services, or regions of interest to you.

We are also looking for your suggestions and leads for other such companies to recruit into the membership. You can help us extend our international reach by sharing your contacts in or simply your knowledge of foreign-based suppliers and distributors that may help our U.S.-based fluid power industry. Among the many benefits we can offer these companies are:

• Access to event content via the web, including Economic Update events and Quarterly Conferences
• Key economic and statistical information including a series of U.S. and Global forecasts for fluid power and key markets by ITR Economics and Oxford Economics
• Two free conference registrations that can be used at the Annual Conference and/or the Industry & Economic Outlook Conference to attend virtually or in person

Please send all suggestions to my attention at the NFPA office.