SALES & MARKETING
BY JOHN TAPLEY
I John Tapley is a Business Development Manager at Chart Industries with expertise in new business startup, innovative business growth and marketing strategies and digital/social media marketing. He has significant experience in all facets of the industrial gas industry, both domestic and global and can be reached at john. tapley@chartindustries. com and 470-332-4686.
t’s that time of year where we’re thinking and planning for the next one. But will the next one be anything like the last two? How can we feel confident in developing sales goals, building a business plan and understanding our marketing strategy if the chaos continues? Will there be more supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and continued variant fears? Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Sorry, I couldn’t resist throwing in that line from the Wizard of Oz paralleling the three fears. Are we listening through the fear, or can we tune it out and stay focused and on task? Maybe we haven’t been exactly here before, but the world has survived worse crises and come out stronger for it. Decision making under pressure and in panic mode is not a good formula. Clear heads must prevail. So, while you’re looking ahead to next year and your favorite Starbucks is closed, the shelves at Kroger are bare, gas prices are up 50%, your shoe size hasn’t been on the shelf in forever, and on and on, it’s not easy to “keep calm and carry on.” A message made famous by the British government in advance of WWII, this is something we can all relate to today during these pandemic weary times. But the show must go on and smoother times will return, and my Starbucks
will reopen. I once heard a Navy Seal use a quote by Robert Frost in explaining their mindset, “the only way out is through it” and he added on, there is always a way through, you just have to find it. Adversity drives innovation, so you can imagine, with all the adversity we’ve been through the past two years, there are areas rich with innovation to overcome obstacles we continue to face. Here are a couple to consider and factor into your plans for the upcoming year.
INDUSTRY 4.0
If you haven’t heard, let me introduce you to Industry 4.0, the digital transformation in manufacturing and production and the value creation behind that. Think Tesla and the self-driving car comes to the shop floor. Smart manufacturing is here. Workers handle the exceptions and autonomous machines will handle the rest. Automation can be a beautiful thing when labor is scarce. And right in the heart of the industrial gas business is where AI is a good fit. Industry 4.0 in the world of metal working is driving change. And in metal fab, one of the largest investments on the shop floor is a laser cutting system with an investment in the millions. And with that kind of cost, it best run as expected and at full capacity Winter 2022 • 109
