H&P Insights is a new column recapping some of the trends and highlights from Hydraulics & Pneumatics editors.
Selling the Future
After a full year of lockdown and disruption in the fluid power industry, there are hopeful signs for a return to something akin to normal. One such sign is a planned joint sales seminar with three of the industry’s top associations.
“Thriving in a Changing Sales Landscape,” will be the topic of an April 15 seminar from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is co-presented by the Equipment Service Association (ESA), the FPDA Motion & Control Network (FPDA) and the International Sealing Distribution Association (ISD), who will offer their first “Joint Sales Workshop” that day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
“The 2021 program focuses on unpacking the sales process in a post-pandemic world—from improving your pitches to speaking to an increasingly competitive landscape to understand the process and psychology behind decision making,” said Amy Luckado, executive director of the three associations.
This workshop is open to members and non-members alike. Registration for non-members includes corporate association membership dues for 2021. And because there is optimism that things are returning to normal, the registration also provides the option to register for the 2021 Joint Industry Summit, a live event scheduled for Oct. 3-6 in Sandestin, Fla.
Looking Forward: A Good IDEA!
Speaking of live events, Hydraulics & Pneumatics also is planning for a return to live events, and the Industrial Design, Engineering & Automation Show—we just call it IDEA!—will be Nov. 9-12 in Cleveland. Held in conjunction with Industry Week’s outstanding M&T Show, IDEA! will offer cutting-edge speakers focused on motion control, power systems, advanced manufacturing, IoT and robotics. We’ll also present the first IDEA! Awards for product innovation and convene our Women In Science & Engineering luncheon panel to discuss opportunities and challenges for women in engineering fields.
Registration is now open, and exhibitors can reserve their floor space as well. Like everyone else, we look forward to that day when we can safely reconvene in person.
The Cybersecurity Virus
The lessons of the pandemic have been far-reaching for individuals and companies. Sid Snitkin of ARC Advisory Group suggested in his blog this week that those lessons can be applied to the vexing issue of cybersecurity. As more sensors are added in the fluid power process and more software is installed to make sense of that data, the cybersecurity risk goes up.
“While viral epidemics and cyber-attacks are certainly different, they wreak havoc in similar ways. An unprotected entity is compromised and becomes the base for spreading the infection to connected entities,” Snitkin writes in the blog. “The impact on an individual entity may be minor or devastating but spreading raises the likelihood that some significant impact will occur. Efforts to manage the situation are also complicated when spreading occurs before the initial compromise is recognized.”
Snitkin notes there are four stages of defense that apply to viruses that affect humans or machines:
- Reduce Entry
- Limit Spread
- Manage Infections
- Reduce Future Threats
“Recognizing the parallels between coronavirus and cybersecurity can help security teams drive better security in their organizations,” Snitkin adds. “Relating cybersecurity activities to similar coronavirus tactics can help garner more support for cybersecurity efforts and educate managers about the need for certain practices and investments.”
