Membership Advantages

AHTD furthers the development of technically qualified, value-added, independent sales organizations through awareness of the advantages of the industrial control market and the benefits to the customer and manufacturers.

AHTD provides:

• Cooperation between Automation Solution Providers and Manufacturers in resolving common problems unique to automation products sales organizations.
• Development of more sophisticated products for the manufacturers through recognition of changing customer requirements and resulting new market potentials.
• Education of the membership through promotion of educational programs and activities which increase customer service effectiveness, business efficiency, growth and profitability.
• Interaction among members to further the interests of the technology-based product market.

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NETWORKING
The AHTD’s membership includes more than 225 Automation Solutions Providers and manufacturers of industrial automation products. The association provides forums for both the private and public, in-person and remote exchange of ideas, best practices, industry information, and new innovation between non-competing ASPs and manufacturers throughout the year.  Members often credit AHTD for the new partnerships they make throughout the span of their membership.

MEETINGS & EVENTS - Spring and Fall Meetings (Click for more.)
More than 250 of the top minds from Automation Solutions Providers and manufacturers attend AHTD's Spring and Fall Meetings each year which feature business and industry experts along with educational information.  Innovative networking and educational programs are introduced frequently ensuring that every dollar spent attending the meeting yields several times more after the meeting.  On a recent survey, members' responses reported an average perceived return on their AHTD meeting dollar investment of over $25,000.  Their three-pronged approach - business and technical education, formal and informal networking, and a partnered attack on shared current issues - makes AHTD meetings the perfect combination of business opportunity and professional development.

OTHER EVENTS
AHTD offers, throughout the year, any number of teleseminars, webinars, and other distance conferences on topics dictated by the current marketplace.  Strategic affiliations often gain access for AHTD members to important programs and events of other partner organizations.  Further, AHTD has relationships with several consultants who organize programs on urgent topics in their discipline to which AHTD members often get invited.  Many of these kinds of programs are in direct response to a pressing issue faced by the membership at that time.

INDUSTRY STATISTICS
AHTD delivers three primary sources of key benchmarking information; the only benchmarking of its kind for the high tech automation industry.

• Annual Profit Report- This report measures the sales, gross margin, and gross profit of Automation Solutions Providers and provides detailed analysis on ways to improve the profitability of each participating company.  Manufacturers have access to a Manufacturers' Summary and a copy of the final cumulative report.
• Monthly Snapshot Survey- Each month participants enter three pieces of data into this web-based statistical tool and receive in return aggregate figures on sales by product, bookings, and average days outstanding.  Participants can view, sort, and organize the data by region and company size to get a complete picture of the real-time trends in the industry.
• Bi-Annual Cross-Industry Compensation Study- Every two years, AHTD participates in a survey of wholesaler distributors across over 30 industries to capture compensation trends. Salaries, commissions, benefits, and other forms of compensation are analyzed and compared to company size to help distributors establish compensation practices that attract and retain the best talent.

AHTD also keeps a pulse on the industry and its marketplace and often performs polling and surveying on specific topics to help keep members on the cutting edge of knowledge, trends, and innovation.

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION (Click for resources.)
AHTD provides members with resources to help them better run their businesses.  Consultants and resources abound for AHTD members to assist them with business practices, mergers and acquisitions, tax law, the use of electronic data interchange, bar coding, sales techniques and more.

PUBLICATIONS
AHTD’s monthly e-newsletter keeps subscribers up to date on industry happenings, business management techniques, international news pertinent to the industry and more.

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
AHTD makes an electronic directory of Automation Solutions Provider and manufacturer members which includes company communications data, product lines and key personnel available to members through www.ahtd.org.  This electronic directory is updated quarterly and can be downloaded in PDF and Excel formats or ordered in print for a nominal fee.  Non-members can purchase a directory for $1500 USD.

STRATEGIC AFFILIATIONS
AHTD shares strategic alliances with several other organizations as a way of pooling ideas, resources efforts on issues of mutual interest.  AHTD members benefit on several issues from the cooperative efforts with these trade associations:

• The Fluid Power Distributors Association
• The Power Transmission Distributors Association
• The Control Systems Integrators Association

AHTD is also a member of two vital organizations that help to provide services that AHTD alone could not such as local, state, and federal legislative advocacy for wholesaler distributors.

Through strategic affiliations such as these, AHTD is able to go beyond the universe of high tech automation to deliver even more resources, services, and opportunities for its members.  Through the networking with other trade associations, AHTD is able to stay on the cutting edge of current issues, member services, and added value for member companies.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors
NAW is the premier advocate for distribution in the United States.  Extremely active in Washington, NAW represents distributor interests and is AHTD's primary source of information on pertinent legislative issues.  NAW's Distribution Education Research Foundation (DREF) is also a top resource of the latest data and trends in wholesale distribution and AHTD members have access to DREF publications at discounted prices.

The Association Education Alliance
AHTD is a member of the Association Education Alliance, a consortium of more than 20 wholesale distributor associations.  AEA’s mission is to identify, evaluate and develop educational programs for use by member associations at an affordable cost.

UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION (Click to access.)
The University of Industrial Distribution is focused on the industrial distribution industry - its people, problems, opportunities and future. It is sponsored by AHTD and sixteen other leading industrial distribution professional associations in cooperation with the Industrial Distribution Program and School of Business Special Studies Division of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The 59 separate courses taught by the industry's most experienced and respected professionals span all functions found within the distribution channel. The five-day program is designed so that you can create your own curriculum which best fits your interests and needs, or choose from the eight different Management Tracks. For one low fee, members of sponsoring organizations receive five days packed with usable information and insights - knowledge they can "take to the bank" and guaranteed to dramatically change them and their company for the better. Plus, every course provides ample take-home materials which can immediately be put to work in your business to improve quality, enhance customer service, stimulate employee productivity and add profit to your bottom line. Delegates also receive a Certificate of Completion to document their training accomplishments.

COMMITTEES AND TASK FORCES
AHTD is always working on several projects and initiatives so to best utilize the talent within its membership, the association delegates these projects to several committees and task forces.  Members are able to get involved to help address an industry issue of specific importance to them while as a whole, AHTD is able to bring many individual interests together to produce solutions that benefit the entire industry as a whole.  As a member of AHTD, you could contribute to one of these committees or task forces:

CONSULTING SERVICES
AHTD has partnered with several prominent consultants for all types of business issues.  Members have access to these consultants for advice or preferred assistance with specific projects.  These consultants also serve as speakers at AHTD meetings and they are frequent contributors to Innovations, AHTD's e-Newsletter and the Consultants Corner. AHTD provides access to experts for: