Post recession business plans for the many of the distributor members of the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) includes expansion into the Motion Control and Mechatronics area of factory automation.

Mechatronics is the confluence of electronics, control and mechanical action and is a critical component of any automated process. For many years, motion control was visualized as individual components - some mechanical, some electronic. According to the results of this new survey, the markets are rapidly merging.

Based on a recent survey sampling of PTDA distributor members, PTDA distributors view the motion control industry as a natural extension of their business. Nineteen percent of survey respondents indicate they are 'fully engaged' in the motion control business. Another 43 percent currently sell motion control products and plan to further expand their efforts in the post-recession months ahead.

Contrary to what one might imagine, much of the attention is focused on things electronic. Members surveyed are currently building a place for themselves in the related ancillary products - sensors (54 percent), PLC controllers and electronic machine guarding products (both at 50 percent) joined products like AC Drives, Servo Systems and high performance gearboxes in garnering the group's attention.

Specialists Lead the Charge
In previous years, distributors relied on their manufacturing partners for things like training, marketing direction and customer technical backup. Today, PTDA members are increasingly harnessing the power of specialists. Sixty percent of the PTDA distributors responding indicate they use a specialist in some part of their business. Additionally, 82 percent of these specialists carry the "heavy weight" credentials of either an engineering degree or 3+ years of in-the-trenches technical experience.

PTDA Members Seek to Broaden their Knowledge-Base
Knowledge-based distribution runs on information. Overwhelmingly

PTDA members have asked their association to continue to pump out training for both their employees and customers. Seventy-three percent would like to see additional educational tools and 42 percent would like for those tools to be designed to help customers learn more about this fast paced technology.

PTDA is dedicated to providing exceptional networking, targeted education, relevant information and leading-edge business tools to help distributors and manufacturers meet marketplace demands competitively and profitably.
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