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Check back here every week during the season for a recap of the week's action and to see how many of our players advanced.

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The choice to join metals typically depends on factors such as the type of metal(s) being joined, load-bearing capacity and durability requirements, disassembly and repair factors, and other application requirements. The common ways to join metals include welding, mechanical fasteners, or adhesives. 
 
Welding offers excellent structural integrity and load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for heavy-duty applications. In manufacturing and construction, welding has been a tried-and-true method forever, as its origins trace back over 2,000 years.  
 
Similarly, mechanical fasteners have been around in some form since the first century BC. Screws, bolts, nuts, rivets, or clips that mechanically join two or more pieces of metal offer several advantages. These advantages include ease of assembly and disassembly, versatility, and the ability to join dissimilar metals. Fasteners are the mechanism of choice, especially in applications where the joint may need to be taken apart or adjusted in the future. 
 
Recent advancements in adhesive technology have led to a shift toward using adhesives as a supplement or substitute for mechanical fasteners and/or a replacement for welding. 
 
As it pertains to welding, there are several reasons for this shift. The advantages of adhesives include a more even distribution of stress across the joint, as well as reducing the risk of fatigue and failure over time. Adhesives also eliminate the need for drilling, grinding, or other surface preparation often required for welding, saving both time and money during manufacturing. 
 
In addition, adhesives can join dissimilar materials, such as metal to plastic or metal to composites, which can be difficult or impossible to weld. Adhesives are also better suited to join components with complex shapes, which can be difficult to weld due to the risk of distortion or warping.  

Modern multi-channel distribution across multiple locations presents various technological and social hurdles. 

Infrastructure, integration, data synchronization, security, and privacy issues are vital from a technological standpoint. 

Ensuring a Robust Infrastructure

Ensuring a robust and reliable technology infrastructure is in place to support multi-channel distribution can be a significant challenge. Reliable network connectivity, efficient data storage and retrieval systems, and scalable hardware and software solutions are paramount. 

Integrating Various Channels

Integrating various channels and locations into a unified system can be complex. It requires integrating different software platforms, data formats, and APIs to enable seamless communication and data flow between systems. 

Importance of Data Management

Maintaining accurate and synchronized data across multiple locations and channels is crucial. Real-time inventory management, order tracking, and customer data synchronization become essential to provide a consistent experience across channels. 

Multi-channel distribution involves handling sensitive customer information and transaction data across different systems. Implementing robust security measures and complying with privacy regulations is critical to protect customer data and maintain trust.

Q & A with Connor Arney, Austin Hardware and Supply National Sales Manager for VMI 

CA: Vendor-managed inventory is an arrangement between the customer and supplier in which the vendor takes responsibility for managing and replenishing stock levels of agreed-upon parts and products at the customer's customer's location.

• AH: What are the benefits of implementing a VMI system for businesses and suppliers? 

CA: "Benefits of VMI include; Reduced stockouts, improved inventory accuracy, lower inventory carrying costs, and better supply chain visibility. 

Registration is now open for the 8th annual Austin Hardware Charity Football Pool.

It’s not about you or your products.

It’s not about you. It’s not about your products. To add value, salespeople must stop selling and start listening. Selling today is a process where the salesperson facilitates an open exchange of information to solve your customer’s problem. When we do this, we add value.

The process is comprised of these critical milestones:

1. 1. Identify the opportunity and your customer’s desire to fix it
2. 2. Explore and understand past attempts to fix the issue
3. 3. Determine the value of the solution to your customer
4. 4. Identify your solution and prepare your presentation
5. 5. Solution presentation

Identify the Opportunity

When two different types of metals are joined together, a process called ELECTROLYSIS can occur. Also known as galvanic corrosion, electrolysis happens when two dissimilar metals are directly connected, causing the lesser of the two metals to corrode. For the process to occur, the two metals must also come into contact with a conductive electrolyte. Ultimately, this can result in damage to the joint, causing the metals to fail.

The Differences Between VMI and CMI

Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) and Customer Managed Inventory (CMI) are inventory management programs that differ in responsibility for managing inventory. 

In a VMI program, the vendor (supplier) is responsible for managing the customer's inventory levels. The vendor collects customer usage data from sales forecasts, inventory levels, or other key metrics to determine when and how much product to deliver. In a VMI program, the vendor takes on the responsibility, and subsequent risk, of maintaining appropriate stock levels to balance inventory with costs for optimal cash flow. The customer benefits from a more streamlined supply chain and reduced inventory holding costs while having to invest less time and personnel resources into inventory management.  

Specific benefits of a VMI program include but are not limited to the following: 

• - A completely hands-off approach to inventory management 

• - Vending technology can be used to track usage and reduce cost 
• - An overall reduction of in-house inventory means less cash is tied up in inventory 
• - Vendor consolidation means a reduction in transactions and invoices 
• - Point-of-use inventory and in-house tool crib management streamline your production processes, saving additional time and money. 

Big Solutions for Tiny Houses

In the last decade, thanks to social media, we have been able to follow the rise of the tiny house movement. This tiny living lifestyle, which includes tiny homes, van conversions, and other mobile housing alternatives, has grown in popularity.  

If you want to go tiny, you are entering a vast world of possibility. Tiny living is a great choice for young people, retirees, digital nomads, and families looking to simplify their day-to-day life or hit the road for big adventures and a roaming lifestyle. 

The possibilities are endless. Live wherever you want to save money and space, simplify your lifestyle, and see the world from your front door.