Process engineers, system integrators, technical professionals and other Control readers take many paths to buy control components—direct from suppliers, with help from local and regional distributors, or from these combined with online sources. In this 10-question survey in February 2016, about 150 respondents reported on the most useful strategies they use to source, buy and maintain their devices and solutions.
See what respondents had to say in the detailed results below. Also, read our full-length feature on buying trends: "Buying online blurs the lines between suppliers and distributors." Buying online can pit suppliers against distributors, but expert help still catalyzes most projects.
RESULTS
Don't forget to check out the in-depth article, "Buying online blurs the lines between suppliers and distributors," which is this survey's companion piece. In the article, we explore how over the last few years, manufacturer/suppliers and their distributor/sales representative networks have increasingly bumped elbows online. All factions have jockeyed for awareness and access to the customers, end users, system integrators and other clients they're both trying to serve. Lessons were learned to varying degrees, and the scrappiest distributors and suppliers found ways to survive—typically by adapting and offering value-added services with their products. → Read the article.
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