Delivering Support for Early Adopters

"The right supply chain partner provides expertise on new technology backed by a ready supply of just-released components," says Lew LaFornara, Vice President Product Management, TTI, Inc.

Creating the products of tomorrow, demands awareness of the latest components today. This holds true for interconnect, passives, electromechanical and circuit protection products. Keeping up with new technology and product introductions and getting parts in hand for testing and evaluation can be a daunting task for engineers and buyers. Finding the right distribution partner makes all the difference in meeting these demands efficiently and giving end products a competitive edge.

In the know

TTI is first to market with many new products and can identify and create the market for these products as well as service them.

Having a direct local sales contact that has supplier and product knowledge is a benefit for engineers and buyers alike and TTI states its people resources are a key differentiator. The most direct conduit customers have for accessing the latest product information is through their sales representative. These individuals are not only in the know about supplier NPIs, but are dedicated to disseminating this knowledge to their customers in a timely manner. TTI also has developed a structure wherein corporate product teams are built around specific suppliers and functionalities, to ensure that knowledge is as deep and wide as its inventory.

TTI's branch-based connector product managers keep the branch sales teams informed of new technologies and products. They also are available to customers, giving them access to a locally positioned technical resource. These field based resources are backed by the TTI corporate product team, suppliers and their resources, and for connectors and electromechanical products, there is also an engineering support team based in Texas.

TTI offers well organized, updated and reliable online resources to ease the burden of sourcing new products. A number of category-specific newsletters and product alerts focus on getting NPI information in front of customers as quickly as possible. The website features dedicated NPI pages and regularly updated supplier-specific microsites, while the MarketEYE section shares information about products and markets, including key commodity pricing, lead time trends, industry analysis, technology and white papers.

In your hands

TTI has the ability to support early adopters with samples and preproduction product quickly. Timing is everything since designing-in the latest products, only to wait weeks for components, is extremely frustrating.

TTI is the first to stock and promote new technologies from its suppliers. The goal is to have new parts in stock and available to sell at the same time that suppliers announce them to the world. This enables TTI to support customers and suppliers by making these products available for sampling and initial design phase test and evaluation. It is essential if customers are to move seamlessly through design, test and preproduction without delays from the supply chain side.

Single source for NPI support

Engaging with a supply chain partner that can impart product expertise and deliver a ready supply of just-released components, can create efficiencies that save time and resources. It ensures that engineers can focus on design initiatives without getting in the weeds on IP&E. Furthermore, when a product moves to production, buyers need a dependable distributor that has the inventory to meet demand.

From stock on the shelf, to a trained sales team, to local product managers and a strong corporate support team, TTI carries products through the entire development cycle; giving customers the competitive edge they seek.