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a social conscience , making supplier decisions based not only on price or quality , but also environmental impact .
“ The other area of focus is technology . We have partnered with organizations like the Department of Energy ’ s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee , Knoxville for example , to advance smart manufacturing in the US so we are at the forefront of new ideas and technologies . The world can change dramatically in such a short space of time , so who knows where we ’ ll be in five years ; we might be adjusting to modern technologies that simply don ’ t yet exist !
“ Although we ’ re very selective , we ’ re always open to acquiring companies that bring us new , additional capabilities and services . To give you an example , we purchased a business earlier this year , Tru-Edge , which has extended our service offering to include a custom manufacturing shop for niche and specialist tooling needs .
“ While we will , of course , change and evolve over time , we ’ ll continue to focus on making manufacturers better through the initiatives I mentioned ,” Erik concludes . “ Whether it ’ s providing a seamless one-stop-shop or strengthening our technical expertise , inventory management , and In Plant program , we aim to help customers find areas for increased productivity .” ■
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