E-Commerce Meets G-Commerce
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I recently attended my 25th year high school reunion in Newton, Massachusetts. I had a wonderful time catching up with my former classmates, hearing all about their families, and revisiting some of the fun times we had together back in the 70's. Of course we talked about business as well. And I was amazed at how many of them could quote stock prices for all the "hot" Internet companies, and could describe in detail how the new "dot-coms" had structured their E-Commerce business models. One classmate, sounding a bit like a television commercial, predicted that E-Commerce will lead to "greater efficiencies, market-share and global penetration" for "forward looking companies" which are able to "change their culture" and take advantage of the "power of the web." Frankly, the conversation reminded me a bit of Mark Twain's observation that "many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." Certainly the Internet is neither small nor insignificant. Furthermore, there are a great many worthwhile uses for the information services the Internet has to offer. Glenair, for example, has an extensive Internet website where customers can gain instant access to our catalogs and other business information resources. Those of you who regularly use the site know we are aggressive when it comes to posting new information just as soon as it's available. Why? Because we appreciate the value the Internet provides when it comes to meeting our "first with the most" customer service standard. And yes, the Internet will most likely continue to play an increasingly important role in the way businesses share information with their partners and customers -- especially in those portions of the business world where e-mail has replaced the phone and fax as the communication medium of choice. Nevertheless, I'm betting the web will never replace personalized customer service when it comes to building and maintaining lasting business relationships. And by the way, I've yet to meet anyone who would argue that E-Commerce could take the place of a professional engineering and support staff, a friendly and available order entry desk or a local country sales and support office.
Obviously, nobody can predict how much influence E-Commerce will have in the aerospace industry of the future, or in any of the other markets where we do business. In any event, we are well positioned to take appropriate action should we need to become even more involved in electronic commerce than we already are. More importantly, we'll continue to pursue our own Glenair brand of "G" Commerce with its complete convenience in ordering, outstanding product availability, industry-leading service and support, and personalized account management. That's how we built our reputation and that's how we intend to keep it.
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