The venue at the Engel Open House had a target audience of engineers manufacturing operations managers and purchasing agents who spec machinery needs for their respective companies.
Hauck is exactly the type of nuts and bolts, able to field technical questions from this type of audience.
Exactly what the company has needed for YEARS.
One closes sales with interfacing with these three types.
P and L responsibility is at a higher level and starts with correct strategic as well as tactical plans. LQMT has always had some dreamy long term planning, but no execution. Execution is done at the tactical level and the key players have been missing...You know, the guys who are able to leave the headshed other than to go to the outhouse to take a dump.
Tactics is the execution of a strategy.
It is the tacticians who when war for revenue.
It is the tacticians who never should be left out of strategy making.
LQMT management has failed due to both a lack of strategical and tactical planning and execution.
Hauck will see to it that we have good manufacturing agents. It only takes 6 months to see who has it and who doesn't.
Contrary to OOO's thoughts on in house salesman or manufacturing agents, I have to lean first towards mfr agents, simply because:
1) LQMT cannot afford salaried sales people. They are already top heavy with Paul and Bruce and some of his sales picks, who we don't hear much about.
2) A manufacturer's agent, of course, carries a line card of several to many lines of products. While, it is true, that the sales manager must be concerned whether or not his line is getting enough attention, the important thing is that the mfrs rep is, as an individual, getting exposure to the key buying decision makers.
A good rep would not only be carrying Liquidmetal product design and turnkey machines on his card, but also, complementary lines, such as mold designers, mold makers, furnace manufacturers and a host of supporting products essential to the manufacturer who would use the LQMT machines.
So a good chunk of the machine sales profit margin will go to the sales effort made under Hauck and his network of wisely selected manufacturers reps.
PS Hauck knows everyone in the MIM business (not so sure about plastics, but probably has some inroads there. I am more than confident he will have access to Engel's plastics machinery sales organization so that he can get them to piggy back our machines)
After all, Engel wants to sell machines, whether the end product is plastic or powdered-metal or liquidmetal. Engel will support Hauck to the max.