eBook

“DVIRC will remain a strong
component in our growth planning”
Tom Krol, President/CEO, IMET Corporation
DVIRC Executive Interview Series
More small and mid-sized
manufacturing businesses
in the Delaware Valley
trust DVIRC than any other
professional services group.
For 25 years, DVIRC has delivered the
absolute best in training, operational
excellence and business growth services.
Our results have equated to well over
1 Billion Dollars in valued-added impact
and hundreds of satisfied clients.
The following interview is the second in
a series of business owner profiles that
showcase how small businesses like yours
have begun transforming themselves. For
most the struggle is figuring out where they
want to go. All are committed to increasing
the value of their business. As you read,
remember, it takes just one step to start a
new journey.
Q
A
What was the reason that initially
brought you to work with DVIRC?
We initially turned to DVIRC when we had a problem
with marketing and needed some outside support.
DVIRC’s experts Chris Scafario, Sylvia Wower and their
sales support team have been a great resource for IMET.
Working with IMET in the areas of Strategy, Marketing,
Lead Generation, Costing and Software Selection, they
helped extend IMET Corporation beyond its existing
resources to enable a new level of growth.
IMET’s President, Tom Krol is also a member of DVIRCs Executive Forum. The Executive
Forum is the only network group dedicated to business leaders of small and mid-sized
manufacturing firms.
DVIRC is an economic development, business consulting firm focused on assisting small and
mid-sized manufacturers grow the value of their business.
Q
A
How did you find out about us?
DVIRC hosts a lot of events for manufacturers in our
region. I had heard about them and finally brought
myself to attend one of their entrepreneurship programs
at the Navy Yard. The session left me wanting to
understand more about what DVIRC offers.
“D VIRC has supported IMET’s sales and marketing execution for the last
three years. We have touched thousands of prospects and followed
up on all of their trade show activity as an extension of their team. This
partnership with IMET has shown us what a contract manufacturer is
capable of doing when the right mix of talent and technology is applied.”
Sylvia Wower
Director, Market Research
Research
Q
A
Upon your first meeting with DVIRC,
what did you find most appealing?
How was the organization different
from working with other firms?
DVIRC knows manufacturing, and their people
understand the small-business-owner mindset.
That’s what gives them a distinct advantage over other
resources. Mike Renner, our account representative,
was the first person I connected with, and it was clear
that we were on the same wavelength and shared a
similar passion for sparking a new wave of manufacturing
growth in the U.S.
“I’ve come to know Tom [Krol] primarily as an active and important member of
my Executive Forum Group. As someone who is there not only to seek answers
to his own questions but to share his years of experience with the others, he’s
a real asset to the group. Tom is, in my opinion, one of the more progressive
small manufacturers I’ve worked with. He’s an entrepreneur who is passionate
about growing his business, and he looks strategically at the options available
to him. He knows what he doesn’t know, which is very important for a
small business owner, and I think he uses DVIRC in very intelligent ways to
supplement his own abilities.”
Strategy
Mike Renner
Director, Business
Development
Q
A
Tell me about some of the projects
you have worked on with DVIRC, and
their impact.
We are engaged with DVIRC in three key areas. The first is marketing support, where
DVIRC is managing our phone-based prospecting work. IMET provides the target list
to the team, and Lisa Mount and Annette Lambert from DVIRC qualify them for us. This
process takes the pressure off our team and tells us who’s good, letting us focus our
time and effort on those prospects that are closer to becoming booked projects.
The DVIRC team takes us to the point at which a prospect has some technical questions
(or wants an RFQ response), and then they are sent along to us. This process has met
our needs well; they take the time-consuming footwork out of the lead-qualification
process and help us improve our results.
The second area where DVIRC has recently helped us is setting up a new MRP/ERP
system. We brought in Harry Landsburg to qualify prospective vendors and help us
in our selection process. We plan to launch the new system later this year and are
expecting some nice efficiency gains when we go live.
Last but not least is my involvement in DVIRC’s Executive Forum. It’s a group of
executives that meets twice per quarter at another member’s facility to discuss problems
we’re having, or opportunities we are pursuing. It’s like a board of directors, and the
feedback I get from everyone is invaluable. There is peace of mind in knowing I have 16
of my peers there to help me manage around whatever might come at us.
“DVIRC helped IMET to select an ERP solution that was scaled to their current
operation but would be capable of supporting their growing activity well into the
future. Then we worked with them to make sure that their financial information
was accurate for profitable quoting and spot on costing of the products that
they produce.”
Harry F. Landsburg
Director, business Process
Technology Consulting
Strategy
Q
A
Where do you see your relationship
with DVIRC going in the future?
DVIRC will remain a strong component in our
growth planning. We just won manufacturer of the
year from the Philadelphia Chamber, and DVIRC was our
sponsor. Every time we have something we’re going to
do, we look toward what resources DVIRC can offer to
help us go where we need to go.
We’re constantly talking to DVIRC to line up resources.
We even have a three-year plan to align our resources
with their expertise: this year was MRP, next year will
be ISO, and the following year we want to really
embrace Lean.
“T here is a reason why IMET was voted Manufacturer of the Year for
2014—the business has a relentless commitment to growth. They are
always out in front of their markets and integrating the latest technology
into their operations. I have really enjoyed watching the business grow and
having our team be an instrument in their success.”
Chris Scafario
Director, marketing Services
Branding
Q
A
What would you tell a friend or
someone who owned a business
about DVIRC?
I’m a huge advocate for DVIRC. I talk their services up
all the time. I am quick to share my experiences and
tell people that DVIRC is always ready to help with the
resources any small business could need. They also
bring these talents to work at very reasonable prices.
So, to any manufacturing businesses out there, if you
are not involved with DVIRC, you need to be!
WEB
Manufacturers in Greater Philadelphia have hundreds of options to pursue with regards to web
marketing but there is only one source for a marketing team that focuses exclusively on the
positioning of small and mid-sized manufacturers for top-line growth. DVIRC is the region’s first
choice for manufacturers looking to uniquely position themselves on the web and get found!
WEB MARKETING
Q
A
Can you describe the benefits
you have received from working
with DVIRC?
There has been a positive impact that we can see and
feel. It’s clear they’ve gone through thousands of leads
for us. Currently the team is working on 2,000 leads
from trade shows—lists we generated. The DVIRC
team generates hot/warm leads for us to work on at
the rate of about two or three a week. This takes 90%
of the front-end work out of it, and we can focus on the
really hot ones to drive them forward. It also saves us
the costs and risks of needing to add staff to accomplish
nearly similar results.
Voice of Customer Surveys
Have you ever wondered what your best, middle of the road and former customers have to say
about key aspects of your business? Would you like to uncover new business opportunities, improve
service, or better support new product development? Don’t wait another minute to get started!
Voice of
customer
Q
A
Final Thoughts?
I could write a whole dissertation on what I’ve learned
from the team at DVIRC. Whenever I work with them,
I am always learning something new. From the lead
generation team, to the Executive Forum professional
facilitator (John Gallagher) to my peers in the Forum,
Harry and Mike, everyone around me has been there to
share invaluable insights when I needed them most.
Growing a successful business can be a lonely job,
and having people like these around me is well
worth the investment!
Research
Our manufacturing and industrial expertise make DVIRC the best resource for real-time business
intelligence needs. 100% of the research work that we deliver is backed by our exclusive SMART
research guarantee; meaning our research is guaranteed to deliver Structured, Measurable, Accurate,
Relevant and Timely intelligence. This is just part of what makes us the region’s most trusted resource
for manufacturers looking to grow their top line.
Research
Tom Krol
President/CEO of IMET Corporation
As founder and President/CEO of
Southampton, Pennsylvania-based IMET
Corporation, Tom Krol traces his tenure
with the company to its very first day in
2000. IMET Corporation is a respected
resource for contract manufacturing and
expert product development services for
medical, industrial, military, automotive,
and consumer products. The company’s
15,000-sq-ft facility is staffed by engineers,
technicians, and assemblers supporting
its core competencies of surface mount /
through-hole PCB assembly and electronics
engineering. IMET builds success.
IMET Corporation
505 Keystone Road, Unit E, Southampton, PA 18966
p: 267-288-5330 f: 267-288-5493
www.imetcorporation.com
DVIRC is an economic development, business consulting firm
focused exclusively on assisting small – mid-sized manufacturers
compete and grow profitably. This is achieved through consulting
services, training and education, and network groups.
We believe all business leaders should be constantly vigilant
on improving the value of their business. We are committed
to assisting leaders identify and capitalize on their strengths,
improve weaknesses and seize business opportunities.
For more information contact:
DVIRC
2905 Southampton Road
Philadelphia, PA 19154
215-552-3800
www.dvirc.org
The Navy Yard
Building 100 Innovation Center
4801 South Broad Street
Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19112
Growing Business Value