Why a Buyer’s Guide?

Never underestimate the power of a simple tool.
— Craig Bruce

If you’re like me, you may have mixed feelings about our annual Buyer’s Guide, which shows up in your mail each January. Sure, it provides readers with a quick reference tool with easy access to contact information for so many of the suppliers of equipment and services they need in their shops. That’s the obvious advantage. But isn’t it one less issue full of useful editorial information? Our readers look forward to the informational articles and new product descriptions that fill the pages of the magazine every month.

The good news is that we continue to post relevant content and update our website with the latest developments that can be accessed at any time. You don’t need to wait until February for the latest industry news and other information that can help you stay on top of what is happening in the market.

Production Machining’s website has developed into a popular tool for those looking for information about advances in precision machining equipment and services. More than 24,000 unique web browsers are accessing different pages on the site a total of more than 51,000 times per month. This large amount of traffic, which has been steadily growing, indicates the value people perceive in the information they are finding.

Much of this traffic is generated by those using internet search engines such as Google for information about particular topics that apply to the industry. Their searches direct them to pages on our site such as case studies, detailed product information or technical reports that may shed new light on the topic of interest. PM also provides blog posts on the home page almost every day for readers to get a quick glimpse at other industry information that they may not yet have gotten wind of.

Finally, PM’s monthly Inbox Insights e-newsletter has its own subscription list, separate from the magazine. This email goes out near the end of each month and provides a quick look at other industry trends and emerging technology. Subscribing is easy through productionmachining.com, so if you don’t already receive the e-newsletter, consider signing up on our website for this additional source of related content.

The point is that we have a number of approaches for providing our readers with the information they have come to rely on in staying ahead of the curve in their businesses. So to open the new year, we take advantage of our January issue to pull together an organized directory of the suppliers of the technology that we will be talking about throughout the rest of the year. The Buyer’s Guide can remain on the reader’s desk or shelf so it is handy at any point a purchase needs to be made. Read an article in a future issue, see some advantages to the technology, pull out the Buyer’s Guide and learn more about the company that offers it.

Yes, we provide the same information from our Buyer’s Guide in our online supplier database. In fact, the online information is even more in-depth. But the print edition provides a narrower focus on the key components of the precision machining shop, allowing the reader to quickly retrieve contact information that is right at the fingertips. It can effectively act as a front door to the online supplier directory, which is continually updated with address changes, new companies, and modified product listings. The online listings also include links to company websites, product descriptions and other editorial coverage of related equipment and processes, so using that data can serve as the next step in the purchasing process.

Even before you’re ready to start reaching out to suppliers, this issue allows you to get more familiar with the companies that offer different types of equipment you may need. It’s worth a look-through now, while the information is fresh and in the forefront of your mind. And it’s worth keeping around, so it’s readily available when the time comes to make a purchase. It’s a simple tool, but it has longevity to serve throughout the year.