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Who we serve

Marketing for industrial companies, across the whole supply chain

Industrial Marketing is a B2B marketing agency for the industrial supply chain: OEMs and primes, Tier 1 to Tier 5 suppliers, and the distributors, service firms, labs, engineering firms and integrators who support them. We are New England based and work across the US. Every rung sells to the one above it. We build the pages that buyer checks.

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Product moves up, specs move down

The supply chain ladder: one word for every rung (REV A) beside the ladder labelled with its flows and readers (REV F)Two-panel drawing sheet, a schematic of the industrial supply chain as a ladder. The rungs, top to bottom: OEM or prime, the finished product, drawn as a machine; Tier 1, systems and major assemblies, a motor and gearbox; Tier 2, components and sub-assemblies, a manifold block; Tier 3, parts to print and processes, a machined fitting; Tier 4 to 5, bar, castings and forgings. Left, REV A as said: the ladder is drawn in pencil and one brace covers every rung with a single phrase, 'we serve manufacturers'. No rung is named, no flow is drawn, and at each rung the two readers are question marks. Right, REV F released: the ladder is inked and every rung is labelled. An arrow up the left side reads product moves up; an arrow down the right side reads specs and purchase orders move down. At each rung two readers are lit: who specifies and who orders. OEM: end customer engineers specify, end customers order. Tier 1: OEM engineering specifies, the OEM program and supply chain order. Tier 2: OEM engineers specify, Tier 1 purchasing orders. Tier 3: Tier 1 to 2 engineers and supplier quality specify, Tier 1 to 2 purchasing orders. Tier 4 to 5: OEM materials engineers specify the grade, Tier 2 to 3 buyers order. A rail of supporting B2B companies, distributors, service firms, labs, engineering firms and integrators, touches every rung. The end line reads: pick the rung you want more of. Tiers are relative: your rung is set by who buys from you.665544332211CCBBAAREV A · AS SAIDAS USUALLY SAIDREV F · RELEASEDSCHEMATIC · ILLUSTRATION'WE SERVEMANUFACTURERS.'ONE WORDFOR EVERY RUNGREADERSSPECIFIES?ORDERS?SPECIFIES?ORDERS?SPECIFIES?ORDERS?SPECIFIES?ORDERS?SPECIFIES?ORDERS?RUNGS, FLOWS AND READERS: TRUE, NOT SAIDOEM / PRIMETHE FINISHED PRODUCTTIER 1SYSTEMS, MAJOR ASSEMBLIESTIER 2COMPONENTS, SUB-ASSEMBLIESTIER 3PARTS TO PRINT, PROCESSESTIER 4-5BAR, CASTINGS, FORGINGSTWO READERS PER RUNGSPECIFIESEND CUSTOMER ENGINEERSORDERSEND CUSTOMERSSPECIFIESOEM ENGINEERINGORDERSOEM PROGRAM + SUPPLY CHAINSPECIFIESOEM ENGINEERSORDERSTIER 1 PURCHASINGSPECIFIESTIER 1-2 ENGINEERS, SQEORDERSTIER 1-2 PURCHASINGSPECIFIESOEM MATERIALS ENGINEERSORDERSTIER 2-3 BUYERSPRODUCT MOVES UPSPECS + PURCHASE ORDERS MOVE DOWNSUPPORTING B2BDISTRIBUTORS · SERVICE FIRMS · LABS · ENGINEERING FIRMS · INTEGRATORSPICK THE RUNG YOU WANT MORE OF.TIERS ARE RELATIVE:YOUR RUNG IS SET BY WHO BUYS FROM YOUOne word for every rung, 'manufacturers': no flows, no readers.Product up, specs and POs down. Pick the rung you want more of.DWG IM-TIERS · THE SUPPLY CHAIN LADDER · WHO WE SERVESCHEMATIC, NOT TO SCALE · NO COMPANY NAMED · READERS VARY BY PROGRAMSAID / RELEASEDPENCIL: TRUE, NOT SAIDSHTTIERSTITLETHE SUPPLY CHAIN LADDERINDUSTRIAL MARKETING · AS BUILT · SCALE NTSREVFILLUSTRATION

The supply chain ladder

What happens

  1. 01Most sites say one line to every buyer: 'We serve manufacturers.'
  2. 02The real supply chain has tiers: the OEM at the top, then systems, components, parts and processes, and materials at the base
  3. 03Product moves up the ladder. Specs and drawings move down
  4. 04At every tier one person specifies and another orders, and each checks something different
  5. 05Distributors, labs, engineering firms and integrators sell to every tier at once
  6. 06Aerospace, medical, energy, electronics and automotive run on the same tiers, each with its own checks
  7. 07Pick the tier you want more of, and write for the buyer above it

Every tier sells to the one above

Each tier's buyer is the tier above: product moves up, specs move down.

RungYou makeYour buyerWhat they check firstWhat IKE maps
OEMs & primesMachines, systems, devicesEnd customers, program officesApplication fit, service, sparesApplications to buyer problems
Tier 1Systems, major assembliesOEM program teamsDesign responsibility, launch, capacityAssemblies to programs
Tier 2Components, sub-assembliesTier 1 buyers; OEM engineers specifySpecs, testing, lead timeFamilies to specs
Tier 3Parts to print, processesTier 1-2 buyers and qualityMachines, materials, tolerances, approvalsCapabilities to parts
Tier 4-5Materials, castings, forgingsTier 2-3 buyers; materials engineers specifyGrades, sizes, certs, traceabilityGrades to specs

Find where you sit

Your rung is set by who signs your purchase orders. Most companies sit on two: a shop can be Tier 3 to an aerospace Tier 1 and Tier 1 to a machine builder. Pick the one you want more of.

The supply chain ladder

Pick your tier to see what your buyer checks first.

By company type

If you run one of these, start here.

Distributors, service firms, engineers and integrators

You sell to every tier at once, so your pages have more kinds of buyer to answer.

Markets we work in

Every market runs on the same tiers, with its own checks: the certifications, specs and records its buyers look for first.

Market

Electronics & semiconductor

Electronics and semiconductor buyers check IPC class, traceability and ESD handling first, from fab-equipment OEMs down to board, harness and enclosure shops. Example: Heronfield Board Works (invented, heronfield.test) lists board assembly by layer count and test method.

Market

Automotive & EV

Automotive and EV buyers check IATF 16949, the PPAP levels you support and capacity at rate, from pack assemblers down to stampers, molders and process shops. Example: Granite Notch Mobility (invented, granitenotch.test) builds drive systems for industrial vehicles.

Market

Chemicals

Chemical buyers check data before they ask for samples: data sheets, SDS access and lot traceability, on a page per grade. Example: Seastone Compounds (invented, seastone.test) sells to molders and coaters.

Market

Packaging & consumer products

Packaging buyers check format range, changeover and the products a line has run, from contract packagers and molders up to machine builders. Example: Lidwell Packaging Machines (invented, lidwell.test) organizes its site around the jams each machine prevents.

Where the gap shows up

The gap shows up wherever a site says less than the buyer checks. Illustrative patterns:

RungWhat sites usually sayWhere we start
OEMs & primesModel numbers and featuresApplication pages
Tier 1'Full-service partner'Program and launch pages
Tier 2A part catalogue PDFComponent-family pages
Tier 3'Precision CNC machining'Equipment and process pages
Tier 4-5'Quality materials since 1952'Grade and size pages
Distributors and service firmsA logo wallLine, method and application pages

IKE reads the ladder both ways

IKE, our Industrial Knowledge Engine, maps what you make to what the tier above you needs, and back again. Everything we do for you teaches it, from your Blueprint to the companies SiteSonar sees reading your pages, so every page we write starts from what your buyer checks.

What IKE learns is manufacturing. Your record stays yours.

How we do it

Short stories from the supply chain

Where we work

We are based in Amherst, New Hampshire, and work with B2B industrial companies across the US. We also run the websites of six New England manufacturing associations.

More about us

Questions

Do you only work with manufacturers?

No. We work across the industrial supply chain, OEMs to Tier 5, plus the distributors, service firms, labs, engineering firms and integrators beside them.

Do you work outside New England?

Yes. We are based in Amherst, New Hampshire, and work with industrial companies across the US.

What is a Tier 2 supplier?

A company that makes components or sub-assemblies for a Tier 1 supplier, which builds systems for the OEM. The same company can be Tier 2 on one program and Tier 1 on another.

Which markets do you work in?

Aerospace and defense, medical device, energy, electronics and semiconductor, automotive and EV, industrial equipment, chemicals, and packaging, at every rung.

Pick the rung you want more of

Start with the free Buyer's-Eye Audit: write the RFQ you most want to win, and we'll show you where a buyer would shortlist you or drop you. Every program starts with the paid Buyers Blueprint, your first month with us, led by Matt Barden.

Get your free Buyer's-Eye Audit Start your Blueprint