Awards & Recognition / By / December 23, 2013

Shared Values Cement a Long-term Partnership

Shared values form the glue that sustains a business relationship through time. RAD DeRose, president and CEO of L-Tron who serve enterprises and government agencies in the United States with high-tech industrial automation and data collection systems, and have done so for nearly four decades. In the early 90s L-Tron was looking for a world-class partner that could deliver automation products more affordably than expensive domestic or European providers. Naturally they looked to Taiwan, and one supplier stood out. There were cheaper Taiwanese suppliers at the time, but Advantech offered a better, more complete product line, with better support, and a better US presence. L-Tron took all these factors into consideration, and determined that Advantech offered the best overall value. The decision has stood the test of time.

As an AASECO (Advantech Automation Sales Eco) channel partner, L-Tron takes Advantech products and extends them into customer applications. Most are custom applications that integrate standard Advantech hardware with, in some cases, application software and in other cases, additional 3rd party hardware, to meet specific customer application requirements, which might be for a high-speed vision system, or a test measurement system, or an industrial automation system for robotic control.
Over the years, L-Tron has made use of a range of Advantech products, “It’s quite a variety,” said RAD DeRose, president and CEO of L-Tron, “and that’s one thing we like about Advantech—there’s so much breadth in the Advantech product line that we have the flexibility to match the application with the hardware; we are not forced into specific product selections. It never ceases to amaze me that I can order something on a Friday and have it show up on my desk from Taiwan on Monday. It makes our job easier.”
L-Tron has always focused on delivering what the customer needs. This can be overall value, or it can be a quick turnaround on a custom system. The Advantech ability to expedite orders, including CTOS assemblies in California, or a drop ship directly from Taiwan, is important to L-Tron customers. “We have cases where the ability to deliver a system quickly has helped to secure an order and convert a transactional customer, who at the time was just buying on price, into a long-term client,” DeRose said.
The relationship between L-Tron and Advantech has grown and matured over the years. Since the addition of the Advantech channel team about ten years ago, the relationship has really blossomed. Nathan Smith, Advantech’s channel manager for L-Tron, is a key part of keeping L-Tron informed and making it a member of the Advantech team. L-Tron also appreciates the infrastructure enhancements, such as the MyAdvantech B2B site. As it continues to evolve, the site helps L-Tron deliver information efficiently to its customers, including checking configurations, prices and availability, all in real time.
Over the next few years L-Tron wants to grow its business with Advantech. The L-Tron marketing and e-store platform allow them the flexibility to answer customer inquiries and helps create demand for products. Gayle DeRose, COO of L-Tron summed it up, “We sell a lot of Advantech products. We’re happy to sell a lot of Advantech products, and we want to continue to sell a lot of Advantech products. You help us serve our customers very well.” So congratulations to Advantech. 30 years in the high tech industry is quite an accomplishment. L-Tron looks forward to the next 30 years and what we can accomplish working together, as we continue on our journey from Good to Great.”

 

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