Situation

Since 1981 American Thermal Instruments (ATI) has produced over 1 billion temperature pieces. The company applies serious technology to help avoid serious risks in the medical device, pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries.

Accepting the role of Vice President of Sales & Marketing allowed me to develop the marketing strategies and provide executive leadership and strategic direction for sales initiatives covering eight product lines. For 30 years quality and customer service were the priorities and it was apparent this mid-sized manufacturing company was ready to become a technology sales organization.

All products were manufactured in the 78,000 square foot building in Dayton, OH until an acquisition of technology developed and manufactured outside of the U.S. transitioned the company into a global manufacturing company. From liquid crystal thermometers and temperature indicators to wireless RFID monitoring, ATI solutions provide millions of dollars of risk protection each day. Some even protect lives.

Marketing

The internal and external marketing efforts started with developing a brand identity and brand architecture that covered all eight product lines across multiple industries. We developed a new logo and used a color system to identify the four major industries that we served. It was important to capture the tribal knowledge of the tenured employees and understand the history of solving unique and complex challenges.

A new website was developed (2010 Addy/Hermes Award Winner) and the story started to come together from that day forward. A thorough evaluation of market conditions, customer research, and competitive data were completed before creating marketing collateral was developed. A lot of time was invested into writing for the first of-it’s-kind company brochure, product sheets and valuable case studies.

All advertising, promotional and marketing activities, including a trade show schedule were developed along with a new tagline, “When temperature matters” to cover the vastness of product applications when addressing each market. Driving a new product line from concept to execution resulted in significant gains in new business development, financial performance, and brand awareness. The biggest accomplishment for ATI was launching the first ever temperature app technology and managing a pilot program which used a new cloud based system.

Private labeling and partnering with larger firms that had dedicated salesforce to market ATI products would soon become a realistic opportunity. Reseller agreements and contracts with distributors were established along with distribution strategies and setting up global distribution networks. The challenge is to manage the identity of your new found brand while using your resources to help your new partners grow their product lines.

Sales & Results

Launching a new company-wide branding and marketing campaign at the same time you are responsible for sales revenue growth has it’s challenges especially when learning four new industries. However ATI experienced increased sales revenue on average 31% each year and the number of units sold each year rose from 50 million to 87 million. All while maintaining high standards of quality regulated by FDA and ISO.