There are a variety of paths that a modern Analytical Balance or Laboratory Scale can take between the manufacturer and the final customer (end user). This particular market segment has been global for a long time and people are very accustomed to the names of large European manufacturers. However, many more are being added as the emerging nations add new names to the list of manufacturers. Many U.S. suppliers have been acquired by large European manufacturers as they vie for domination of the market and better control of pricing within the market.

All of these manufacturers, including the U.S. manufacturers, are faced with the problem of marketing, distribution, and sales. The major manufacturers seem to prefer the route of using large stocking distributors, with catalog and sales force for their marketing and sales solutions in the U.S. This is a convenient solution for these manufacturers but it adds a fair amount to the final price that the customer must pay in that the manufacturer must give the distributor a large enough discount to cover all of the distributors costs and still provide a reasonable profit for the distributor. The MSRP of the product is arrived at by taking the manufacturers desired price and adding to it the largest markup that must be offered to provide adequate margin for the distributor. In addition, with the advent of the Internet both the manufacturer and the distributor must bear the added burden of preparing and maintaining a current and attractive website. This is a real chore for the distributor as they must place their entire catalog on line and keep it current both in terms of pricing and product offering. This approach does have some added value in that it offers the customer one stop shopping, a customer service department, a sales representative (with possible perks), all of which can make a purchasing agents life a lot simpler and more rewarding.

The next level of marketing and distribution involves the smaller Specialty Distributors that focus on a market segment and carry product lines that fit that particular market. These distributors usually stock the smaller ticket items that they sell (like balances and scales), but not the large ticket items (especially if they are somewhat customized). They probably have a small catalog which they mail to their focused audience. They have a website which they must maintain. They usually have a small staff of sales reps with good technical background in their market segment. Once again the customer must pay for the services provided in the form of the price markup. However, the markup is usually somewhat smaller.

Then the non-stocking internet based distributors. These are minimal overhead operations, the website being their only significant investment. In this mode the distributor is nothing more than an order taker. The order is passed on to the manufacturer who ships directly to the customer. There is no value added here as far as the customer is concerned and the customer must pay the added cost of the distributors markup.

Then the manufacturers that sell directly to the customer. Usually internet based, such as Fulcrum’s torbalscales.com with very little added overhead. Probably the best value for the customer, especially since customer service is direct from the manufacturer.