Finding the Right Training and Education Partner
Can Provide Bottom-line Savings

Industrial manufacturers are investing steadily in distributor and dealer training to help drive revenue. Yet, despite this spending, many roadblocks stand in the way of providing complete and effective training and delivering training materials to distributors and dealers in today’s global market. These include the need to be consistent and uniform in training materials and presentations, overcoming time constraints, and developing coursework that will help students learn and retain the information.

What does this mean to learning practitioners in the manufacturing industry? Simply put, they are required to focus on content and course development while also coordinating training materials through document and logistics management.


One method to overcome roadblocks and help training professionals focus on their core competency—content development—is to retain the services of a training and education partner. According to the American Society for Training & Development, many organizations have experienced increases in learning efficiency by selecting outsourcing partners who complement their internal strengths. One such organization that was able to do this is a global manufacturer of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration solutions.

This multi-billion dollar company has approximately 43,000 employees worldwide and operations in more than 170 countries. The company has a network of research and development centers with dozens of manufacturing facilities and multiple design centers around the world. The company distributes to, and services its customers via a worldwide network of owned and independent distributors and dealers on six continents—dealers and distributors who need up-to-date training materials.

Establishing a True Partnership
Over the years, Standard Register has established itself as a solid Manufacturing Parts Solutions partner with this company. For years, the two companies fostered a business relationship second to none, with SR providing not only labels for its products in the highly regulated HVAC industry, but also a wide-range of forms that support its Warranty Group, including warranty registrations and claims, parts and labor requests, and rebates. In addition, Standard Register provides labels and literature to two of the company’s Mexico plants.

Because of this solid partnership, SR became aware of a separate area of business within the company that was experiencing issues which could potentially be rectified by SR. That area—training and education—was currently being served by an on-site business solutions provider. Unfortunately, that provider was creating multiple pain points for the manufacturer, including:

  • A lead time of 12 weeks for the production of training manuals and related books
  • The lack of an accurate and consistent cost capture mechanism
  • No true technical support and consultation
  • The absence of an ordering tool—the company needed to use its SAP system and provide hard copies to the print center
  • Insufficient and inconsistent kitting abilities
  • Issues with shipping and billing
  • High inventories of thousands of manuals and books, most of which were becoming rapidly outdated

As a result of these inefficiencies and lack of capabilities by the on-site provider, the manufacturer’s re-sale channel, where the company sells its high-end training manuals and support literature to external audiences (i.e., dealers, repair facilities, major universities and national book stores, such as Barnes & Noble), had dwindled from $5 million annually to a mere $2 million.

Team Effort Alleviates the Pain
Taking all of these pain points into consideration, as well as the depth and breadth of the company’s global training organization, SR immediately pulled together an extensive team to develop and deliver a pilot program to the company. Following extensive research and consultation with company representatives as well as internal SR resources, Standard Register delivered a training materials support program powered by its SMARTworks® technology, which addressed both internal training needs as well as external training and support programs for the manufacturer.

The new training system allows the manufacturer’s training and education team to handle the vast majority of its daily course needs directly through SMARTworks, including access to a complete digital library of training materials, the ability to order kits and efficient cost capturing. In addition, SR has facilitated the printing of complicated manuals and books for the company that include fold-out pages and vinyl overlays and require the highest degree of quality assurance and consistency. SR has also provided various course tools and components for its internal training, including posters, banners, pens, badges and note pads.

By providing the company with a complete suite of training products and services, including consulting and systems training and support, they are now able to focus on course development and, in turn, build back up their cost center.

Three key factors played a role in the company’s decision to expand its partnership with Standard Register into training solutions:

  • The personal service provided by the extensive SR account and support team. The manufacturer now has subject-matter expertise at its fingertips and holds a standing weekly appointment with SR to ensure continued success and improvement.
  • SR’s ability to provide consistent and quality kitting solutions.
  • SR’s technology and the training provided on that technology, enabling the company’s training team to be self-sufficient.

If you’d like more information on how you can enhance your company’s learning services by working with a proven training and education partner, contact Standard Register today.