The material handling industry is the fastest-growing vertical in the world, with a drastic increase in distribution centers across the tri-state and surrounding areas. This year we added another piece to the CBT puzzle by hiring Andy Hillard, a Business Development Manager strictly devoted to serving the local material handling segment. We sat down to talk with Andy about his vision for CBT and the material handling industry in 2021 and beyond.
Q: What is your background in the material handling industry?
A: I have over 15 years of Strategic Sourcing experience for the material handling industry, specifically at Intelligrated/Honeywell. In my past, I represented manufacturing and project purchasing for customers in the material handling world ranging from Amazon and Walmart to Home Depot and many others.
Q: What is your vision for CBT’s impact on material handling?
A: I aspire to grow the material handling segment for CBT. Specifically with nationwide OEMs, installers, and integrators. I want to provide the same level of service that we laid out for Intelligrated/Honey-well and lead to the same level of success for others in the industry. Another priority of CBT’s material handling team is to diversify our product and service portfolio to align with the business goals and objectives of our customers.
Q: What does the material handling industry look like in the tri-state area in 2021 and beyond?
A: The material handling industry directly correlates to the e-commerce sector across the globe.
In 2019, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 3.53 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 6.54 trillion US dollars in 2022. Online shopping is one of the most popular online activities worldwide. I believe the door is wide open for CBT to aggressively recreate the success that we have had with all the other OEMs and Installation teams in this market space.
Q: What is the importance of material handling in the manufacturing industry?
A: Material handling is outpacing the auto industry and is the fastest-growing market space in the US. CBT is well suited to support this continued growth with over twenty years of success, delivering products on time for some of the world’s largest material handling companies.
Q: What is the most important product/service/innovation in the material handling industry?
A: Hands down, it is robotics. We will see increasing integration of small-scale collaborative robots (cobots) and large-scale robots as labor-management concerns continue to rise. CBT has partnered with TechMan Robot and Denso Robot-ics, some of the top global manufacturers, to bring these solutions to our customers.
Q: What is most important for our customers to know about CBT and our material handling capabilities?
A: We have proven success in delivering projects on time and meeting the demands of customers. We offer the latest innovation for our customer’s success. You may have heard us mention “Solutions on Demand,” a powerful statement that we stand by and hold ourselves accountable.
Q: Why did you choose CBT?
A: I chose CBT because I have seen firsthand that they recognize the importance of customer service. They truly focus on the customer and believe that customers’ success is CBT’s success. The culture at CBT is unparalleled; having been recognized as a Top Workplace in Cincinnati multiple times, I was excited to be a valued part of the team.
