POS, defined as Place of Sale, is an important cornerstone to the manufacturer – rep – distributor dynamic. Why you may ask? It’s not because manufacturers want to track the flow of product or information. The key reason is that it enables the local manufacturer representative to be compensated for products that move through RDCs and CDCs and are sold locally.

NEMRA created the electrical industry’s minimum POS standards to include the zip code of where the product is sold. No customer name, address or other identifiable information is shared via the standard.

All of the national chains and other leading distributors have told NEMRA that they support POS reporting and want their local independent manufacturer representatives to be compensated for supporting them – in demand generation and branch support. They are all willing to share the information and encourage their manufacturers to use it to compensate the reps accurately and on a timely basis.

Yes, there can be challenges in tracking movement, but the desire is evident.

To date, over 50 manufacturers / brands have endorsed the standards as have over 50 distributor entities.

Intermatic is the latest manufacturer to endorse the standards.

Intermatic Endorses NEMRA POS Standards

Intermatic, a leading manufacturer of energy control and protection solutions, has endorsed the NEMRA POS / POT Minimum Recommended Standards as a further commitment to its independent manufacturer representatives.

Intermatic, founded in 1891, is known for innovation and reliability, providing electrical distributors, and their customers, with timer controls, time switch technology, sensors, photocontrols, weatherproof covers, surge protection and more. The company is considered the market leader in electronic photocontrols, in-wall timers and mechanical timers.

Jeanne Stark, Director of Sales Operations, commented, “Our reps are a critical link between Intermatic and our distributor customers, and it’s important to us that they are compensated fully and accurately. POS information from our distributor partners helps us do this as we can then track in which territory the sale occurred. The NEMRA POS standards simplify this process and ensure our reps are paid on a timely basis.”

Jim Johnson, President of NEMRA, commented “On behalf of Intermatic’s NEMRA representatives, we appreciate their endorsement of and commitment to the NEMRA POS standards, as well as their commitment to ensuring representatives are appropriately compensated for their efforts.

As distributors continue to invest in centralized and regional distribution systems and expand their geographic reach – often covering multiple independent rep territories – POS reporting is more important than ever. The NEMRA POS Minimum Standards ensure that key information is shared by distributors with manufacturers in a consistent format, enabling manufacturers to process and allocate commissions accurately and in a timely manner.

The POS standards make reporting easier for distributors, helping them streamline and standardize their reporting process. They provide a single format that can be used across more than 50 manufacturers / brands, while giving distributors confidence that customer-specific information remains protected and is not shared without their explicit approval.

Sharing the specific location where a customer purchased products is critical to ensuring the appropriate manufacturer sales representative receives credit for supporting the distributor. That is why, to NEMRA, POS is Place of Sale.”

For more information on NEMRA’s POS initiative, including current research and a list of manufacturers and distributors that have endorsed and adopted the standards, go to https://www.nemra.org/point-of-sale-initiative/. For a copy of the standards, contact NEMRA at www.nemra.org.