Tom Scanlan, publisher of the Surplus Record, explains why manufacturers trust him to connect them with machinery dealers. He talks about how the business started 97 years ago after World War I when his father went door to door on "manufacturers row" in Chicago to find companies with surplus machine tools and equipment.
Founded in 1924
Since 1924, surplusrecord has been the world's largest print and online industrial directory of used, new & surplus machinery & equipment. Its founder Thomas P. Scanlan, a University of Notre Dame graduate, started the publication in Chicago as a listing service for companies selling capital equipment. It is a business-to-business marketplace where buyers and sellers of all types of industrial equipment can find each other. Surplus Record's listings include metalworking and fabricating equipment, woodworking tools, chemical and process equipment, power generation equipment, air compressors, cranes, circuit breakers, pumps and generators. It was the first company to bring classified advertising into the internet.
Thousands of Dealers List on Surplus Record
Behind Tom Scanlan’s desk at Surplus Record headquarters in the old Chicago Civic Opera House building, there’s an old manual Royal typewriter. It’s a reminder that his company, which publishes a stubby 5" x 8" monthly print digest of thousands of listings of New and used machinery by dealers, started out as an information business 87 years ago.
Now, the Internet has taken on much of the work of connecting buyers and sellers, but Scanlan isn’t about to give up on his legacy. The company still has pulpy bound volumes of its print publication prominently displayed at its offices, and eight employees assiduously work on mail circulation daily. Scanlan points out that the site’s transparency gives it an advantage over other machinery marketplaces, which he describes as “hidden walls.” Buyers can sign up for alerts on specific products like H-frame presses or squirrel cage AC motors and be made aware when new items are added to listings, saving them time searching.
Transparency
Essentially, transparency is when individuals share their complete and honest information with others. This includes sharing the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’ of their decisions. People who are transparent also acknowledge their shortcomings instead of trying to hide or shift responsibility.
Distributor of used machinery including hydraulic cylinder presses with standard and custom options, hydraulic bar & billet shears, press brakes, ironworkers, plasma & laser cutters. Services include inspection, engineering and refurbishing. Suitable for automotive, aerospace, consumer product and defense industries. Those that need to comprehend used gensets, they will visit here.
Employees want to know their work matters and that they’re part of a larger mission. This is especially true when employees are working in teams where they have to rely on one another for support and collaboration. When a team lacks transparency, it can lead to miscommunication and disengagement, which leads to lower productivity. Being more transparent as a business can help prevent these issues from occurring. Transparency starts with the leader, who sets the example by being open and honest with their employees.
