European Marketing and Distribution in the 1990s: The Case of the Machine Tool Industry in the UK Available to Purchase

Provides results from a postal survey of machine tool importers in the UK, designed to research trends in importing and marketing in the industry in the light of environmental factors such as EC integration,the integration of machine tool systems and competitive pressures. The results indicate a growth in the number of sales subsidiaries as compared with distributors or agents as manufacturers seek to get closer to the final customer. Importers′ involvement in proactive pre‐sale activities is, however, more limited than would be expected from the evolution of the industry. The likelihood of distributor reorganization at a European level is recognized by importers, but the extent and pace of change has perhaps been underestimated.