MPI Customer Spotlight: NAFEM

For a manufacturing company, plugging into the power of a community of peers can be both a lifeline and a launch pad. No one knows this better than the 500 member companies of NAFEM, the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers.

These manufacturers are the foundation of the foodservice industry. As NAFEM Executive Vice President Deirdre Flynn says, “If you’ve had the opportunity to eat outside of your home… our members are the people making the equipment and supplies that allow the chef to put their signature on the dishes you love.”

When manufacturers join NAFEM, they gain access to NAFEM’s:

  • Biennial trade show, which attracts up to 10,000 buyers
  • Marketing tools
  • Training and education programs
  • Industry-specific research

Research is particularly important for NAFEM members. “We’re probably one of the most under-reported industries when it comes to research,” says Flynn. “That’s why we’ve launched our own initiatives to provide members with reliable data for planning growth.”

The NAFEM Size and Shape of the Industry Study is a prime example. Conducted every two years by The MPI Group, this effort surveys members about sales across nine product categories (and associated sub-categories). Members use the aggregated, anonymous study data to measure market growth and opportunities for new product introductions.

In 2019, the association worked with MPI to add the NAFEM Sales Forecasting Tool, an online tool based on Size and Shape Study data and economic variables that allows members to forecast future sales for NAFEM product categories as well as their own companies. “We wanted to help members interpret the data better for their own operations. The more information we can put in people’s hands, the better they can plan — and the more valuable their NAFEM membership will be.”

In 2015, NAFEM launched the NAFEM Business Planning Study. “We didn’t want to lose focus on the fact that our members are manufacturing companies. And because of that, they needed information to know how to operate their businesses more efficiently, and how they stack up vs. competitors and peers.” MPI worked with NAFEM to design a custom study. “That’s where MPI was of great value to us, because of their work across manufacturing industries. Our Study doesn’t just benchmark members, it benchmarks members against manufacturing as a category.”

Flynn and her members are optimistic about the industry’s future. “Food equipment manufacturing is always changing,” she says. “For example, COVID ushered in a new era of restaurant grab-and-go models — with our members creating new products to support them. Labor shortages have inspired members to begin partnering with robotics companies. We need to be prepared to support members as their markets evolves — by putting the right information in their hands when they need it.”