fdmonline.com
Karl D. Forth
kforth@wattnet.net
Your business is changing. The market is changing. And we’re going through “Them Changes,” if I can borrow a pop music reference from the late Buddy Miles. We’ve been through change before. This magazine started out in 1959 as Furniture Design & Manufacturing and focused on that part of the market for many years. But we’ve covered cabinets, millwork, office furniture and store fixtures in addition to residential furniture for many years. In fact, the official name has been simply “FDM” for more than 10 years.
We also aligned the circulation for FDM into large plants, and CabinetMaker into small shops, back in 1998. That’s practically a geological age in the past, the way things are changing now.
Our big plant/small shop split made a lot of sense for a number of years. Now, many companies are downsizing, and smaller shops are becoming more sophisticated, using advanced processes, technology and equipment. So we are combining the two best-known names in the industry into a single magazine: CabinetMaker+FDM.
The recession has also fast-forwarded many changes. We will continue to cover many of the same large-company areas that FDM has covered, but we will also be focusing on the small to mid-size companies where we see the greatest growth in the future. One gentleman told me a few weeks ago that he prefers machines intended for companies with 500 employees. He has five in his own shop. I think we’ll see more production from these small and medium-sized companies.
I know what your reaction may be. It was the same when I discovered that my 600-al- bum record collection was obsolete or now, as CDs are becoming outdated.
“I liked it the way it was!”
Fortunately, you’ll still be able to get the information you need from a printed magazine. We know that’s the preference for many people. But we expect that our new combined Web site will be a primary source of information for many readers. We’re also planning three new e-mail newsletters as part of this change. And qualified readers can receive the new magazine in a completely digital format.
CabinetMaker editor Will Sampson and I will be working closely together on both the new magazine and the new expanded Web site. He will have final responsibility for the print version of CabinetMaker+FDM, and there isn’t another editor in this industry with his experience and expertise. I will have overall responsibility for our new Web site that will combine the best features of fdmonline.com and cabinetmakeronline.com.
On behalf of the previous editors over the past 50 years, thanks to the many people who have contributed in some way to our longstanding success, including woodworking companies, equipment firms and organizations. And a special thank you to those who have taken the time to allow us to visit their operations.
We’re looking forward to the future, and we hope to be able to continue to provide useful information for your business in the years ahead. It would be easier to continue to do the same thing, that’s for sure. It’s time to get rid of that old turntable.
References:
Archives