The Dragtime News January 2016 - On Location at The PRI Show | Page 7

question-and-answer
sessions in regard to
welding processes.
“I try to cover every aisle
and just keep my eyes
open,” relayed Robert
Bartlett of Virkler &
Bartlett, a Virginia-based
motorsports power
engineering company.
“I’ll see something new
that gets my attention.
Most of our major
machine purchases are
made here. This is a
place where you can
see the machines work
and put your hands on
them. That’s very
important.”
Rottler Manufacturing
not only gave attendees
a first-time view at its
new SG9HP grinder
machine, but it also
marked the first time
some of the team’s own
sales reps had seen
their very latest
innovation. “The show
was excellent this year,”
said Melissa Moorhead,
of Rottler, who had 1 4
machines on display.
“We had more people
come by this year than
we initially anticipated.
We saw a good variety

of customers. There
were people who came
in on opening day and
shopped around for two
days before making their
buying decisions on
Saturday and then there
were customers who
came knowing what they
wanted and they would
go right to the booth and
make their decisions
right then. People want
to know ‘what can our
machines do for them?
How can we support
them? And in the big
picture, how can we
make our customers
money? PRI is our
favorite show from
throughout the year and
it’s our biggest show.
Every year it seems to
get bigger and better for
us.”
Numerous others
reported brisk sales
throughout the three-day
show. “We’ve had
people in our booth all
show ready to buy,
looking to get a quote on
the spot and get a
dynamometer on order,”
said Mike Giles of
SuperFlow, which
featured the SF902S
engine dynamometer
and 750 and 1 020
7

Flowbenches. “PRI is
our core business. We
sell a lot of different
kinds of dynos, but our
bread and butter forever
has always been engine
dynos and this is where
people come to buy
them. This has been
phenomenal.”
How good was this
year’s show? One
exhibitor even noted,
‘we’ve sold everything
on the show floor except
the car we’ve got on
display.’
Overall, approximately
1 ,200 racing industry
suppliers occupied
3,300 booths, while
exhibiting the latest
developments in auto
racing technology.
Buyers from throughout
the U.S. and 70
countries from around
the globe were in
attendance for the
world's premier trade
show for motorsports
professionals.
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Watch the website
(www.dragtimenews.com )
forin-depth coverage from
the show floor, including
tons ofnew products.