Inside Industrial Marketing Summit 2026: Emily Ting on Distributor Programs That Work
If you are a solo marketer at a manufacturer, this may sound familiar. You juggle content, trade shows, sales requests, and budgets, often at the same time. In many cases, you do all of this on your own.
At the same time, many manufacturers rely heavily on distributors. Those relationships are essential, but they can also feel fragile and difficult to manage well. One wrong move can strain trust.
That is why this conversation with Emily Ting, Marketing Specialist at CCS, matters. She is also a speaker at the Industrial Marketing Summit 2026 in Austin, Texas. Her upcoming session focuses on how her team rebuilt a distributor benefits program and gained real buy-in across the business.
Emily Ting’s Path Into B2B Manufacturing Marketing
Emily did not plan a career in industrial marketing. In college, she studied international relations and East Asian studies, knowing early on that diplomacy was not the path she wanted.
Still, she enjoyed learning and chose to finish her degree while gaining practical experience. She completed marketing internships that included managing social media accounts and working on basic website projects.
After college, a personal connection led her to CCS America. Her ability to speak Japanese also helped open the door. Like many solo marketers, she learned the manufacturing world by doing the work every day.
What CCS Does and Why It’s Hard to Market
CCS is a machine vision lighting company that supports automated manufacturing processes. Machine vision systems use cameras to inspect products for defects, codes, and quality issues at high speed.
However, cameras do not see the world the way people do. As Emily explains, “Just because we think it’s easy to see… doesn’t mean it’s the same is true for a camera.” Lighting plays a critical role in making defects visible.
Because the products are technical, marketing must be precise and accurate. That often requires close collaboration with engineers, sales teams, and distributors who bring the solutions to market.
The Everyday Challenges Manufacturing Marketers Face
Planning is one of the biggest challenges Emily sees in manufacturing marketing. Even with a solid plan, timelines often stretch longer than expected due to budget approvals and shifting priorities.
Manufacturing adds another layer of complexity. Marketing depends on physical items like demos and trade show equipment, which require long lead times. Missing a single step can delay a launch by weeks.
Emily warns marketers about falling into what she calls a “logistical trap.” Without early planning, small oversights can quickly become major problems.
Why Distributor Programs Are So Delicate
Distributor marketing is a common pain point for manufacturers. Many companies rely on distributors for most of their sales, which makes those relationships especially sensitive.
At CCS, rebuilding the distributor benefits program started with leadership support. Leadership handled the most sensitive topics, such as how distributors would be evaluated and tiered.
Marketing focused on designing the benefits, while sales reviewed and supported the rollout. “It was maybe one of the first times where leadership and sales and marketing were all… really aligned,” Emily says. That alignment made a measurable difference.
One Mistake Companies Often Make With Distributors
Emily shares advice she once heard from a distributor outside her industry: do not create unnecessary friction. Even well-intended systems can damage trust if they make distributors’ jobs harder.
“If you make it harder for them… that can hurt the relationship,” she explains. Forcing partners into rigid tools or processes can backfire.
Some effort is unavoidable, but every benefit should be weighed carefully. If it adds more friction than value, it may not be worth offering.
Relationship Management Is Part of Marketing
Emily is candid about relationship management. She admits she does not always get it right, but she believes it is a core part of the marketing role.
Marketing depends on buy-in from leadership, engineers, and sales teams. Strong communication and regular interaction help marketers understand how different people prefer to work.
Over time, that understanding makes it easier to move projects forward and gain support for new ideas.
What to Expect at Industrial Marketing Summit 2026
Emily’s session at the Industrial Marketing Summit will walk through the entire journey of the distributor program. That includes early planning, the launch, and lessons learned along the way.
She plans to share both successes and missteps. Rather than offering a rigid template, she wants attendees to ask better questions about their own situations.
Every manufacturer is different, and distributor programs must reflect that reality.
A Simple Piece of Business Advice
At the end of the interview, Emily shared one piece of advice she continues to work on herself. She believes marketers should understand how the P&L statement works.
Knowing how profit and loss affects the business helps marketers make stronger cases for budgets and priorities. “I think it’s good advice,” she says, even as she continues learning.
For solo marketers, this knowledge can be especially valuable.
Conclusion
Emily Ting’s experience reflects the reality of industrial marketing. The work is technical, relationship-driven, and often complex. Success depends on alignment and clear communication.
From machine vision lighting to distributor programs, her story shows the value of reducing friction and bringing teams together. Her session at the Industrial Marketing Summit 2026 will offer practical insight for marketers navigating similar challenges.
Sometimes progress comes from doing the hard work together. Other times, it comes from keeping things simple.
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