​ST. LOUIS — The Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) has released its 2017 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey Report, an annual overview of the relationship between dealers and their suppliers designed to support changes and improvements in the supply chain.

The survey enables equipment dealers to rate up to seven manufacturer lines they carry in 12 key business categories, such as product quality, availability and technical support; parts availability, quality and return policy; communication, warranty and marketing/advertising support.  

“This annual survey provides important operating assessments for equipment dealers and the primary manufacturers they represent,” said Joe Dykes, vice president of industry relations for EDA. “It offers valuable, third-party information and analysis to support continuous enhancements in manufacturers’ product and service quality for their dealers, and in turn, their customers.”

Dykes said the report communicates areas of strength and possible needs for improvements of represented manufacturers, evaluates new product lines and brands to carry, and provides competitive comparisons of existing product lines.   

This year, more than 2,300 dealers participated in EDA’s Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey Report, providing a total of 9,278 individual ratings. Results are compiled anonymously and distributed to EDA dealer members and the manufacturers in the survey report for comparison, analysis and review. EDA encourages equipment dealers and manufacturers to join the association and receive the many benefits of membership, including the survey report.

Survey results are also used to determine recipients of EDA’s annual Dealer Choice Awards within each of four manufacturer categories. The 2017 recipients will be announced within the next few weeks.