What does a manufacturer's representative do?

Manufacturer's rep usually represents a line of complementary lines from multiple manufacturers and helps you find what you need, and who makes it. They arrange for you to purchase from the factory if your orders are large enough, or point you to distributors who can fill your needs. The distributor sells it to you in smaller quantities, although there is some blurring of the line these days. The internet has made a lot of the information easier to find that was only available from a rep at one time.