April 2006

Genuine Parts Company reported record sales and earnings for the first quarter ended March 31, 2006. Sales totaled $2.6 billion, up 9% compared with the first quarter of 2005. Net income for the quarter was $113.9 million, an increase of 7% over $106.6 million recorded in the same period of the previous year.Each of the […]

Watsco, Inc., distributor of air conditioning and heating products, reported its revenues grew 14% to $394 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2006. Net income rose to $13 million compared with $9.1 million in the same period last year.Same-store growth rates for revenue and gross profit were also 14% for the quarter.“Watsco is

Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, N.C., a supplier of building materials to professionals in the U.S., has acquired the Wholesale Division of Davis Homes, in Indianapolis, IN.   Davis Homes Wholesale is the sole supplier of roof trusses, wall panels, door assemblies, framing lumber, windows, sub-flooring, interior and exterior trim, roofing, and sheathing for Davis Homes,

Motion Industries, Inc., Birmingham, AL, has completed the acquisition of Don Hills Company, a single facility located in Union, ME.In operation since January 1976, Don Hills Company sells, services, and repairs hydraulic, fluid power and hose products/components. “This strategic move is a continuation of our growth in Maine, and we are pleased to have Don

WESCO International, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, a provider of electrical MRO products, construction materials, and advanced integrated supply procurement outsourcing services, reported sales for the first quarter 2006 of $1,265.5 million compared with $990.9 million in 2005, an increase of 27.7%. Sales from the two acquisitions completed in the third quarter of 2005 were approximately $107

Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, PA, has signed a definitive agreement with KPAC LLC to divest Kennametal’s Kemmer Praezision Electronics business. Kemmer Praezision manufactures and markets tungsten carbide consumable tools for the printed circuit board market. The disposition of this business is in line with Kennametal’s recently announced intention to accelerate its manufacturing rationalization opportunities and its

Parker Hannifin Corporation, Cleveland, OH, has acquired 70 percent of the shares of Japan-based Kuroda Pneumatics Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuroda Precision Industries Ltd. Kuroda Pneumatics employs 150 people and had 2005 sales of approximately $50 million.“This transaction strengthens Parker’s automation business capabilities to better serve the Japanese marketplace,” said Roger Sherrard, president

the costs associated with the SAP implementation.Acklands-Grainger Branch-based segmentBeginning with the first quarter 2006, Grainger is reporting its Canadian branch-based business as a separate segment. Acklands-Grainger is Canada’s leading broad-line distributor of industrial, automotive fleet and safety supplies, serving customers through 164 branches and five distribution centers across the country.Sales for the quarter of $139

>The Fastenal Company, Winona, MN reported net sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2006 totaled $431.7 million, an increase of 22.0% over net sales of $353.8 million in the first quarter of 2005. First quarter operating income increased from $59.4 million in 2005 to $76.9 million in 2006, an increase of 29.5%. Net

million tons a year more than three times the next largest producer. Mittal has promised to sell Dofasco to Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG if it acquires Arcelor, though Arcelor is trying to prevent that from happening by moving Dofasco shares into a separate trust. (ThyssenKrupp was the losing bidder for Dofasco last year.) Mittal’s girth is

an item.“The system applies a level of discipline that’s critical to see the kind of success The Reynolds Company has seen,” he says.ChallengesThe system requires a meticulous implementation. For example, at The Reynolds Company, employees had to label 30,000 bin locations by hand. Also, before the system could even be implemented, the company had to

nearly focused enough on either of these activities. In fact, our research shows that average salespeople spend only six percent of their time prospecting and qualifying potential new customers. And they spend just 19 percent of their time working to understand the needs of customers and prospects, developing solutions and presenting to decision makers. To

More …Parker Hannifin Corporation has acquired a 70 percent stake in Japan-based Kuroda Pneumatics Ltd., a subsidiary of Kuroda Precision Industries Ltd. Kuroda had 2005 sales of about $50 million. Roger Sherrand, president of Parker’s Automation Group, says the transaction strengthens Parker’s automation business capabilities so it can better serve the Japanese marketplace. Parker plans

In February, U.S. distributors’ year-to-date sales of power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) products products rose 11.1 percent as compared to sales for January through February 2005, according to February trend data by the Power Transmission Distributors Association for distributors and manufacturers of. Sales increased 8.9 percent over the previous month and were up 10.1 percent as

Construction spending in February 2006 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,185.4 billion, 0.8 percent above the revised January estimate of $1,176.0 billion. The February figure is 7.4 percent above the February 2005 estimate of $1,103.6 billion.February spending was a record.During the first two months of the year, construction spending amounted to

Modern Distribution Management’s February Inflation Index, which measures a cross-section of industrial supplies, is up 0.78% over the previous month, and up 5.32% from February 2005. Summary of MDM Inflation Index for the past 12 months: Febuary 2006 Index 261.2January 2006 Index 260.2December 2005 Index 258.1November 2005 Index 256.1October 2005 Index 255.4September 2005 Index 254.3August 2005 Index 253.9July

Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, PA, has signed a definitive agreement with Suncraft International Corp. to sell Kennametal’s UK-based Presto brand high speed steel assets. The disposition of these assets is in line with Kennametal’s recently announced intention to accelerate its manufacturing rationalization opportunities.  The sale, expected to close by June 30, 2006, (fiscal year-end for Kennametal),

Gates Corporation, Denver, CO, has acquired an equity stake in CoLinx, LLC which provides e-business and logistics services. Gates will use CoLinx logistics services in all CoLinx locations in the U.S. and Canada. The Gates on-line store for Industrial Power Transmission products is planned for launch in the second half of 2006. The store will be