October 25, 2006

Hellman & Friedman, LLC and Thoma Cressey Capital Partners, LLC purchased Activant Solutions, which provides vertical business management software and owns Prophet 21, software focused on distribution. Singer Equities, a firm active in the rubber business, bought out Maine-based PRC Industrial Supply, a distributor of rubber, hose and accessories. Heritage Partners recently invested in electrical […]

Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, welding, safety, and related products, reported second-quarter sales of $791 million, up 13% over the previous year. Total same-store sales were up 11%, with hardgoods up 10% and gas and rent up 11%, reflecting pricing and solid demand in industrial production, energy and

The Timken Company, Canton, OH, reported sales of $1.27 billion in the third quarter, up slightly from the same period a year ago. Strong sales in industrial markets were largely offset by significant declines in automotive markets. “Our industrial and steel businesses performed well in the third quarter with industrial markets continuing to drive strong

Kennametal, Latrobe, PA, reported first quarter 2007 sales of $543 million. This represents 6% organic sales growth offset by the net impact of acquisitions and divestitures, primarily the sale of J& L Industrial Supply. J& L outside sales were $65 million in the September quarter last year. Profit for the first quarter was $30.3 million, up

Praxair, Inc., Danbury, CT, third-quarter sales rose 11% to $2,099 million, compared with $1,890 million in the 2005 quarter. Net income rose to $247 million. “Activity in the industrial economy has continued to be strong, and we have not seen any meaningful decline in demand from our customers,” said Dennis H. Reilley, chairman and CEO. “Looking

Sales. August 2006 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $335.6 billion, up 1.1 percent from the revised July level and were up 12.5 percent from the August 2005 level. August sales of durable goods increased 1.4 percent

Distribution-North America as a result of double-digit sales growth in Corporate Accounts and Tier II relationships. Barnes Group sales year-to-date increased 13 percent to $930.8 million. More …Wesco International Inc., distributor of electrical MRO products and construction materials, sales were $1,343 million in the third quarter 2006, an increase of 18.7 percent from the prior-year

The PTDA is not the only organization reaching across the Atlantic. Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International executive vice president and COO Donald Frendberg recently addressed European distributors at the 48th FEST Congress (European Federation of the Sanitary and Heating Wholesale Trade) in Portugal. The conference brought together more than 170 attendees from 11 European

What are the obstacles in getting more distributors involved?HL: The size of distributors is an issue along with language problems. Countries like Switzerland and Belgium have several official languages the association cannot afford to be multilingual. And multilingual means accommodating more than just three different languages.MDM: What about Eastern European distributors’ involvement is this important

similar to last year, dropping to 70 percent in September 2006 from 72 percent in September 2005. Although the composite index and several individual indexes point to slower growth, several indexes’notably exports and capacity utilization’rose,” said Daniel J. Meckstroth, Ph.D., Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI chief economist. “Further, all of the indexes remain well above the 50 percent

million and expects 2006 sales to reach $600 million. The company is a national distributor of low-voltage network infrastructure and industrial wire and cable products. It has 32 branches, a sales force of more than 300 associates, and its marketing focuses on Fortune 1000 and large institutional customers in the U.S. The acquisition will close