December 2006

The Home Depot has received notice from investment firm Relational Investors LLC that it plans to submit a proposal at the next annual meeting to encourage HD to evaluate the “strategic direction of the company, the performance of management, and strategic alternatives for the company.”Relational is run by investor Ralph Whitworth, who has pushed for […]

the crude stage of processing increased 0.2 percentage point, to 89.7 percent. The utilization rate for industries at the primary and semi finished stages dropped 0.6 percentage point, to 82.8 percent, while the utilization rate for finished goods producers increased 0.6 percentage point, to 78.2 percent. More details here.Economic indicators at MDM’s Databank.More Breaking NewsIndustrial

Stanley Works, New Britain, CT, has agreed to buy HSM Electronic Protection Services Inc. from private investors for $545 million in cash. The purchase will open a new business unit for Stanley, Stanley Convergent Security Solutions, which include its existing electronic access control and systems integration as well as commercial monitoring. The new unit is expected

which accounts for nearly half of the region’s manufacturing shipments, was more affected by lower prices for petroleum products and total shipments consequently fell 10.6%. Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island registered small increases on the strength of modest increases in food shipments.In Quebec, shipments increased 1.2% to $11.9 billion. The province’s largest manufacturing industry, primary

The Home Depot, Atlanta, GA, has agreed to buy The Home Way, China’s first home improvement retailer. The transaction has received the necessary Chinese government regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of the year.The Home Way provides the Company with an immediate retail presence in China with 12 stores in six

Industrial and medical gases distributor Praxair Distribution, Inc., Danbury, CT, a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc., has acquired the packaged gas business and facilities of Lake County Medical Gas, Inc. of Mundelein, IL, and Withrow Oxygen Service, Inc. of South Lake Tahoe, CA. The firms had combined total sales of $2 million in their prior fiscal

US Electrical Services, LLC, Exton, PA, (USESI) will acquire Danlar Lighting and Distribution and Lade Electric Supply, Inc. Just outside Atlanta, GA, Danlar supplies materials to contractors, home builders, and electricians in the greater Atlanta area. With two locations and more than 60,000 square feet of warehousing, Lade Electric Supply has been serving the greater

October U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $368.62 million, according to AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, and AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was down 9.9% from September, but up 41.4% from the total of $260.60 million reported for October 2005. With

Sales. October 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 $327.8 billion, down 0.5 percent* from the revised September level, but were up 5.9 percent from the October 2005 level. The September preliminary estimate was revised downward $2.2

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) released the September trend data for distributors and manufacturers of power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) products.In September, U.S. distributors’ year-to-date sales of PT/MC products rose 10.9% as compared to sales for January through September 2005.  Sales decreased 1.6% over the previous month and were up 9.4% as compared to September

Samuel, Son & Co., a steel distributor in Ontario, Canada, will buy Portland-based ESCO Corp.’s stainless-steel distribution business, The Engineered Metals Group. ESCO Corp., a global manufacturer, wants to focus on its core business of making industrial metal parts.EMG is an independent distributor of commodity, processed and engineered stainless steel products in the Western U.S.The

The Timken Company, Canton, OH, has sold its Latrobe Steel subsidiary in Latrobe, PA, to a group of investors led by the Watermill Group, Hicks Holdings and Sankaty Advisors for $215 million in cash.  “We are taking actions across our portfolio to increase the ability to generate consistent profitable growth,” said James W. Griffith, Timken

The cost to make medium- and heavy-duty truck engines is about to go up, thanks to new EPA standards. A purchase in the first quarter of 2007 might save some dollars if you’re planning to update your fleet. Also be aware of increased operating and maintenance costs for new engines that will decrease emissions by

this.)Some tax benefits differ between S- and C- corporations, but other benefits include deductibility of a portion of contributions made to an ESOP and of dividends paid on ESOP-held stock. According to the NCEO, an ESOP also allows a company to use pre-tax dollars to buy out the owners, and sellers can defer capital gains

trend reports have been up every quarter since the first quarter 2003.“Explosive growth in residential housing has been driving these increases, but now the speculative housing bubble has burst. With home sales plummeting and median home prices falling for the first time in more than 10 years, the downturn in real estate is already impacting

grading and value-adding process before distribution, based on specific sales criteria. A good lead filtering and processing system should: Save sales time and money by screening out non-actionable leads before distribution. Determine how hot the lead is. Grade or score leads based on purchasing timeframe, a specific source, budget and/or other parameters so salespeople will

AnalysisThe following is an analysis from Meckstroth on the November 2006 Institute for Supply Management Index, which indicated that manufacturing did not grow in November:“The November ISM index fell below the 50 percent mark, the dividing line between growth and decline, in November ‘ the lowest level in 42 months. The signal of declining production

Home Depot is apparently a target of private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group, according to recent news reports from CNBC and the New York Post. The firms would pay a record $100 billion in a leveraged buyout of Home Depot, which has been rapidly growing its new wholesale division,

electronic and electromechanical controls. Ark-Les is a producer of electromechanical and electronic switches, sensors, connectors, controls, user interfaces and actuators used in household appliances and automobiles. ITW is a $12.8 billion diversified manufacturer. More …The Timken Company, Canton, OH, has acquired Turbo Engines Inc., Tuscon, AZ, provider of aircraft engine overhaul and repair services. The