2006

here. Related Stories:Stock Building Supply Buys K& A LumberWolseley Acquires Five More DistributorsWolseley Optimistic of Progress Made in U.S.Ferguson Buys Endries InternationalWolseley plc, London, group revenues increased more than 26% to $11.85 billion with trading profit up nearly 22% to $677.5 million, with the U.S. accounting for 59.3% of the revenues and 61.7% of the trading

W.W. Grainger Inc., Chicago, IL, $5.5 billion distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, is adding more than 39,000 products to its new 2006 catalog launching April 3, 2006. The expansion brings the number of products offered through its catalog from 82,000 to more than 115,000. The expanded offering consists of some 30,000 different fasteners such as screws,

Barnes Group Inc., Bristol, CN, has agreed to acquire Heinz Hanggi AG, Stanztechnik of Bettlach, Switzerland, a developer and manufacturer of high-precision punched and fine-blanked components, for a combination of cash and Barnes Group Inc. common stock. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of this year and will add about $30

Activant Solutions Inc., Austin, TX, (purchased Prophet 21 in September 2005) has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by private equity investment firms Hellman & Friedman LLC and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners.  The firms will acquire Activant Solutions Holdings Inc and all its subsidiaries from investment funds affiliated with HM Capital Partners LLC, which

January U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $225.94 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association, and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was down 31.9% from December but up 11.3% from the total of $202.94 million reported for January 2005. These

Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, has agreed to acquire the assets and operations of Airtec Inc., an industrial gas and welding supply distributor with six locations in Wisconsin and one in Minneapolis, MN. The acquisition is expected to close by April 1, 2006, subject to customary closing conditions.The Altoona, WI-based business, which generated around $13 million

materials, including tooling, MRO and hazmat.A 2004 study by Data Enterprise Management showed that surveyed companies with at least two years of automated VMI use had a 25 percent average increase in inventory turns, and a 31 percent average reduction in stock outs. Data Enterprise Management is part of Datalliance, which sets up software to

AccusationsNorth American consumption of OSB was forecast to rise starting in late 2002, according to court documents. During 2000 and 2001, Louisiana-Pacific and its competitors had announced plans to build new OSB plants or expand existing facilities.But these plans changed. Louisiana-Pacific canceled its planned OSB facilities in the second half of 2002. Norbord suspended its

Inc. make clear that employees, or government agencies on their behalf, will continue to pursue these types of claims through the courts. These rulings warrant careful attention by all businesses to how compensation practices match up with the obligations to pay for time considered compensable under current interpretations of the long-standing wage-and-hour laws. Frederic Mendelsohn

sales of the acquired businesses, sales climbed 10.9 percent. The two businesses accounted for $6.9 million of the sales increase in the fourth quarter. Excluding sales of the two acquired businesses, sales for the fourth quarter were up 26.7 percent. More …Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, CN, reported an 11 percent sales increase to $1.1 billion for

The manufacturing sector should be able to withstand some deceleration and continue its expansion through 2007, according to the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Industrial Outlook, a report that analyzes 27 major industries. In a sign of consistent strength in manufacturing, fourth quarter 2005 figures show that 20 of the 27 industries tracked in the report had

Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, NC, a supplier of building materials and services to professionals in the U.S., has acquired K& A Lumber Company, Homestead, FL. K& A is a supplier of framing lumber and rebar (fabricated reinforcing steel) to commercial and residential builders in south and central Florida. K& A was founded in 1979 as a

here.Related Stories:The Home Depot to Buy Hughes Supply for $3.4BHughes and Home Depot?Commentary: Rumor mill well fed with Hughes-Home Depot talkHughes Supply Profit Up 35% in 3QDiversified distributor Hughes Supply Inc., Orlando, FL, recorded a 23% increase in sales for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2006. Sales were a record $5.44 billion, up from

DXP Enterprises, Inc., Houston, TX, reported sales increased 45% to $54.7 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2005, from $37.7 million for the same period last year. Profit increased 222% to $2.1 million for the fourth quarter. Sales for the full year increased 15.4% to $185.4 million from $160.6 million in 2004. Profit