2006

Sterling Construction Company, Inc., Houston, TX, has sold its Pittsburgh, PA-based distribution business, Steel City Products, to The Bostwick-Braun Company of Toledo, OH, a privately-owned distributor of hardware and related items. The selling price is estimated at $5.1 million plus Steel City Product’s liabilities.The sale is part of Sterling’s focus on its core businesses. The […]

The Timken Company, Canton, OH, announced plans to build a new bearing manufacturing facility in India. The plant, in Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, will produce antifriction bearings for global markets. Timken’s new facility will be built in one of India’s new Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which provide a range of tax benefits,

Builders FirstSource, Inc., Dallas, TX, a supplier and manufacturer of structural and related building products for residential new construction, reported third-quarter sales declined 11.5% to $569.9 million, and profit was $17.3 million, down from $27.8 million in the same period last year.  ‘Our third quarter results reflect the current challenges facing the homebuilding industry as

Hardware distributor Orgill, Inc., Memphis, TN, will begin construction on its sixth distribution center during the second quarter of 2007. While a site for the new distribution center has not yet been finalized, the facility will serve Orgill’s customers in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Southern Arkansas. ‘Our business in this region, as well as the

Real gross domestic product the output of goods and services produced by labor and property in the U.S. increased at an annual rate of 1.6% in the third quarter of 2006, according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  In the second quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 percent.  The Bureau emphasized that

Star Cutter Co., Farmington Hills, MI, has acquired Northern Tool Sales & Service, Warren, MI. Northern Tool Sales & Service is a design and build manufacturer of special drills, reamers, step drills, form tools and solid carbide tooling to about 170 customers in the ABS systems, cylinder head and engine block manufacturing industries. Star Cutter Company manufactures

Anixter International Inc., Glenview, IL, distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a distributor of fasteners and other small parts to Original Equipment Manufacturers,  reported third-quarter 2006 sales of $1.33 billion, including $13.6 million from the acquisition of IMS. Revenues rose 32% compared with the year-ago quarter. Profit rose 204% to

The Black & Decker Corp., Towson, MD, reported sales of $1.6 billion in the third quarter 2006, up from $1.5 billion in the same period last year. Profit grew 3% to $125.1 million. Power Tools and Accessories increased sales 1%. Sales in the U.S. Industrial Products Group decreased at a low single-digit rate due to a

HVAC distributor Watsco Inc., Coconut Grove, FL, revenues grew 6% in the third quarter 2006, to $507 million. Same-store sales grew 5%. Profit was up 19% to $29.1 million. For the first nine months of 2006, sales grew 12% to $1.41 billion. Same-store sales were up 11%. The increase in revenues reflects improving sales mix from

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

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

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

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

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

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

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