August 2008 - Page 5 of 6 - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

Search

August 2008

Gardner Denver Acquires Distributor Best Aire

Free, Gases & Welding Equipment, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Gardner Denver, Inc. has acquired Best Aire, Inc., a distributor of compressed air and gas products serving the Ohio market through its headquarters in Millbury, OH. It has additional distribution operations in Kalamazoo, MI, and Indianapolis, IN.

Gardner Denver intends to increase its focus on aftermarket sales and service, including adding distribution channels, if necessary, to enhance our ability to better serve our end users worldwide,” said Barry L. Pennypacker, president and CEO of Gardner Denver. “I am very pleased to add Best Aire to Gardner Denver’s compressor operations in North America. This business provides a good base business in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan that will allow for expansion of product lines and aftermarket parts and service to a critical …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Gardner Denver Acquires Distributor Best Aire Read More »

RBC Bearings Sales Up 15.7% in 1Q

Free, News, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

RBC Bearings Inc., Oxford, CT, international manufacturer of precision plain, roller and ball bearings for the industrial, defense and aerospace industries, reported sales for first quarter were $92.4 million, an increase of 15.7% from the same period a year ago. Profit was $10.7 million, an increase of 8.7% in a year-over-year comparison.
 
First-quarter results include costs associated with the company’s expansion into large bearings, facility moving costs and disposal of fixed assets, and a loss on early extinguishment of debt. …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

RBC Bearings Sales Up 15.7% in 1Q Read More »

Samuel, Son & Co. Creates Alliance with Mexican Distributor

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, Metals Service Centers, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Ontario-based Samuel, Son &Co. Inc. has signed a comprehensive strategic alliance agreement with Mexican distributor Grupo Villacero. Villacero will provide Samuel with processing, storage and logistics services from its offices, distribution and service center locations in Mexico, and Samuel will provide the same services to Villacero from its offices, distribution and service center locations in Canada and the U.S.
 
Julio C. Villarreal G., CEO of Grupo Villacero said: This strategic alliance will provide both companies new and important strengths and synergies to face in a highly competitive manner the consolidation and globalization of the steel market.”
 
Grupo Villacero is a group of companies focused on the transformation, processing, servicing, trading and …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Samuel, Son & Co. Creates Alliance with Mexican Distributor Read More »

New Report Encourages Companies to Work Directly With Factory Managers Overseas

Free, Subscriber Only /

According to a new report by Business for Social Responsibility, companies should work directly with factory managers overseas to equip them with skills, knowledge and systems to better address labor standards violations, environmental degradation and poor health and safety protections. The recommendation comes from the organization’s report: Pilot Summary Report: Building Capabilities to Implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Management Systems at ICT Suppliers in China.”
 
The report is based on recently completed pilot projects the organization says were aimed at breaking through common barriers to improving factory conditions. The project included many participants including the World Bank and the Foreign Investment Advisory Service and others.
 
BSR …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

New Report Encourages Companies to Work Directly With Factory Managers Overseas Read More »

Avnet Sales at $17.9B in Fiscal 2008, Up 14.5%

Companies, Electrical, Free, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Phoenix, AZ-based Avnet, Inc. reported sales of $17.95 billion for fiscal year end 2008, up 14.5% over fiscal year 2007. Profit improved 27% to $499.1 million. Organic growth was 4.9% over the prior year.
 
For the fourth quarter ended June 28, 2008, sales were $4.68 billion, an increase of 10.4% over the same period the prior year. Profit was $144.1 million, up 15.6%.
 
CEO Roy Vallee said, In fiscal 2008, our focus on value based management and value creating M&A resulted in record financial results despite the challenging macro-economic forces impacting our markets.”
 
Avnet completed seven acquisitions in fiscal year 2008.
 
Electronics Marketing sales were up 10.8% to $2.73 billion in the fourth quarter, included positive impact from …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Avnet Sales at $17.9B in Fiscal 2008, Up 14.5% Read More »

Building Materials Holding Corp. Discontinues SelectBuild Florida Operations

Building Materials/Construction, Free, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Building Materials Holding Corp., San Francisco, CA, will discontinue operations at its wholly-owned subsidiary SelectBuild Florida over the next four months in an effort to better align costs with current market conditions.
 
The move comes a week after BMHC announced it was out of compliance with financial covenants for its current credit facility.
 
In light of the challenging homebuilding environment, we recognize the need to realign our business across the country to reflect local conditions,” said Stanley M. Wilson, president and COO. “The closure of the SelectBuild Florida facilities is in direct response to the challenging business environment in Florida. The Florida market has weakened considerably and we anticipate it will be some time before improvement is …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Building Materials Holding Corp. Discontinues SelectBuild Florida Operations Read More »

Industrial Distribution Group Now Private

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Industrial Distribution Group Inc., Atlanta, GA, distributor of maintenance, repair, operating and production (MROP) products and integrated supply services to manufacturers and other industrial users, is now owned by an affiliate of Luther King Capital Management.
 
We are delighted that the merger with Eiger (the affiliate of Luther King) has been successfully completed,” said Charles A. Lingenfelter, IDG’s president and CEO. “The consummation of this transaction enables us to focus our full attention on our customers and suppliers. We will be a more agile company with the ability to adapt more swiftly in response to market changes.”
 
Eiger now owns 100% of the company’s stock. Eiger was formed to acquire IDG. Before the merger agreement, Luther King owned 14.9% …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Industrial Distribution Group Now Private Read More »

Interline Brands Sales Down 0.6% in 2Q

Companies, Facilities Maintenance (MRO), Free, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Interline Brands, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, a distributor and direct marketer of maintenance, repair and operations products, reported sales for the second quarter of 2008 were $311.4 million, a 0.6% decrease compared to the same period 2007. Profit decreased 6.7% to $11.2 million.
 
The facilities maintenance end-market, which comprised 70% of sales, grew 2.5% during the second quarter on an average daily sales basis. This growth was offset by continued weakness in the pro contractor and specialty distributor end-markets, which declined 8.7% in the quarter. The specialty distributor end-market, which comprised 11% of sales, declined 4.5% for the quarter.
 
Sales for the six months ended June 27, 2008 were $600.6 million, a 1.3% decrease over the comparable 2007 …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Interline Brands Sales Down 0.6% in 2Q Read More »

Transport & Logistics Deals On Pace to Beat 2007 Totals

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, News, Subscriber Only /

Total transportation and logistics M&A deal value for the first half of 2008 is on pace to surpass 2007 totals, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’LLP second-quarter edition of Intersections: Global Transportation &Logistics Mergers and Acquisitions Analysis. 
 
The rapid rise in deal value over the first half of the year has been driven primarily by the growing interest in large T&L deals (disclosed value of at least $1 billion) with four of the five largest deals of the year being announced in the second quarter. While deal value is on track to surpass 2007 levels, deal volume is falling short. In the first half of 2008, there were 84 deals announced, compared to the 190 announced for all of 2007. 
 
Interest in large deals was robust during the …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Transport & Logistics Deals On Pace to Beat 2007 Totals Read More »

Womack Machine Supply Buys Catey Controls

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Womack Machine Supply Co.-West, Farmers Branch, TX, has acquired Missoula, MT-based Catey Controls, Inc.
 
This purchase continues our expansion plan into new products and markets,”said Mike Rowlett, CEO of Womack Machine Supply.
 
Catey Controls provides sales, service, and repair of hydraulic and pneumatic equipment from offices in Missoula and Billings, Montana. With this addition, Womack Companies will now serve customers in the states of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas.
 
Womack Machine Supply is an industrial distributor of hydraulic, pneumatic and factory automation …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Womack Machine Supply Buys Catey Controls Read More »

Kaman Sales Up 16.1% in 2Q

Free, News, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Kaman Corp., Bloomfield, CT, reported sales in the second quarter 2008 were $316.3 million, up 16.1% from the prior-year period. Profit from continuing operations in the second quarter was $6.1 million, down from $9 million.
 
For the first half of 2008, sales from continuing operations were $602.1 million, up 11.7% from the first half of last year. Profit was down to $15 million, compared with $18.1 million last year.
 
The company also announced its Fuzing segment was renamed Kaman Precision Products to better represent the diversity of its capabilities.”
 
Industrial Distribution sales increased 16.5% in the second quarter to $203.3 million. Organic sales growth in the quarter was 8.4%, compared with 2.4% in the prior-year period, with the remaining …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Kaman Sales Up 16.1% in 2Q Read More »

Construction Spending Falls 0.4% in June

Building Materials/Construction, Economic Trends, Free, News, Research & Analytics, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Construction spending during June 2008 was estimated at $1,081.9 billion, 0.4% below the revised May estimate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.
 
The June figure is 5.9% below the June 2007 estimate of $1,149.4 billion. During the first six months of this year, construction spending amounted to $514.2 billion, 5.4% below the same period in 2007.
 
Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $780.6 billion, 0.4% below the revised May estimate of $783.9 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $372.5 billion in June, 1.8% below the revised May estimate. Nonresidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $408.1 billion in June, 0.8% above the …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Construction Spending Falls 0.4% in June Read More »

Manufacturing Flat in July

Economic Trends, Free, News, Research & Analytics, Subscriber Only /

Manufacturing was flat in July, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
 
In the report, manufacturers indicated no change in overall business activity when comparing July with June. This continues a trend biased toward relatively minor contraction established more than 12 months ago, according to ISM.
 
While the PMI indicates little to no change has occurred during this period, it would be hard to convince manufacturers who are faced with higher costs and uncertain demand that there is little change taking place, said Norbert Ore, chairman of the ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.
 
Daniel Meckstroth, chief economist for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, said:
 
The ISM index indicates …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Manufacturing Flat in July Read More »

Foodservice Distributor Goes Biodiesel

Free, Grocery & Foodservice Distribution, Strategy, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Here’s a distributor going all the way to green its vehicles. Foodservice distributor Favorite Foods in New Hampshire has announced it will fuel all of its delivery trucks with biodiesel. According to this article, the use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in a “substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter when compared to emissions from diesel fuel.”
 
The company’s president, Chris Barstow, is quoted as saying:

“As a business, we have always done everything we can to positively impact …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Foodservice Distributor Goes Biodiesel Read More »

Passing On the Business, If They’re Interested

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, Subscriber Only /

The Wall Street Journal has a section dedicated to small business. Two articles stuck out to me this week: one on saving energy costs, and one on when and whether young people should join the family business.

The energy-savings article made this point: Energy is not going to get much cheaper than it is now, so now’s the time to upgrade. Focus on the big stuff first, such as energy-efficient systems and lighting; or routing software to save on fuel costs. (A florist in the article says she has used online mapping tools such as MapQuest to determine the most efficient routes for her delivery drivers. She also cut down to one delivery a day.) The article is

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Passing On the Business, If They’re Interested Read More »

How United Stationers Is Using Technology to Improve Customer Relations

Companies, Free, Subscriber Only, Technology /

Recently, United Stationers Inc. held a conference call to discuss its second quarter earnings. Though the earnings themselves are interesting -sales were up 9.7%, mostly on the strength of the ORS Nasco acquisition, what was more interesting was how the company is utilizing technology to address transportation costs and improve customer relations.
 
Sure, a lot of companies are utilizing route analysis software to improve delivery routes and reduce fuel usage. United Stationers is doing that as well. However, they’ve also worked with an outside firm to create a network of local and regional couriers to supplement deliveries already being handled by UPS or FedEx.
 
In particular, smaller orders or harder-to-deliver orders can be turned over to the courier network for …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

How United Stationers Is Using Technology to Improve Customer Relations Read More »

Anixter Buys QSN Industries and Quality Screw de Mexico

Companies, Electrical, Fasteners, Free, News, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

Anixter International Inc., Glenview, IL, distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire &cable, fasteners and other small parts, has acquired QSN Industries, Inc. and Quality Screw de Mexico SA.
 
QSN, Chicago, IL, is a distributor and manufacturer of fasteners for the OEM marketplace. QSN operates 13 facilities in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Its sole manufacturing facility is in Wood Dale, IL.
 
Headquartered in Aguascalientes, Mexico, QSM is a distributor of fasteners with a total of five operational sites in Mexico.
 
Anixter will pay $80 million in cash and assume liabilities for both companies. Combined annualized sales for these businesses are expected to be over …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

Anixter Buys QSN Industries and Quality Screw de Mexico Read More »

VWR International Buys Hungarian Distributor

Companies, Facilities Maintenance (MRO), Free, News, Nondurable Products Distribution, Safety Products, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

VWR International, LLC, West Chester, PA, distributor of laboratory supplies, has acquired Spektrum-3D Kft, a Hungarian scientific laboratory supply distributor.
 
Spektrum-3D distributes scientific products including laboratory chemicals, consumables, furniture, equipment and instrumentation. Spektrum-3D supplies laboratories throughout Hungary including customers in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries and scientific research institutes.
 
VWR says the acquisition represents the distributor’s commitment to expanding in the Central and Eastern European markets and its intentions to expand globally.
 
VWR has global sales of $3.5 …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

VWR International Buys Hungarian Distributor Read More »

ERIKS Adds Gaskets to Core Capabilities

Finance, Free, Mergers & Acquisitions, News, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

ERIKS has acquired Seals, Packings &Gaskets Ltd. in the United Kingdom. SPG sells gaskets, rubber and moulded parts. It has sales of GBP7 million (US$13.7 million at current exchange rates).
 
SPG is strong in the OEM heating and boiler market, but also has significant business in the OEM pump sector and across MRO markets including power, automotive and food.
 
Sales by product group broken down: gaskets, 41%; moulded parts, 38%; rubber (cut parts and sheet), 15%; and miscellaneous products and services, 6%.
 
With this acquisition, ERIKS adds gaskets and moulded parts to its current core product areas power transmission, sealing technology, hoses and electro mechanical repairs. With the acquisition of Econosto in May 2008, ERIKS now also offers valves in …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

ERIKS Adds Gaskets to Core Capabilities Read More »

United Stationers Sales Up 9.7% in 2Q

Companies, Free, News, Operations, Paper Products & Packaging Distribution, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors /

United Stationers Inc., Deerfield, IL, master distributor of business, janitorial/breakroom and industrial products, reported sales in the second quarter 2008 were up 9.7% to $1.25 billion.
 
Seven percent of the growth rate came from ORS Nasco, which was acquired in December 2007.
 
Sales were up nearly 14.4% in the janitorial/breakroom category, up modestly in office products and technology, and partially offset by an 8% decrease in furniture sales.
 
Sales in the first half 2008 rose 7.3% increase over the prior year, with 6.6% related to ORS Nasco.
 
Our supplier and reseller partners continue to tell us that the marketing and distribution services we offer as a wholesaler are even more critical during times of slow growth, high fuel costs …

To access this page, you must purchase MDM Premium Subscription, MDM Premium Subscription – Monthly or MDM Premium Subscription – Annually.

United Stationers Sales Up 9.7% in 2Q Read More »

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!