February 24, 2009 - Modern Distribution Management

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February 24, 2009

MDM Interview: Growth in a Difficult Climate

Leave a Comment / Economic Trends, Research & Analytics, Features, Companies, Strategy, Management, Top Distributor Sectors, Electrical, Subscriber Only /

MDM Editor Lindsay Young sat down with Graybar Senior Vice President and CFO Beatty D'Alessandro at the January meeting of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors to talk about current market conditions and Graybar's approach to growth.
 
The Graybar veteran also addressed the electrical distributor's M&A strategy, recent drops in commodity prices, plans for technology and global opportunities. Part II of this interview, to be published March 10, will cover how Graybar is addressing the recruitment, retention and training of its employees.
 
Graybar is a $5.2 billion North American distributor of electrical and networking products.
 
MDM: How is Graybar doing this ...

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3M: The Principle Effects of a Severe Downturn

Leave a Comment / Economic Trends, Research & Analytics, Free, Companies, Strategy, Management, Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only /

Here's what 3M's George Buckley had to say about current conditions and supply chain partner reaction in the manufacturer's recent earnings call with analysts:
 
"While weak business conditions, poor consumer confidence and the psychological fear factor made it worse, we believe the principle cause of the severe downturn was the shortage of credit to lubricate the wheels of global commerce. That fact effectively locked the cycles of the world's major economies into synchronism and into shrinking mode.
 
"… There are always three principle effects that one sees at times like these. The first is that the rate of contraction in sales at wholesale is always a multiple of the rate of contraction in point of sale or retail. This happens as the channel ...

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Survey: Many Companies Have Not Yet Cut Staff

Leave a Comment / Economic Trends, Research & Analytics, Human Resources in Wholesale Distribution, Free, Operations, Strategy, Management, Subscriber Only /

On almost any given day, another company is announcing another round of layoffs in response to the recession. But even with the sky-high numbers we're seeing, some analysts are beginning to say that it's not as bad as it could be.
 
A recent survey conducted for Towers Perrin showed that companies have been taking a more measured approach to cutting costs, looking at a variety of options before resorting to layoffs. Of the 513 companies who responded to the survey, only 11% said they had made significant reductions in headcount (defined as 10% or more of the workforce). That said, 19% are now considering significant reductions or have such reductions planned.
 
Other methods being utilized include: hiring freezes or reductions, cutting travel and ...

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