Grainger’s acquisition of SafetyCertified supports service expansion strategy.
Grainger Acquires Safety Services Provider Read More »
Manufacturers’ sales of PT/MC products up 7.6% in U.S.
Power Transmission/Motion Control Product Sales Grow in August Read More »
Organic sales in the U.S. grew 13 percent for Grainger.
Grainger Sales Grow 19% in Third Quarter Read More »
In quarterly earnings report, Fastenal provides information on store size, headcount & gross profit.
More Details on Fastenal’s ‘Pathway to Profit’ Progress Read More »
In this 30-minute episode of Executive Briefing:Mike Marks of Indian River Consulting Group, and MDM Publisher Tom Gale discuss top headlines, including:
7 Minutes with Joe DeAngelo, CEO of HD Supply, covering:
The monthly Executive Briefing is available free to premium subscribers. Login to view the premium content.
Not a subscriber? Click here to purchase this month’s episode for only $14.95.
Or visit www.mdm.com/subscribe for more information on subscribing.
Watch a preview video of this episode.
Executive Briefing: October 2010 Read More »
The tools you need to meet business goals may change over time.
Stop Looking for the Perfect Solution Read More »
For the first nine months, Fastenal’s sales up 16.7%.
Fastenal Sales Up 23.4% in Third Quarter Read More »
‘Shaky outlook’ in Eurozone raises concerns about global recovery.
MAPI Report: Halting, Uncertain Recovery Mutes Demand Read More »
Charges related to restructuring and acquisitions offset profit growth in the fourth quarter.
Zep Fiscal Year Sales Up 13.5% Read More »
Niagara National manufactures automatic truck wash systems and products.
Zep Acquires Niagara National Read More »
From July, August manufacturing technology consumption was down 5.7%.
Machine Tool Consumption Up 62.4% Year-to-Date Read More »
Airgas will appeal the ruling by Delaware Chancery Court approving passage of the bylaw amendment proposed by Air Products.
Airgas Loses Challenge to Bylaw Amendment Read More »
Paul Barrett will become the new president of the jan-san master distributor.
United Stationers Taps New LagasseSweet President Read More »
The precarious position of companies serving residential construction markets was made even worse in late 2008 by the turmoil in the financial markets. For Western Tool Supply, a distributor, and STO Industries, a fastener importer, it meant having to file for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection so they could meet their obligations and restructure. In this article, the companies tell their stories. MDM also examines bankruptcy trends and the impact of bankruptcies on the distribution channel.
For Kevin Kiker, closing down or even selling the company he founded more than two decades ago was not an option.
When the housing market crashed, and the credit crisis hit, Kiker had little choice but to file for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection last year to save what he could of Salem, OR-based Western Tool Supply, a tool and fastener distributor. “It never crossed my mind to give up,” he says.
The task would be no small feat. At its peak, his company had grown to 75 branches in the U.S. and Canada. But due to the credit crisis and weak cash flow, bills were coming due from landlords, banks, and other vendors.
Kiker knew he had to restructure the business, or the business would not make it. “It was excruciating,” he says.
Facing the Perfect Storm Read More »
News briefs from Sept. 26 – Oct. 10, 2010.
MDM News Digest 4019 Read More »
Machine Tool Accessories represented a market in 2009 of $xxx billion, according to estimates by Industrial Market Information.
These charts show the top ten industries, by SIC code, consuming these products; and the 2009 end-user consumption of these groups sorted by the nine government market regions.
U.S. Market Analysis: Machine Tool Accessories 2009 Read More »
Modern Distribution Management’s Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
MDM Industrial Inflation Index: August 2010 Read More »
MDM spoke with Howard Levine, partner at Sussman Shank LLC in Portland, OR, and attorney for Western Tool Supply in its reorganization through Ch. 11 bankruptcy. He spoke about the process and what factors make success more probable.
MDM: Provide an overview of what it means when a company files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection.
Howard Levine: The bankruptcy code is simply a tool that’s available to companies in financial distress that empowers the company with certain provisions of the law to change agreements that it has with its creditors. In its simplest form that is what bankruptcy is. What Ch. 11 does to a large extent is changes the leverage between the debtor and its creditors.
In Ch. 11 the idea is that the creditor and debtor are supposed to get together and figure out a business solution to their problems. In my view, it’s a shared problem.
Interview: Factors that Contribute to Success in Ch. 11 Bankruptcy Read More »
If your company has no room for improvement in either benchmarking or contingency planning, then read no further. You have your priorities defined and are well-positioned to negotiate the next few years of volatility. I’m oversimplifying of course, but I believe the next 12-24 months will reshape many distribution sectors and markets. Here are a few reasons why.
As industry groups dive back into the fall meeting schedule, there is a sense of optimism not seen the past few years. But the pattern is tracking pretty closely to what we’ve heard from economist Dr. Adam Fein and others who track industrial markets closely. The rebound is sluggish and has the potential to stay so for a few years. A weak recovery doesn’t feel very good, as we all are finding out, but it beats what just happened.
Commentary: A Case for Contingency Planning Read More »
The weak economy has led to more companies looking for new ways to improve their bottom lines. Vendor Managed Inventory has been growing in popularity, but according to Thomas A. Kozak, president of Pan-Pro LLC, it is also easy to do wrong. Kozak spoke with MDM about how to avoid the common pitfalls.
Kozak recently presented “10 Ways to Not Benefit from VMI Programs” at the 2010 IDEA E-Biz Forum, sharing lessons from his 36 years in supply channel optimization.
MDM: How do you explain VMI in practical, concrete terms?
Thomas A. Kozak: VMI is defined as everything from putting a supplier’s employee in place at a customer to write orders to moving ERP calculations from the distributor to the supplier or an outsourced cloud, all the way to advanced Supply Channel Optimization (SCO).
In my presentation at IDEA, I defined VMI with a beautifully crafted message where every word has significant meaning, and it tells Pan-Pro’s approach to Supply Channel Optimization.
But in practical, concrete terms, VMI is eliminating work, not automating it.
MDM Interview: Common Pitfalls with VMI Read More »
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.
Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.
Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:
