2010

Tool Market Shifts Again

Features, Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors / Lindsay Konzak

Cooper Industries and Danaher Corp. recently announced they would be merging their tool businesses in a joint venture. The soon-to-be CEO of the new joint venture, which is expected to close by the end of the second quarter, spoke to MDM about why the tool businesses were a good fit, and how the deal will impact distributors.

Danaher Corp. and Cooper Industries will be entering a joint venture to combine their Danaher Tool Group and Cooper Tools businesses. Danaher Tool Group executive Steve Breitzka, who will lead the joint venture when it closes at the end of second quarter, said that current market conditions provided …

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

Tool Market Shifts Again Read More »

New Wolseley CEO Outlines Strategy

Building Materials/Construction, Companies, Features, HVACR, Management, Plumbing Products & PVF Distribution, Strategy, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors / MDM Staff

At Wolseley’s first-half 2010 results call with analysts and investors, new Chief Executive Ian Meakins spoke for the first time at length about his plans for the struggling global distributor of HVAC/plumbing and building material products.

In one of his first in-depth presentations as the new chief executive of Wolseley, Ian Meakins was blunt with his appraisal of the global distributor’s business, which has seen some big highs and dramatic lows in the past five years.

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

New Wolseley CEO Outlines Strategy Read More »

Tracking Commodity Prices

Building Materials/Construction, Economic Trends, Electrical, Features, Research & Analytics, Subscriber Only, Top Distributor Sectors / Jenel Stelton-Holtmeier

Commodity prices have seen sharp ups and downs over the past two years. MDM spoke with experts to gain a broad perspective on current trends in key commodity price shifts and forecasts that impact distributors across many sectors. Included in this analysis: copper, iron ore (steel), lumber and gypsum.

Two years ago prices for finished steel and the products needed to manufacture it reached record highs. Price contracts couldn’t keep up with spot price increases and were often abandoned by suppliers.

After just a few months, prices plummeted to lows that made “breaking even” questionable …

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

Tracking Commodity Prices Read More »

MDM News Digest 4007

Free, Subscriber Only / MDM Staff

News briefs from March 26-April 10, 2010.

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

MDM News Digest 4007 Read More »

U.S. Market Analysis: 2009 Plastics MRO

Features, Market Analysis, Research & Analytics, Subscriber Only / MDM Staff

The industrial product group listed here – Plastics MRO – represented a market in 2009 of $X.XX billion, according to estimates by Industrial Market Information, Minneapolis. 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.

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

U.S. Market Analysis: 2009 Plastics MRO Read More »