Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, conducted a survey of more than 600 distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the distribution industry in diverse sectors.
On average, respondents to the latest quarterly MDM/Baird survey said fourth-quarter revenues were up 10.3 percent year-over-year. When compared to the third quarter of 2010, respondent sales increased 6 percent.
Optimism is beginning to return in most sectors, with forecasts turning toward conservative growth. For 2011, the average forecast for respondents is revenue growth of 8.3 percent when compared to 2010.
