Tom Gale, Author at Modern Distribution Management - Page 20 of 28

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Tom Gale

Tom Gale has been an MDM researcher and industry analyst for 30+ years on independent distribution channel trends, consolidation, technology and competitive landscape. He is a frequent speaker and moderator on these topics at company, marketing group and association meetings in North America and Europe.
Posts By Tom Gale
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Commentary: Innovation Fuels Competitive Value

Which comes first: Revenue from product sales or the innovative idea or product that will drive future sales? Trick question on a tough balancing act. As wholesale distribution channels go through business cycles, it’s easy to lose perspective.

Managers at every level get so focused on hitting the numbers when times are tight that every creative effort tends to focus on the target, while delivering value – often …

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Finance
Gale Media Acquires Industrial Market Information

I’m delighted to announce that Gale Media, publisher of Modern Distribution Management, has acquired Industrial Market Information, a market research firm that for 25 years has helped industrial products manufacturers and distributors with market demand estimates by product and customer segment.

IMI will continue to operate as a separate entity. Gale Media will continue…

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Management
Commentary: The Three Ts – Key Differentiators for 2011

Distributors continue to ride tailwinds through the first quarter of 2011, following a fourth quarter that surprised many distributors and turned a do-or-die year into a turn-the-corner year. This year will be a pivotal year for many distributors, as we’ll see the results of investments made to gain market share take hold as economic conditions improve.

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Management
Commentary: Let’s Redefine Velocity

In the successful companies we’ve studied in our ongoing research into key differentiators in distribution, one of the most important and constant capabilities present in the organization has been a skill to leverage in just about every aspect of the business, internally and externally. That applies to every part of the business cycle and is intuitive.

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Management
Commentary: What’s Really Changed in 2011?

How different is your growth strategy for 2011 than 10 years ago? If you’re hoping to float back up on the backs of existing customers, think again.

I recently had lunch with someone who had re-entered industrial distribution after working in building materials distribution for 10 years. It was something of a Twilight Zone experience for this person. In many ways the industry has not changed from when he first …

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Finance
Why Industrial Distributor Oliver Van Horn Co. Sold to Wurth Group

This article analyzes Wurth Group’s recent acquisition of industrial distributor Oliver H. Van Horn Co. The acquisition is Wurth’s initial foray in the U.S. into the industrial supply category it classifies as the Metalworking Division.

The recent acquisition of industrial supply and machine tool distributor Oliver H. Van Horn Co. LLC, New Orleans, LA, by Germany-based Wurth Group is worth watching for a number of reasons.

A question asked by many in the industry familiar with the company is why this independent distributor sold to a German company.

The distributor has been owned and operated by the …

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Subscriber Only
Commentary: Worst of Years, Best of Years?

Successful distribution companies have often defined themselves by the way they manage through business cycles, adjust and emerge with new growth strategies. This year has been such a pivot point. It started for many with no clear signs of recovery but is ending with positive signs for 2011.

For those of us who recall (or in my case have the ability to refer back to what I wrote), this past year has held some notable parallels to the early 1990s downturn. There were similar structural shifts in the way customers managed and in many cases reduced their MRO spend. Following that era, consolidation of distribution markets picked up.

With that history in mind, I offer two key areas to consider for the New Year, …

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Finance
Commentary: Spurt of Distribution M&A Deals Indicate a Rebounding Industry

MDM reported on a dozen announced acquisitions in the past month, and October was active, as well. It's interesting how diverse the deals are across sectors and size. Some companies are shedding units to focus on the core; some are buying market share, and others are extending product and service capabilities. Many companies are trying to get deals done before year-end. Credit markets are indeed improving, people are adjusting …

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Research & Analytics
Commentary: Repaving the Last Mile … Profitably

The term “last mile” comes from telephone, cable and data communications industries to describe the final critical link in service delivery.

It’s been used by every industry where the toughest problems are in service or product delivery to individual customers – connecting each individual node to the larger network tends to be the most difficult and expensive part of the process. Wow, perfect analogy for distribution!

Essentially, this “last-mile problem” has defined the value creation …

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