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Breaking news in Wholesale Distribution
Alfa Laval, Stockholm, Sweden, manufacturer in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, has finalized the acquisition of the Dutch company Helpman B V.
Helpman is manufacturer in the European market for air heat exchangers used in the sensitive logistical chain for food, such as refrigeration and temperature control to secure the final quality of the products. Helpman had a turnover in 2006 of about SEK 200 million and has 130 employees in R & D, sales and at two manufacturing units, in Groningen, Netherlands and in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration …
MSC Industrial Direct Inc., Melville, NY, distributor of MRO supplies to industrial customers, reported sales of $404.6 million in the second quarter 2007, an increase of 32.3% from the same period last year. J & L Industry Supply, acquired in 2006, accounted for 70% of this growth.
Growth minus the J & L acquisition was 9% in the second quarter, according to MDM calculations.
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Profit for the second quarter 2007 increased 21.5% to $40.5 million.
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Sales in the first half of fiscal 2007 were $806.6 million, an increase of 34% versus a year ago, with J & L accounting for 70% of this growth. Growth minus J & L was about 10% in the first half.  ; Profit for the first half of fiscal 2007 was $80.8 million, compared to $65.3 million in the …
US Components, Morristown, NJ, a truss and wall panel supplier and subsidiary of Pro-Build Holdings, has acquired Riverside Roof Truss, Home Channel News reported.
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Riverside Roof Truss, Danville, VA, is a high-volume maker of floor and roof trusses for Virginia and North Carolina area builders.
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HCN says that the addition of Riverside expands US Components’ reach from New York to South Carolina.
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According to Pro-Build, US Components will look to continue its expansion through acquisitions as well as start-up operations. Eventually, US components will provide truss and wall panel products to all of Pro-Build’s building supply locations, HCN reported.
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US Components operates six truss plants in the East and Northeast. Pro-Build …
Parker Hannifin, Cleveland, OH, has acquired Rectus AG, a manufacturer of quick disconnect couplings and related products for pneumatic, hydraulic, medical and chemical processing applications.
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The company had revenues of about $115 million in 2006. It employs 380 people worldwide including its headquarters in Nussdorf, Germany, its Nycoil operation in Randleman, NC, its TEMA operation in Skovde, Sweden, and several international sales offices.
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Rectus will operate within the Industrial North America and Industrial International segments of Parker’s global fluid connectors business.
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With annual sales exceeding $9 billion, Parker Hannifin is a diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems for a wide variety of …
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, MA, reported that Saint-Gobain Abrasives will close its Littleton, NH, manufacturing plant and move its operations to Mexico.
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The plant employs 43. It produces sharpening stones, abrasive sticks and microabrasive products. The closing is expected by the end of the …
Construction spending during February 2007 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,170.8 billion, 0.3 percent (& plusmn; 1.4%) …
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in March for the second consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 65th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing Institute for Supply Management Report On Business& reg; .
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Manufacturing improved slightly in March as the PMI reflected growth for the second consecutive month. The New Orders and Production Indexes advanced while the Employment and Inventories Indexes declined. A positive for March is the Customers’ Inventories Index (falling below 50% after five consecutive months above the breakeven line), which is a possible indication that manufacturers’ inventories are nearing satisfactory levels. On the negative side, prices appear to be …
Flow control distributor FCX Performance, Inc., Columbus, OH, has acquired RVS Controls & Instrumentation, distributor of process control instrumentation serving industrial customers in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.
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With the acquisition, FCX expands its product range offered in the area through its Sewell, NJ, branch.
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FCX has about $120 million in annual sales, 15 offices serving 21 states and more than 190 …
Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA,   ; has agreed to buy a significant part of the U.S. packaged gas business of Linde AG for $310 million in cash.
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The operations to be acquired include branches, warehouses, packaged gas fill plants, and other operations involved in distributing packaged industrial and specialty gases and related equipment. The business includes 130 locations in 18 states, with more than 1,400 employees, which generated $346 million in revenues and $36 million in EBITDA in the year ended Dec. 31, 2006.  ; About 50% of the revenues were from gas sales and cylinder rent, with the remainder from sales of welding equipment and supplies.
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The proposed acquisition would be positive for customers, associates, and shareholders,” said Airgas Chairman …
Platinum Equity, Los Angeles, CA, has completed its acquisition of Strategic Distribution, Inc., MRO distributor to industrial and institutional customers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The acquisition is a public-to-private transaction and Strategic Distribution Inc. has been delisted from the NASDAQ exchange, with each share of common stock converted into the right to receive $10 in cash per share.
In conjunction with the acquisition, Platinum Equity announced that Rudi Strobl has been appointed as CEO of the business. Strobl is a senior executive who previously served as Deputy CEO of DyStar, a Platinum Equity company that is a manufacturer of textile …
