In part 1, MDM's editors look at growing demand after a rough 2009, inventory challenges and labor trends. This report is based on interviews with dozens of distributors in different sectors. Part 2 along with the 2010 MDM Market Leaders lists of top distributors will appear in the June 10 issue of MDM.

A theme has emerged in our conversations with distributors over the past few months in preparation for the 2010 Distribution Landscape Report: For most, January through March sales picked up dramatically, and that sales trend seemed to be continuing into April and May.

While those increases were dramatic relative only to the steep declines in the first half of 2009, and sales levels for most are not even close to the peak levels of a few years ago, distributors' …