The above is shaping up to be the theme for 2009. It’s also the message so far from a strong response to a profitability survey MDM is conducting (see end of article for link if you haven’t filled it out). We will have a full survey report (with participants’ getting the first executive summary) in February, but I’d like to share a few early indicators, coupled with feedback on what we’re hearing from distributors.

This first full week of 2009 brought more bad news for manufacturing globally. In the U.S., wage and hiring freezes are starting to go into effect for 2009. Many distributors are targeting cost reduction of 5-10 percent this year, including headcount, to match anticipated revenue drops. With shaky indicators starting off the year, …