Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, conducted a survey of nearly 600 distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the distribution industry in diverse sectors. Here is a summary of fourth-quarter results and distributor and manufacturer expectations for the first quarter and full year of 2012.

Respondents to the fourth quarter 2011 MDM/Baird survey were much more optimistic than previous surveys, with more than half expecting growth in 2012. Just 5 percent expect economic growth to be negative this year.

That’s a great turnaround from the third quarter, when in response to a slightly different question, just 19 percent said ...