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With 2024 shaping up to be another big year in distribution M&A, we spoke with several investment banks on the state of industry dealmaking, what’s driving it, best practices and the outlook for 2025.
Modern Distribution Management's monthly Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
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Wholesale revenues, inventories and ratios from April 2019.
Halfway through 2019, an increasing number of leading indicators are pointing to an economic slowdown in the second half. Anecdotally were hearing of sluggishness in the past two months across many sectors.
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The electrical product distributor also adds 30 new employees.
MDM’s top news briefs from News briefs from June 11 – June 25, 2019.
Jergens Industrial Supplys user-friendly order replenishing button is becoming increasingly popular with the Ohio distributors customers who have installed the IoT devices. With more than 400 in operation, JIS is also gaining valuable insights from the growing number of transactions.
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With a nod to customer-pleasing practices implemented by leading B2C e-commerce companies, the Pennsylvania-based distributor is committed to continually improving the WebstaurantStore customers online experience through internal technology investments led by a strong talent recruitment strategy.
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The distributor brought in more than $250,000 in the last year from new website business after involving both its customer service team and loyal customers throughout its four-year website and e-commerce improvement project.
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The transition away from keyboards is already underway and it has big implications for distributors.
MDM’s top news briefs from News briefs from May 26 – June 10, 2019.
There are several things distributors can do internally to improve recruitment efforts, including reexamining company branding and internal marketing, and incorporating the businesss market stance into the interview and recruiting process.
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Theres a meme bouncing around the internet thats attributed to a Walmart banner that hung at its headquarters many years ago. It read something like this: You cant out-Amazon Amazon. Great advice! But if you build a strategy and leaner model from your core strengths, you can out-compete any type of competitor.
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By investing in and embracing an e-commerce strategy nearly 20 years ago, this Columbus, Ohio-based distributor brings in more than half of its sales from its website, with both web and local business growing about 20% each year for the last several years in a row.
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Shedding outdated technology is not only improving productivity and efficiency for the California-based company, but also allows for controlled scale and growth, with improved data accuracy and elevated customer satisfaction levels.
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The Irving, Texas-based distributor is taking its e-commerce capabilities to the next level with an investment in master data management to overcome limitations of legacy systems, and continuing to invest heavily in technology and talent in order to provide customers with a best-in-class online experience.
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The MDM Market Snapshot, based on data from MDM Analytics, includes market demand for Gearing MRO in the U.S., plus the top end users by 6-digit NAICS.
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April orders declined 16.5% from March.
The acquisition significantly expands the companys presence in the Northeast Ohio area.
Allied Electronics & Automations industry-leading focus on digital marketing as a core business strategy is driving omnichannel sales success for the award-winning distributor. The efforts earned Allied an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
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The wholesale HVAC distributors website now features an enhanced online catalog and improved search functionality, and the company invested in text ordering capabilities to improve mobile functions and shorten wait time. The efforts earned Charles D. Jones an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
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In this two-page report, available to download in PDF after log-in, we feature data on merger and acquisition trends and financial metrics for the largest publicly traded distributors across diverse sectors in the third quarter of 2014.
In partnership with Houlihan Lokey, an investment banking firm, the report includes data on M&A activity trends across all industries (not just distribution), as well as valuation multiples for deals in all industries.
What can baseball and Scotland possibly have to do with each other? More than you might think.
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Distributors that lack a digital strategy can find themselves falling behind their competitors as e-commerce and other digital platforms become more important to customers. Linda Taddonio of InsiteCommerce discusses the need to develop a digital strategy and ways to jumpstart the development of that strategy in the recent MDM Webcast, Navigating the Digital Landscape for Distribution.
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Wholesale-distributors know the value of analytics, but they are often frustrated with how ineffectively their organizations integrate data into their strategic initiatives. This industry focused report looks at the use of data among wholesale distribution companies.
Earlier this year, Tacoma, WA-based Stellar Industrial Supply announced the addition of Larry Davis, former president of ORS Nasco, to its executive team as executive vice president and chief commercial officer. The move was part of a strategy by Stellar to grow “faster and more effectively.” MDM Publisher Tom Gale recently spoke with Stellar’s executive team, including President & CEO John Wiborg, Executive Vice President & COO Steve Slater and Davis, about the shifts in the market that drove the shift in strategy and where the company is heading.
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At this point, it has become pretty well accepted that data should be a part of big decisions.There are many challenges to becoming highly data-driven, though, from technology limitations to information overload. But one common challenge is the tendency to view an indicator or measurement as something that it’s not.
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Acquisitions to help SKF grow its service platform business.
Baby boomers are retiring, and sales managers are recognizing that their current management styles may not be quite as beneficial as they could be. Adopting a strong philosophy and vision for leading a sales team is the first important step to take when shifting a management culture.
This article looks at reasons why the change is happening and what sales managers can and in some cases, should be doing to improve their management styles.
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MAPI: Confidence is high, but consumers and businesses want to avoid debt-driven growth.
Oak Hill is investing in partnership with Berlin Packaging’s current management team.
Acquisition expected to increase Sonoco’s consumer-related packaging and services business to $2.8 billion in annual sales.
With all the technology available to sales personnel, the nature of the sales position is changing drastically. This article examines some of the ways in which the role of the salesperson is changing, as well as ways to prepare a sales force for today’s ever-changing environment.
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There is often a perception in sales that the smallest accounts are not worth the time and effort to obtain the small amount of sales they provide. In this article, Jonathan Bein of Real Results Marketing provides an overview of how realigning sales channels can help distributors benefit from these small customers.
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In this two-page report, available to download in PDF after log-in, we feature data on merger and acquisition trends and financial metrics for the largest publicly traded distributors across diverse sectors in the second quarter of 2014.
In partnership with Houlihan Lokey, an investment banking firm, the report includes data on M&A activity trends across all industries (not just distribution), as well as valuation multiples for deals in all industries.
Technology has become an integral part of doing business today. But it’s also changing how salespeople do their jobs.
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Acquisition will add liquid flow computers and software for oil and gas applications.
Plan is expected to save $75 million annually.
Acquisition expands Thorpes services internationally.
Successfully measuring customer satisfaction can improve the customer-distributor relationship. This article examines some of the most popular metrics and discusses how to develop a strong customer feedback program that can help improve the customer relationship.
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Acquisition expands ESP’s geographical footprint into Texas.
This article is part of MDM's 2016 Distribution Trends Special Issue.
MDM identified a handful of other distribution trends to watch for the rest of 2016 and into next year. Look for stories on these and other topics relevant to the industry in future issues of MDM Premium and at mdm.com.
Other trends include:
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Not a subscriber? Subscribe below or learn more. The full 2016 Distribution Trends Special Issue is available to download in PDF format to MDM Premium subscribers.
This article is part of MDM's 2016 Distribution Trends Special Issue.
Bensenville, IL-based health care packaging distributor Action Health was selected as a 2016 MDM Market Mover for its innovative approach for adapting to the new low-margin reality of its market.
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This article is part of MDM's 2016 Distribution Trends Special Issue.
Chicago, IL-based electrical and decorative lighting distributor Paramont EO recently reconfigured its warehouse to accommodate more products more efficiently. The company was selected as an MDM Market Mover for how it turned an operational efficiency exercise into a company-wide team-building strategy.
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Mining, quarrying, and oil & gas extraction industries were the main source of increase.
What is big data and why does it matter?
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Sales and inventories data for wholesaler-distributors in March 2016.
Modern Distribution Management's monthly Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
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New competition, changing markets drive need for innovation in distribution and manufacturing.
Opposing forces hindered distribution M&A so far this year. While economic and commodity pressures have cut down on the volume and size of deals, lack of organic growth has companies seeking acquisitions to boost their top lines. This article looks at the current state of M&A and whats in store for the second half of 2016.
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Distributors say they want to provide more training to their employees. But decisions about product and sales training delivery, measurement and retention aren’t always simple. This article, based on the results of a recent Real Results Marketing survey, examines the challenges that distributors face around providing training.
This article is part two in our ongoing series on training in distribution. Part one looked at how distributors can shift their thinking about training.
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The MDM Market Snapshot, based on data from MDM Analytics, includes consumption of Fluid Power supplies by end user in the U.S., plus the top end users by 6-digit NAICS.
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More distributors are crossing the threshold to e-commerce maturity, according to the fifth annual MDM distribution e-commerce survey conducted in partnership with Real Results Marketing. But if they expect continued growth, they must remember it is a journey, not a one-time event.
Part 1 of this series examined the continued trend of distributors moving from the nascent stage – less than 5 percent of revenue being through the e-commerce channel – to the growth and maturity stages.
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Todays distribution model requires some heavy lifting.
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The lack of diversity in distribution has been a hot topic in recent years, but little has been done to identify the underlying issues that keep it a problem. Recent research from Texas A&M University sought to uncover the issues facing women in the industry and provide a starting point for addressing the problem.
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Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, conducted a survey of more than 600 distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the distribution industry in diverse sectors. Here is a summary of first-quarter results and distributor and manufacturer expectations for the remainder of 2016.
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Innovation is critical to long-term success in distribution. This article shares tips on how to create a culture that encourages innovation throughout your organization.
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Too many distributors get stuck in the way its always been done rut.
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Sales and inventories data for wholesaler-distributors in February 2016.
Modern Distribution Management's monthly Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
This index includes:
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This report is researched and produced by MDM editors. View the Fourth Quarter & Annual 2015 report here.
These product groups provide a snapshot of inflation trends based on the Producer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. First quarter 2016 pricing levels are compared with fourth quarter 2015 and first quarter 2015.
To view this report, log-in and click on download link below the product listing to access the print-ready PDF.
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Industrial
Construction
Electrical
Other Related Electrical
Power Transmission/Bearing
Fluid Power
Plastics
Fasteners
Hardware
Tools
Gases/Welding
Paper
HVACR/Plumbing
To view this report, log-in and click on Download pdf below the product listing.
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