SURVEY: HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS RISE 6.1% IN 2007
Annual premiums for family coverage now average $12,106, according to one annual survey, with workers paying $3,281. Health insurance premium growth was the slowest since 1999 when premiums rose 5.3%. Premiums saw a 6.1% increase in 2007, according to the 2007 Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. The average health benefit cost per employee is expected to rise 6.7 percent in 2008, the Mercer Health Benefits survey of employers found. In 2006, employers saw a 6.1 percent increase in costs. More...

U.S. RESIDENTIAL MARKETS HURT WOLSELEY'S ANNUAL SALES
Global HVAC, plumbing and building materials distributor Wolseley plc reports there are no signs yet of any upturn in the U.S. housing market; it is also seeing the repairs, maintenance and improvement market starting to soften. A weaker dollar and price deflation in lumber and panels has also hurt its North American building materials business. Though its overall results for fiscal 2007 were up 14.6% from the previous year, sales in North America fell, reflecting slow sales by Stock Building Supply. More...

MDM BLOG: ON ENVIRONMENTAL & HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVES
Giving back and going green were two big topics at last week's European Power Transmission Distributors Association annual meeting in Monaco. At the event, a number of manufacturers touted their initiatives to design more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly products. On the humanitarian side, the organization has adopted UNICEF as its charity for member companies. MDM Editor Lindsay Young talks about the effects these positive moves will have for participating companies. More...

WHAT ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS TALKING ABOUT?
Pembroke Consulting's Adam Fein says in his latest Distribution Trends blog that the growing trend of online discussions is one to watch for distributors. He grabbed three examples of topics currently being discussed among distributor customers online at forums.mikeholt.com: "A contractor complaining there are too many electrical wholesalers in his area," "Strategies for getting better pricing from a wholesaler," and "The pros and cons of buying from Home Depot or Lowes versus a wholesaler."

This is an important trend that distributors must stay on top of. See what Fein has to say about the trend. More...

OPTIMISM ON THE HOUSING FRONT?
At least two presenters at the recent ProDealer Conference this month were "relatively optimistic" on the housing market, Home Channel News reports. The director of the UBS Global Industrial Group said only a matter of time stood between the current housing problems and a return to normalcy – he tapped key macroeconomic factors often described as "pillars" of the housing industry, saying five remained solid. Housing starts is the only indicator that has lagged.

A representative from RISI told attendees that housing starts will stay weak until late 2008, but that 2009 should jump back to the 1.7 million to 1.8 million level. If starts continue to fall dramatically, he said, the result would be a faster correction and return to normalcy in housing starts. More...

HOW TO GET SUPPLIERS ONBOARD WITH ELECTRONIC INVOICES
If your goal is to use electronic invoices exclusively, start with your most important suppliers, according to this article from Purchasing Magazine. Kennametal, featured in the piece, started its electronic payment process in 2002. Within three months after deployment, the supplier cut payment processing costs by 67%. The system has also increased the speed of payment by 30% and cut paperwork on both ends, cutting up to 90% of paper-processing costs.

To get suppliers on-board, stress financial benefits and help them to understand and use your system. More...