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It’s no longer
enough to leave relationships solely in the hands of individual sales
reps, no matter how capable they are. Becoming a strategic partner in
the supply chain means evolving to a new model of sales management. Read the Article
After reading your weekly ISA news, scroll past the yellow section
for your weekly distribution industry news update and features.
 KICK OFF CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE WITH PHILIP
GULLEY
An Emmy Award-winning
writer, humorist and inspirational speaker, Gulley will kick off Sunday
morning with an uplifting message focused on his latest book, "Porch
Talk," a collection of heart-warming stories from real-life situations
that offers musings on leisure, marriage, faith, family and enjoying the
little things.
This will be a program you will not want to miss. For more
information on the opportunities available to you at the event or to
register, go to www.isaconference.org or click here.
Contact ISA at info@isapartners.org or call 215-320-3862 for more
information.
Distribution companies
should be sales-oriented, but many distributors don't do sales well.
That's the premise behind this book written for sales managers and
executives in the wholesale distribution industry. This book provides a
blueprint to transform sales forces into highly directable, effective
and focused performers. Click here to order the book from NAW today or for
more information.
FREE - One of the most valuable member services you receive
is the opportunity to participate in the Profit Report.
EASY - Simply fill out the operational questions on the
survey and attach a copy of your income statement and balance sheet and
send it to the Profit Planning Group.
VALUE-ADDED BONUS – Dr. Al Bates, the Profit Planning
Group, has agreed to SPEAK with any member participant free of
charge for up to 15 minutes, on any topic of concern. Your
company must participate in the 2008 Profit Report to be eligible
for this free consultation.
Click here to participate in the 2008 Profit
Survey.
The ISA eBusiness Committee announces availability of the ISA
eBusiness Implementation Guideline. Click here for more information.
April 18: Deadline to receive ISA Conference & Trade Fair Early Bird
Registration Fees and to be listed in the printed conference program.
The program will be mailed in advance.
April 15: Profit Report - Deadline to Participate
May 21: How to Find and Keep the Right Employees … Without
Stealing from the Competition Webinar Details
June 1-3: ISA Industrial Supply Conference & Trade Fair, Chicago, IL
Details
Sept. 10: Developing an Inventory State of Mind Webinar
Nov. 19-20: Save the Date: ISA EBusiness Conference
Dec. 2: The Telephone Doctor Webinar
For more information on upcoming ISA events, go to isapartners.org.
Send name, title, email address and company
name of each colleague to info@mdm.com. Only employees of ISA member companies
will be added to the list to receive this weekly association update.
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MDM NEWS UPDATE: April 3, 2008
(Click headline to
view)
Strategy
HD Supply CEO Joe DeAngelo
recently spoke with MDM Editor Lindsay Young about HD Supply post-Home
Depot (full interview in next issue of MDM, April 10). She came away
with the feeling that HD Supply was back (if it was ever gone) and ready
to move forward as a leaner, more focused organization. DeAngelo told
MDM that the company was finished selling off pieces of the business
– it sold its lumber and building materials business to ProBuild
– and plans to go back on the acquisition trail, specifically in
its specialty construction, facilities maintenance, utilities and
waterworks businesses.
In the interview, DeAngelo also addressed the company's vision under
private equity ownership, its private label plans – it will have
two – and the potential for growth through green.
More...
Related Articles from MDM
HD Supply Waterworks Acquires D&M Fabrication
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SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATIONS: EXECUTIVE
KIT
Distribution industry expert, Dr. Adam Fein shares
the four main topics of his acclaimed book Facing the Forces of Change:
Lead the Way in the Supply Chain in this compilation of articles.
Click here to download IBM's executive kit
for strategic insight and innovations for your supply chain.
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M&A
Now that Rexel has completed its
purchase of Dutch electrical distributor Hagemeyer NV, the next step in
the deal – to sell Hagemeyer's North American, Asian-Pacific and
some European assets to competitor Sonepar – will take place in the
next six months, Rexel CEO Jean-Charles Pauze said in an online video
interview. Pauze said the combination of Rexel and Hagemeyer is
"historic." "Not only are we reinforcing our position worldwide, but we
are becoming a very strong No. 2 in Europe and a true challenger."
"We will be more resilient," Pauze said, "because of the geographic
spread, end-market spread, and because we are increasing our share of
the renovation and maintenance business." Europe, he says, now
represents nearly 60% of Rexel's overall sales, while before the
Hagemeyer deal it represented 45%. The company adds three countries in
the Baltics, Finland, Norway and adds significant strength in the UK and
Spain. The company also becomes No. 2 in Germany, Pauze says.
More...
Related Articles from MDM
Rexel Now Owns Nearly 99% of Hagemeyer
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WHAT ARE THE BENCHMARKS FOR SUCCESS IN DISTRIBUTION?
A successful benchmarking
effort begins with an understanding of common performance metrics. The
Annual Census of Distribution conducted by the MPI Group identifies
current performance levels for key technologies and processes—from
radio-frequency identification (RFID) to Six Sigma—in distribution
centers and warehouse operations. Learn how savvy distributors are using
benchmark metrics and adopting best practices to stay one step ahead of
the competition. Click here to read the Annual Distribution
Executive Summary.
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Case Study
You might not know there was a
housing slump by watching ProBuild Holdings, a Denver, CO-based entity
that comprises lumberyards and other building products businesses. The
nearly two-year-old private equity-owned ProBuild was built from more
than 120 acquisitions, in fact, according to this feature in the Rocky
Mountain News. ProBuild has more than $5 billion in annual sales, and
plans to keep on a brisk acquisition pace.
"It's been much more logical to find good companies in markets we
want to enter, rather than open green-field companies, creating another
competitor, and taking the years it takes to learn the customers and the
markets," says one ProBuild executive. One of ProBuild's biggest
acquisitions to date was HD Supply's lumber and building materials unit,
sold after Home Depot spun off HD Supply last year.
More...
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China
Many manufacturers
moved to producing in China because of low wages, minimal regulation and
cheap currency. Things are starting to change. This article from
BusinessWeek asks: "Are the days of cheap labor in China gone?" Factors
cited include a lower demand for everything from Chinese-made bedroom
sets and fixtures due to the U.S. housing slump; rising commodity and
energy prices and the removal of preferential policies for exporters;
and the appreciation of the Chinese currency, significantly shrinking
margins.
Another article on China online: Getting Over China, an excerpt from "The China Price:
The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage," as printed at
forbes.com.
More...
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Technology
Global building materials and
plumbing/HVAC distributor Wolseley plc told Computerworld UK recently
that a common technology platform is critical in today's down housing
markets. The company is currently implementing an SAP ERP system, High
Jump warehouse management software and Oracle Peoplesoft HR software
throughout the company, which spreads through Europe and in the U.S. and
Canada.
This year, Wolseley focuses on rolling out SAP in its U.S. divisions
– Ferguson and Stock Building Supply – next year, it's the UK.
The plan is to complete the project in the company's 28 markets by 2011.
Wolseley CIO Rod Angwin told Computerworld that the distributor's growth
by acquisition has resulted in a "complex array of legacy systems that
needed to be rationalized." Said Angwin: “They are all good legacy
systems with relevance in each market, but we had to look at new ways of
doing things.”
More...
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ABOUT ISA ADVISOR
ISA Advisor is a weekly news and industry update provided as a member
service of the Industrial Supply Association. More information about ISA
member benefits and services is available at the web site of the Industrial Supply
Association.
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