MDM News Digest 3924

WW Grainger reported sales increased 2 percent in November from the previous year. Results for the month included a 4 percentage point positive contribution from acquisitions and a 2 percentage point benefit from foreign exchange. Excluding acquisitions, foreign exchange and the effects of seasonal products, daily sales for the company declined 3 percent. In the U.S., daily sales were down 3 percent, and in Canada sales were down 8 percent in local currency. More

Stock Building Supply will auction 25 surplus properties in 15 states over the next two months, according to a press release from real estate advisory firm Newmark Knight Frank. The move is part of the building supply distributor's post-bankruptcy liquidation plan. Stock filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. The company now operates as a joint venture between private equity firm The Gores Group LLC, Los Angeles, CA, and U.K.-based Wolseley plc. More

WinWholesale, Dayton, OH, has opened Pensacola Winnelson Co. in Pensacola, FL, to provide plumbing contractors in northwest Florida and southwest Alabama with a complete line of equipment, parts and accessories. More

Beacon Roofing Supply Inc., Peabody, MA, has acquired Lookout Supply Company, a distributor of roofing systems and related accessories with one branch in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More

Bunzl plc released a "pre-close statement" as an update to its expected financial report for the year ending Dec. 31, 2009. The distributor expects Group revenue to be up 11 percent from 2008 thanks to the positive impact of exchange. At constant exchange rates, underlying revenue for the Group is 1 percent down from the prior year. More

Industrial, medical and specialty gases distributor Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, has moved its printed Specialty Gases and Equipment Reference Guide online and interactive. The online guide lets users find the right specialty gases and related specialty gas equipment based on application requirements. The guide is available at www.AirgasSGCatalog.com. More

Actuant Corp., Milwaukee, WI, reported sales for the first quarter ended Nov. 30, 2009, were $305 million, down 17.7 percent from first quarter a year ago, but an increase of 5 percent from fourth quarter sales. Core sales were down 20 percent. Profit improved 2.2 percent to $11.9 million. More

Flowserve Corp., Dallas, TX, a manufacturer of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, has entered into a joint venture agreement with Valbart Srl, an Italian manufacturer of high performance valves. More

Canadian manufacturing sales increased 2 percent in October to $42.5 billion, according to Statistics Canada. This was the fourth increase in five months. Even with these recent gains, manufacturing sales remained 16.6 percent below October 2008. Most of the manufacturing gains in October were focused in two industries – aerospace product and parts, and petroleum and coal products. Sales advanced in 15 of the 21 manufacturing industries, accounting for about 72 percent of total sales. More

Canadian industries operated at 67.5 percent of their production capacity in the third quarter, down marginally from 67.7 percent in the second quarter, Statistics Canada reported. Widespread declines in capacity use among non-manufacturing industries more than offset increases among manufacturing industries. In the manufacturing industries, the capacity utilization rate increased to 65.6 percent, from the record low of 64.7 percent in the second quarter. More