February 26, 2008 - Modern Distribution Management

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February 26, 2008

AMETEK Acquires Motion Control Group

AMETEK, Inc., Paoli, PA, has acquired the Motion Control Group, a global manufacturer of highly customized motors and motion control solutions for the medical, life sciences, industrial automation, semiconductor and aviation markets. MCG, based in Minneapolis, MN, has annual sales of $26 million.
 
AMETEK CEO Frank S. Hermance, said: MCG greatly enhances our capability in providing precision motion technology solutions. Its brush-commutated and brushless DC motors complement our existing motor business, while its linear motor line further broadens the range of solutions we offer the motion control market."
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MCG becomes part of AMETEK's Technical &Industrial Products unit, which produces brush-commutated DC motors, brushless DC motors, hybrid stepper motors, slotless ...

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Wholesale Prices Rise 1% in January

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 1.0 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This increase followed a decline of 0.3 percent in December and a 2.6-percent advance in November. At the earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods moved up 1.4 percent after falling 0.2 percent in the prior month, and the crude goods index increased 2.5 percent following a 1.1-percent advance in December.
 
The index for materials and components for construction climbed 0.4 percent in January after inching up 0.1 percent in December. Prices for nonferrous wire and cable jumped 3.8 percent in January following a 3.3-percent drop a month earlier. The index for millwork also turned up after falling ...

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Canadian Machinery/Equipment Price Index Down 3.3% in 4Q

The Canadian Machinery and Equipment Price Index stood at 83.8 (1997=100) in the fourth quarter, down 3.3% from the third quarter. The import component index fell 5.1%, while the domestic index edged down 0.5%. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2006, the total MEPI was down 8.1%, as the import index decreased 12.3% while the domestic index edged down 0.8%.

All industries recorded decreases in prices of machinery and equipment purchased in the fourth quarter. Manufacturing industries (-3.9%) contributed the most to the total MEPI quarterly decrease.
Among the sector's subcomponents, the largest contributors to the quarterly decrease were transportation equipment manufacturing (-4.3%), primary metal and fabricated metal ...

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Home Depot Reports 2007 Sales Fell 2.1%

The Home Depot, Atlanta, GA, reported sales of $77.3 billion, down 2.1% from fiscal 2006. Comparable store sales for the year fell 6.7%.
 
This was a difficult year financially, but I believe the progress we made on our key priorities set the foundation for the long-term health of our company," said CEO Frank Blake. "We see the home improvement market in 2008 as challenging, but we are going to continue to focus on our five priorities and build on the progress we made in 2007."
 
Profit was $4.4 billion, compared with $5.7 billion in 2006.
 
Home Depot expects sales to decline again in the single digits in 2008. The company expects to open 55 new stores and relocate five. ...

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Eaton Buys Most of Phoenixtec Power Company

Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp., Cleveland, OH, has acquired 91% of Phoenixtec Power Company Ltd., a company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Assuming all outstanding shares are ultimately acquired, Eaton expects to pay a total purchase price, net of cash and debt on Dec. 31, 2007, of $568 million for Phoenixtec.

Phoenixtec manufactures single- and three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that are sold globally. Phoenixtec has positions in China, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Based in Taipei, the company has manufacturing facilities in China and Taiwan, and employs 5,800 people.

Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2007 sales of $13 ...

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Report: Grainger Plans Meeting with Justice Dept.

At the Reuters Manufacturing Summit (Click Here for Reuters' full coverage), Grainger told participants that it plans to meet with the U.S. Justice Department to discuss allegations it has overcharged the government.
 
President James Ryan said that Grainger is in full compliance with its contracts with the government and will meet with officials sometime in the next month.
 
In other presentations, Timken Co., a manufacturer of bearings and specialty steel, said it plans to exit unprofitable businesses if they do not turn around in the next year, according to Reuters. The company is aggressively negotiating with automobile manufacturers to increase prices to make up for rising commodity ...

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Selling to the World’s Largest Customer

According to our recent report on federal contract compliance by attorneys Andrew Mohr and C. Kelly Kroll, government agencies are growing more aggressive about auditing contracts with suppliers. The government, after all, is the "world's largest customer," buying some $350-plus billion in commercial goods and services each year. Many distributors are eager to get a piece of the pie.
 
But the federal government leverages this buying power by including in its contracts numerous laws and regulations that typically won't be found in traditional commercial contracts. Some rules are intended to protect workers, some aim to promote contracting for small and minority businesses, and still others promote ...

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