March 2008 - Page 5 of 5 - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

Search

March 2008

MDM Survey: Concern High Over Economy

Leave a Comment / Subscriber Only, Research & Analytics, News, Free, Economic Trends /

More than 50% of MDM readers in a recent MDM survey are concerned" about the state of the economy, and 27% say they are "very concerned."

About 45% expect the economy to grow worse over the next six months. About the same number expect the economy to stay the same.
 
These results are part of the MDM Reader Survey on the Economy, conducted online in the last two weeks of February.
 
Overall, results were mixed and, it seems, dependent on customer segment. The two most cited segments in which respondents are seeing slowdowns, unsurprisingly, were building materials/construction and automotive.

Others mentioned slowdowns in any market tied to residential construction, including electrical, HVAC, appliances, plumbing, flooring, and ...

MDM Survey: Concern High Over Economy Read More »

Lawson Products Sales Fall in 2007

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Free, Facilities Maintenance (MRO), Companies /

Lawson Products Inc., Des Plaines, IL, distributor of products to the MRO and OEM markets, reported sales in 2007 of $509.7 million, a decrease from $511.4 million in 2006. Profit fell 15.7% to $10.6 million.
 
In the fourth quarter 2007, sales from continuing operations were $122.9 million, a decrease of $1.7 million from the prior-year period. Profit was $4 million, up from $1.3 million in the prior-year ...

Lawson Products Sales Fall in 2007 Read More »

ERIKS Sells Tolerance Rings Operation

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

ERIKS has sold its Rencol Tolerance Rings activities to Saint-Gobain of France. The sale includes RTR Ltd. in the UK, RTR Japan Ltd. and the 51% controlling interest in Rencol MMI Technology Pte in Singapore.
 
ERIKS acquired RTR as part of the Wyko acquisition in November 2006, but said tolerance rings were not core to ERIKS.
 
RTR is a specialized manufacturer and distributor of tolerance rings, mainly supplying the hard disk drive and automotive industries. In 2007 the company achieved sales of GBP 11.3 million (US$22.4 million at current exchange) with 120 employees.
 
The selling price was GBP 12.5 million (US$24.8 ...

ERIKS Sells Tolerance Rings Operation Read More »

3M Company Dyneon Buys Hitech Polymers

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance, Companies /

Dyneon LLC, a 3M company based in Oakdale, MN, has acquired Hitech Polymers Inc., a manufacturer of specialty thermoplastic polymers and provider of toll thermoplastic compounding services based in Hebron, KY.
 
Thermoplastics are used in the creation of a vast range of plastic components — from plastic bottles and molded parts to pumps and valves — for markets such as consumer, packaging, electronics, construction, and transportation.

Hitech Polymers brings to Dyneon capabilities in polymer blending, alloying, formulation, ingredient compatibility, and reactive polymer processing that are critical to the process for creating compounds that can be molded into a wide variety of plastic components.

Hitech Polymers employs approximately 15 ...

3M Company Dyneon Buys Hitech Polymers Read More »

Brady Corp. Buys DAWG Inc.

Leave a Comment / Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance, Companies /

Brady Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, has acquired DAWG, Inc.,Terryville, CT.
 
DAWG (which stands for Doing Away With Grime") is a direct marketer of sorbents, spill-containment products, safety-storage cabinets, first-aid kits, and other safety and cleaning products. The company had sales of $4.5 million in 2007. Their products are sold to facility managers, safety managers, maintenance and housekeeping operations.
 
The acquisition of DAWG allows Brady to increase its share of the sorbents and spill containment market which it added to its portfolio with the acquisition of SPC in April of last year.
 
Brady more than 8,600 people at operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia/Pacific. Brady's fiscal 2007 sales were $1.363 ...

Brady Corp. Buys DAWG Inc. Read More »

SKF Buys QPM Aerospace’s Metallic Rod Business

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

Swedish manufacturer SKF has acquired QPM Aerospace's metallic rod business. The acquisition will be a platform for SKF's growth in the metallic rod business in North America.
 
The manufacturing site is in Monroe close to Seattle, WA. SKF will acquire 12 employees.

Metallic rods are used in various aerospace applications such as mechanism actuation, airplane structures and equipment suspensions. SKF's metallic rod activities are in Saint Vallier, South of Lyon in France.
 
SKF's existing customer base is mainly European and includes customers such as Airbus, Dassault and Eurocopter. QPM is a supplier to Boeing and is qualified for supplies also to Airbus. ...

SKF Buys QPM Aerospace’s Metallic Rod Business Read More »

Gates Corp. Buys Singapore Supplier

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, Power Transmission/Motion Control/Fluid Power, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

Gates Corp.'s parent company Tomkins plc has acquired A.E. Hydraulic (Pte) Ltd., a provider of hydraulic and industrial hose for the oil exploration industry in Asia. The acquisition builds on Tomkins' Fleximak business and enables Gates to accelerate its market expansion into oil and gas.
 
A.E. Hydraulic is based in Singapore and had annual sales of US$14.3 million in 2007.
 
A.E. Hydraulic (Pte) Ltd. provides our Gates business with a distribution network through which we can channel some of our other hose and fittings products, while building out our service platform in the high growth market for oil and gas exploration,"said James Nicol, Tomkins CEO.
 
Tomkins is a global engineering and machinery group with two business groups: Industrial & ...

Gates Corp. Buys Singapore Supplier Read More »

Canadian Foodservice Distributor Bruce Edmeades Sold

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Grocery & Foodservice Distribution, Free, Finance /

Colabor Income Fund has agreed to acquire Canadian foodservice distributor Bruce Edmeades Co. for C$10 million in cash plus the assumption of debt.
 
Bruce Edmeades has annual revenues of more than C$230 million in 2007.
 
The addition of Bruce Edmeades to Colabor's already strong presence in Ontario through the Summit division represents a natural progression in our plan to consolidate the Eastern Canadian foodservice distribution market," said Gilles C. Lachance, president and CEO of Colabor. "Bruce Edmeades adds significant volume to our system, due in part to the addition of several prominent clients. With this Acquisition, Colabor's annual sales are expected to surpass the $1 billion mark."

Bruce Edmeades currently stocks 9,000 products and operates ...

Canadian Foodservice Distributor Bruce Edmeades Sold Read More »

Lewis-Goetz Buys JA-MAR Conveyor & Components

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

Industrial distributor Lewis Goetz and Company Inc., Pittsburg, PA, has acquired JA-MAR Conveyor and Components, a regional conveyor system installation and service company in Bellaire, OH.
 
The acquisition will help us further our goal of being a total conveyor system service provider to our customers," said Jeffrey T. Crane, president and CEO of Lewis-Goetz.
 
Mark Allen, owner of JA-MAR, will stay with the company as general ...

Lewis-Goetz Buys JA-MAR Conveyor & Components Read More »

Alcoa Sells Packaging, Consumer Units for $2.5B

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Metals Service Centers, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

Alcoa has completed the sale of its packaging and consumer businesses to New Zealand's Rank Group Limited.
 
Alcoa's packaging and consumer businesses generated 11% of Alcoa 2007 revenues and 4.6% of 2007 after-tax operating income. Businesses included in the sale are: Closure Systems International; Consumer Products, including Reynolds Wrap branded products; Flexible Packaging; and Reynolds Food Packaging.
 
In total, these packaging businesses have 9,300 employees in 22 countries around the world.
 
Alcoa will continue to operate its flat-rolled can sheet products serving the packaging market.

Alcoa received $2.5 billion in cash from Rank in the sale. An additional $200 million is expected by April 2008 when regulatory and other approvals are ...

Alcoa Sells Packaging, Consumer Units for $2.5B Read More »

Canada Residential Construction Spending Up 8.5% in 2007

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, Research & Analytics, News, Free, Economic Trends, Building Materials/Construction /

The total value of residential construction investment in Canada for 2007 reached $88.7 billion, an increase of 8.5% compared with 2006. All components of residential construction (new housing, renovation and acquisition costs) and all provinces and territories saw gains.

In constant dollars, the increase in the overall residential construction investments in 2007 was 2.3%.

Among provinces, the biggest increases (in dollars) occurred in Alberta (+18.9% to $14.8 billion) and in Quebec (+8.0% to $19.1 billion). In percentage terms, Saskatchewan led the rest with an increase of 37.5%.

New housing investment represented the largest contribution in dollars, posting an increase of 8.5% ...

Canada Residential Construction Spending Up 8.5% in 2007 Read More »

Manufacturing Contracts in February

Leave a Comment / Subscriber Only, Research & Analytics, News, Free, Economic Trends /

Manufacturing failed to grow in February, according to the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.
 
The PMI fell below 50%, which indicates weaker performance in February when compared with January. Manufacturers' order backlogs continue to erode as the New Orders Index remained below 50% for the third consecutive month.

With the Inventories and Customer Inventories Indexes indicating that manufacturing inventories are at reasonable levels, the major concern is rising prices and falling ...

Manufacturing Contracts in February Read More »

Linde’s LifeGas Acquires Sky Oxygen’s Medical Unit

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Gases & Welding Equipment, Free, Finance /

Atlanta, GA-based LifeGas, a company of The Linde Group, has acquired Sky Oxygen Inc.'s medical business.
 
Sky Oxygen, Carnegie, PA, is a third-generation independent gas and welding supply distributor, serving the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
 
LifeGas acquires two of Sky Oxygen's locations in Akron, OH, and Erie, PA. LifeGas is also operating from Sky Oxygen's Carnegie location to service the greater Pittsburgh area. Seventeen Sky Oxygen sales and operations associates will be joining LifeGas.

Mike Walsh, president of LifeGas, said: The addition of Sky Oxygen's medical gas business significantly strengthens our supply chain in the eastern U.S. … Our expanding product and service lines are being well received by ...

Linde’s LifeGas Acquires Sky Oxygen’s Medical Unit Read More »

U.S. Construction Spending Falls 1.7% in January

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, Research & Analytics, News, Free, Economic Trends, Building Materials/Construction /

U.S. construction spending during January 2008 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,121.5 billion, 1.7 percent below the revised December estimate of $1,140.4 billion. The January figure is 3.3 percent below the January 2007 estimate of $1,160.2 billion.
 
Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $827.4 billion, 2.2 percent below the revised December estimate of $845.7 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $455.8 billion in January, 3.0 percent below the revised December estimate of $469.7 billion. Nonresidential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $371.6 billion in January, 1.2 percent below the revised December estimate of $376.0 billion.
 
In ...

U.S. Construction Spending Falls 1.7% in January Read More »

Actuant Buys Superior Plant Services

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Free, Finance /

Actuant Corporation, Milwaukee, WI, has acquired Superior Plant Services, LLC, Terrytown, LA, for $57 million in cash.
 
SPS is a specialized maintenance services company serving the oil &gas and nuclear power industries in North America, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. Its services include field machining, flange weld testing, line isolation, bolting, heat treating, and metal disintegration.
 
SPS had $25 million in revenues last year. SPS will operate as part of Hydratight, within Actuant's Industrial Segment.
 
Actuant is a diversified industrial company with operations in more than 30 countries. Actuant has sales of $1.5 ...

Actuant Buys Superior Plant Services Read More »

Airgas Buys Northeast Gas Technologies

Leave a Comment / Top Distributor Sectors, Subscriber Only, News, Mergers & Acquisitions, Gases & Welding Equipment, Free, Finance, Companies /

Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, has acquired Northeast Gas Technologies Ltd., Albany, NY-based distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases and related supplies. The business, with five locations in upstate New York and Vermont, generated $10 million in revenues in 2007.

The acquired operations have been integrated into Airgas East, one of the regional companies within Airgas. The operations include a headquarters and industrial fill plant in Albany, NY, with branches in Vestal, Ithaca, and Hyde Park, NY, as well as Rutland, VT.

Airgas East, Salem, NH, includes more than 100 retail branches, 40 cylinder fill plants, and 11 ISO 9000 series certified specialty gas laboratories. Airgas East serves New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, ...

Airgas Buys Northeast Gas Technologies Read More »

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!