Airgas Acquires Nordan Smith
Industrial Welding Supplies of Hattiesburg, which does business as Nordan Smith, has 17 locations.
Airgas Acquires Nordan Smith Read More »
March 2012
Tip: Focus Your Sales Force with a Formal Strategy Plan
Telling your sales team what you want will help them achieve your goals.
Tip: Focus Your Sales Force with a Formal Strategy Plan Read More »
Durable Goods New Orders Up 2.2% in February
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.6 percent.
Durable Goods New Orders Up 2.2% in February Read More »
Pentair to Merge with Tyco Flow Control
New company will be operate under the Pentair name and be based in Switzerland.
Pentair to Merge with Tyco Flow Control Read More »
Park-Ohio Industries Acquires Fluid Routing Solutions
Fluid Routing Solutions is a manufacturer of industrial hose products and fuel filler and hydraulic fluid assemblies.
Park-Ohio Industries Acquires Fluid Routing Solutions Read More »
From Reactive to Proactive: Have Strategies Shifted Now That Economy is Improving?
In recent CFO survey, more executives say they are focused on long-term planning.
From Reactive to Proactive: Have Strategies Shifted Now That Economy is Improving? Read More »
The Strategic CIO
Today CIOs are facing an important opportunity to develop systems that link their companies with their most important customers.
The Strategic CIO Read More »
Sonepar Expands in Brazil
Electrical distributor acquires Rosa Leal, with 12 operating companies and 16 branches.
Sonepar Expands in Brazil Read More »
Wolseley Sales Up 3% in First Half of FY12
Ferguson sales increased 9 percent in the first half, with modest recovery in levels of new construction.
Wolseley Sales Up 3% in First Half of FY12 Read More »
Trade Service and epaCUBE Release Margin Optimizer™ for Wholesale Distributors
Cloud-based solution gives visibility into the effect of manufacturer price changes.
Trade Service and epaCUBE Release Margin Optimizer™ for Wholesale Distributors Read More »
Avnet Agrees to Buy Ascendant Technology
Ascendent Technology is an international IT consulting firm with operating units in North America, Europe, Brazil and India.
Avnet Agrees to Buy Ascendant Technology Read More »
Chicago Fed National Activity Index Declines in February
The index's three-month moving average, the CFNAI-MA3, increased to its highest level since May 2010.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index Declines in February Read More »
Behind the Deal: HD Supply & Shale-Inland
HD Supply recently announced it would sell its Industrial PVF division to Shale-Inland Holdings. This article looks at the impact of the deal on both companies and what’s next for HD Supply. It includes interviews with the leaders of both firms.
The decision to sell off the industrial PVF division of HD Supply was an easy one, according to CEO Joe DeAngelo. “It was a lot more speculative a business than we wanted to be in,” he said in an interview with MDM. Because of its “tremendous” working capital requirements and volatile ties to commodity markets, the division also had very different operating characteristics than the remaining divisions of HD Supply.
On the other side of the deal, where HD Supply saw a disconnect with its other businesses, Shale-Inland Holdings, a metals service center, saw a great complement. The division provides an inroad to the ...
Behind the Deal: HD Supply & Shale-Inland Read More »
MDM Interview, Part 2: The Common Sense Test in Analytics
MDM recently spoke with Tony Pericle, author of Transforming Data into Action: Using Analytics for Better Distributor Sales Decisions from the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. This is part 2 of that interview. Part 1 was published in the March 10, 2012, issue of MDM. In part 2, Pericle says analytics alone won’t solve all problems. It takes ongoing course correction and the “common sense test” to get the best results from any effort to use data to make better decisions for your organization.
MDM: When defining analytics, you include walking around the company and getting more qualitative information. That is just the first level of nine you outline in your book. Do companies sometimes think too narrowly when they think about how to use data to improve their organizations?
Tony Pericle: If you think you’re going to be able to use data to answer all of your questions, you are absolutely wrong. I’ll use this example. I have five children and I’ve taught three of them to drive so far. Now I am teaching a fourth one. I take him to an empty parking lot, and I have a crunched Aquafina bottle that I throw out in the parking lot. I tell him: “I want you to drive over it with your left wheel. And then I want you to drive over it with the right ...
MDM Interview, Part 2: The Common Sense Test in Analytics Read More »
Commentary: Are You Ready for Big Data?
The concept of using data to become more responsive is attractive, but there's a major reality gap.
Commentary: Are You Ready for Big Data? Read More »
Sharing POS Data: An Exercise in Trust
This article, part 1 in a series, examines the hurdles to a broader acceptance of customer data-sharing in independent distribution channels and how those hurdles may be holding channel partners back from higher profitability due to greater transparency.
Based on MDM surveys and interviews, just a small percentage of distributors and manufacturers across sectors are experiencing significant competitive advantage and market insight as a result of sharing point-of-sale data.
Two-thirds of distributors in a recent MDM survey said they share POS data with at least some of their suppliers. Of those that do share data, ...
Sharing POS Data: An Exercise in Trust Read More »
Monthly Wholesale Trade Data: January 2012
Sales and inventories data for wholesaler-distributors in January 2012.
Monthly Wholesale Trade Data: January 2012 Read More »
Download This Issue in pdf: March 25, 2012
This is the PDF of this issue of Modern Distribution Management.
Table of Contents:
- Sharing POS Data: An Exercise in Trust
- Commentary: Are You Ready for Big Data?
- The Common Sense Test in Analytics
- Behind the Deal: HD Supply Divests Industrial PVF Business
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Download This Issue in pdf: March 25, 2012 Read More »
Industrial Inflation Index: February 2012
Modern Distribution Management's Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
Industrial Inflation Index: February 2012 Read More »
