Rexel, global distributor of electrical supplies, has made Chris Hartmann the CEO of IESC, the holding company of Rexel's U.S. activities, effective Jan. 21. He takes over from Dick Waterman, who is retiring but will stay on as an advisor to Rexel and will serve as chairman of the National Association of Electrical Distributors. More
WinWholesale, Dayton, OH, has opened Tampa Winnelson Company to provide plumbing and mechanical contractors in the Tampa Bay area. It is the first WinWholesale company in the Tampa Bay area and serves Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. More
Employee-owned Windsor Factory Supply Ltd., Windsor, ON, Canada, has agreed to acquire Keep Industrial Supply Ltd., also based in Ontario. Keep has locations in Woodstock, Brantford and Stratford, ON. The business will continue to operate as Keep Industrial Supply Ltd. More
Great Northern Lumber, Inc., Chicago, IL-based lumber products wholesaler and manufacturer, has acquired Service Lumber Company, which operates in Northwest Indiana as an industrial hardwood lumber distributor. Great Northern Lumber, Inc. will continue to distribute SLC's lineup of hardwood products throughout the Upper Midwest market. More
ST Solutions, formerly Salem Tools, Salem, VA, has agreed to buy Regal Industries, Louisville, KY. Regal Industries supplies cutting tools, as well as bonded, coated and superabrasive products to industries in Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. Regal also offers inventory management solutions to manufacturing facilities.  More
The ERIKS group has acquired Schmitztechnik GmbH in Mönchengladbach, Germany. Schmitztechnik GmbH sells and customizes plastics and rubber components. The company had annual sales of €5.5 million. More
Avnet, Inc. has agreed to buy UK-based distributor Azzurri Technology Ltd. Azzurri is a distributor of high technology semiconductors and embedded systems products in Europe. Upon closing, Azzurri will be integrated into Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA primarily within the Avnet Memec specialist division. More
Valley National Gases, LLC, Washington, PA, has acquired Wolfenden Industries, a distributor of industrial, medical and special gases with three operating locations in Northeast Ohio. Wolfenden has sales of $43 million. More
Industrial distributor Lewis-Goetz and Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, has named Jeffrey T. Crane as president and CEO. Crane has served as the company's president since May 2006. More
Global building products and plumbing/HVAC distributor Wolseley plc reported a 25 percent drop in profit for the five months ended Dec. 31, 2007. Full half-year results will be announced in March. Revenue was up 2 percent. The UK-based company was hit hardest in North America, where profit was down 40 percent and revenue down 10 percent (5 percent in constant currency). More
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its preliminary findings in the antidumping duty investigations on imports of steel nails from China and the United Arab Emirates. Commerce determined that Chinese and UAE producers/exporters will pay from 20.77 percent to 118.04 percent and 4.47 percent in