Dealing with the details now can make a big difference in recovery later.
Posts By Lindsay Konzak
Resources for distributors on strategic pricing initiatives.
Plans for hiring grow, but companies report in RSM McGladrey survey difficulty in finding qualified workers.
The long-term effect is not yet known, but here's what distributors along the Gulf Coast say they have seen so far.
Adam Fein asks: Is there still excess capacity in the industry?
Here are the average sales declines for the MDM Market Leaders last year.
MDM has covered the evolution and competitive landscape of integrated supply for more than 20 years. This article, an update to the 2005 analysis, looks at how integrated supply fits into the distribution landscape in 2010, as well as ways distributors continue to refine the model to meet evolving customer needs for a unique set of distribution services.
Nearly everyone MDM has asked about the role integrated supply in recent years has replied in the same way. First: "How do you define integrated supply?" And then comes the answer that has been around since the beginning: "If you've seen one integrated supply contract, you've seen one."
Different distributors call different services integrated supply, and there is still no strict agreement on the breadth or depth of services the model entails. The focus of …
Distributors need to consider new approaches to doing business and differentiating themselves in what's been referred to as the "new normal." As Publisher Tom Gale wrote in a recent issue of MDM, market-leading distributors are rethinking their models for 2010 and beyond. They are focused on building a leaner, productive operation, built on the strengths and the values that made them successful in the first place.
"If you want to get back to 2007 revenues, you have to identify where that business will be because the drivers of 2007 will …
John Stegeman recently spoke with MDM about his new role as executive president.
Recent McKinsey article says cost-cutting initiatives often 'erode over time.'
Adam Fein in Webcast says chances we'll fall back into recession are slimmer now than 6 months ago.
Adam J. Fein, Ph.D., of Pembroke Consulting, recently reported his outlook for 2010 in an MDM Webcast. He provided an overview of macroeconomic conditions, data on sales and inventory trends for distributors, and major end market and sector trends. Here’s a summary of that Webcast, exclusively for MDM Premium subscribers.
The good news: We are in the midst of a recovery. Bad news: The aftereffects of the recession will last for a number of years. That was part of Adam Fein’s message in a recent MDM Webcast, “Growth Planning for 2010: Economic Update with Adam Fein.”
“It’s not going to feel as robust as previous recoveries because of some of the overhang, but it is going to be a recovery,” Fein said. “It is going to be growth.”
Distributor C.H. Briggs recently launched a CEO blog and a Facebook page. Here's why.
Check it out at www.twitter.com/mdmnews.
ISA session: Bob Wendover talks about communication changes both generations need to make in the workplace.
Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, conducted a survey of distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the distribution industry in diverse sectors. Here's the exclusive look at all the results for premium subscribers to MDM.
First-quarter revenues among survey respondents were down 0.9 percent from last year, and pricing and gross margins were flat. Overall, survey respondents expect an average 3.1 percent increase in revenues in the second quarter 2010, and 3.9 percent growth for 2010 overall.
Consumer confidence, dealer incentives have pushed auto sales to recent highs.
Results indicate some distributors may be starting to rebuild inventories, albeit cautiously.
Distributor keeps focus on cross-selling opportunities and acquisitions that will expand its reach in jan-san.
