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Breaking news in Wholesale Distribution

Grainger Taps O’Brien to Head Acklands-Grainger

Grainger, Chicago, IL, has named Sean O'Brien as of president, Acklands-Grainger Inc., Grainger's Canadian subsidiary. O'Brien's new responsibilities include oversight of the Canadian business operations which had revenues of $728 million (C$773 million) in 2008. O'Brien succeeds and reports to Court D. Carruthers who became senior vice president and president, Grainger International, in March of this year.

"Sean's energy and experience will help drive continued success in the Canadian maintenance, repair and operating supplies (MRO) market," said Carruthers. "We have ...

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Timken Enters Agreement with Japanese Steelmaker

The Timken Company, Canton, OH, will expand its product offerings in Asia through a five-year collaboration agreement reached with Nagoya, Japan??s Daido Steel Co. Ltd. Under the agreement, Daido will manufacture specialty steel products according to Timken specifications for industrial customers throughout Asia.

??This is a fast-track approach to accelerate the growth of our steel business while building the Timken brand further in Asia,?? said Salvatore J. Miraglia Jr., president of Timken??s Steel Group. ??It will allow us to capitalize on more of the growth opportunities we see in the Asian market, bringing all of the technical expertise Timken is known for, with the added advantage of Daido??s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the region. For customers in Asia, this local proximity is most desirable and necessary to ensure timely, reliable service."

This is the second collaboration between Timken and Daido.

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Grainger Names Yin General Manager of Grainger China

Yin will oversee business operations, expansion of the MRO market in China.

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Beacon Roofing Supply Expands in the Southwest

Distributor of roofing materials and related products took over two branches in New Mexico and Oklahoma from a regional distributor.

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Manufacturing Sector Expands in August

The 1.5 years of contraction came to an end, but not all industries reported growth in the latest ISM report.

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Construction Spending Down Slightly in July

Year-to-date, U.S. construction spending is down 11.4%.

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MDM Launches Web Site Redesign

New design caters to wholesale distribution executives' information needs. Click on this article to take a site tour and to learn more.

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Greg Test for Video

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George Costanza, Distributors, and the Credit Mess

When the lenders stabilize their own companies they will be back in the inventory lending business, and these same, good cash flow-producing distributors will be top prospects. In the meantime, even great distributors look like bad credit risks to bankers who need to put their glasses back on.

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