January 10 2010
Volume 40, Issue 1
40
1
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With recovery now making headlines more than recession, attention has shifted toward what that recovery could look like. Debate continues over when the U.S. and global economies will rebound, but a dominant belief is that when recovery does occur, one thing it may be lacking is jobs.
Distributors and manufacturers are planning to do "more with less" in 2010, according to the results of MDM's annual Reader Survey conducted in December. More than a third …
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I once had the pleasure of hearing Retired General Arnold Schwarzkopf speak on the topic of leadership. To paraphrase, leadership is getting others to do what they would not ordinarily do, voluntarily. In an ownership culture, employees voluntarily do activities they would not normally be expected to perform.
In visiting hundreds of companies, I have observed wildly different corporate cultures. It doesn't take long in a visit to sense a strict authoritarian …
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Most respondents to a recent Modern Distribution Management-Activant survey are optimistic and expect individual company profitability to be greater in 2010 versus 2009.
In the survey, respondents also outlined where they would focus in each of four areas to improve profitability in 2010.
To improve processes and personnel productivity, …
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Product and Segment Focus
According to Airgas, about 30 percent of its total sales go to customer segments that are "growing faster than GDP." Strategic products, a group of five product areas, account for 40 percent of sales. Those are: Bulk, Medical, Specialty Gas, CO2/Dry Ice, and Safety Products. These product areas have grown faster than Airgas' other core business, COO Michael Molinini told analysts, and the areas cater to "favorable customer segments."
One growth driver for these areas is cross-selling. For example, …
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With recovery now making headlines more than recession, attention has shifted toward what that recovery could look like. Debate continues over when the U.S. and global economies will rebound, but a dominant belief is that when recovery does occur, one thing it may be lacking is jobs.
Distributors and manufacturers are planning to do "more with less" in 2010, according to the results of MDM's annual Reader Survey conducted in December. More than a third …
- Premium
- Premium
I once had the pleasure of hearing Retired General Arnold Schwarzkopf speak on the topic of leadership. To paraphrase, leadership is getting others to do what they would not ordinarily do, voluntarily. In an ownership culture, employees voluntarily do activities they would not normally be expected to perform.
In visiting hundreds of companies, I have observed wildly different corporate cultures. It doesn't take long in a visit to sense a strict authoritarian …
- Premium
Most respondents to a recent Modern Distribution Management-Activant survey are optimistic and expect individual company profitability to be greater in 2010 versus 2009.
In the survey, respondents also outlined where they would focus in each of four areas to improve profitability in 2010.
To improve processes and personnel productivity, …
- Premium
Product and Segment Focus
According to Airgas, about 30 percent of its total sales go to customer segments that are "growing faster than GDP." Strategic products, a group of five product areas, account for 40 percent of sales. Those are: Bulk, Medical, Specialty Gas, CO2/Dry Ice, and Safety Products. These product areas have grown faster than Airgas' other core business, COO Michael Molinini told analysts, and the areas cater to "favorable customer segments."
One growth driver for these areas is cross-selling. For example, …
- Premium
- Premium
