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MDM Interview, Part 2: Grainger’s Growth Drivers

In part 2 of MDM's interview with Grainger U.S. President Mike Pulick, Pulick talks about growth drivers, e-commerce, and inventory management services, and about targeting small and mid-sized customers.

Part 1 of this interview was featured in the Nov. 10, 2011, issue of MDM. Read: MDM Interview, Part 1: Grainger's Take On the Market

MDM: You have increased your focus on inventory management programs, specifically your program KeepStock. Why do you believe you are seeing increased demand for these services? What kinds of customers are you targeting with inventory management programs?

Mike Pulick: Our KeepStock program is really an important part of our business, and it continues to grow very rapidly. It all gets back to the MRO purchasing process, which is usually very cumbersome. They use many, many different suppliers and there are a lot of ways that we can help them take waste out. But there is also ...