Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC), Milwaukee, WI, reported sales of $337.6 million, a year-over-year decline of 3.4 percent, for the fiscal 2013 first quarter ended Oct. 31, 2012. Profit fell 16.9 percent to $27.2 million.

Download a Free Chapter: The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors Submit your email address below to receive a chapter of Brent Grover’s new book. When you submit your email you will be signed up to receive weekly distribution news updates.

Organic sales fell 1.9 percent for the safety products manufacturer. By segment, organic sales decreased 0.7 percent in the Americas, 3.2 percent in EMEA and 2.5 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.

“As we look to the remainder of fiscal 2013, we believe there is limited likelihood that the macro-economy will provide a tailwind,” said  President and CEO Frank M. Jaehnert.

“We therefore will continue on the path to create our own growth story by further investing in geographic expansion; expanding globally in certain focus markets, such as aerospace and mass transit, chemical, oil and gas, and food and beverage processing; new product development; customer conversion; and expansion of our digital capabilities to provide the best overall buying experience for our customers,” he said.