Genuine Parts Co. subsidiary EIS Inc., Atlanta, GA, a distributor of electrical insulation and other process materials used in the electrical OEM business, has acquired Fay Electric Wire Corp. of Elmhurst, IL. Fay is a distributor of electrical process materials to OEMs and repair facilities. EIS has sales of $466 million. More

Central Welding Supply, Marysville, WA, has acquired A L Welding Products, a distributorship owned by Kirby Lang and Air Liquide America Specialty Gases LLC. A L Welding Products has two locations in Tukwila, WA, and Burien, WA, and annual sales of $3 million. More

Bradco Supply, Avenel, NJ, has appointed Larry Stoddard as the company’s next CEO. Stoddard has served in executive positions for global distributor Wolseley plc for the past 26 years, most recently as COO. More

Arrow Electronics, Inc., Melville, NY, has acquired A.E. Petsche Company, a distributor of interconnect products, including specialty wire, cable and harness management solutions, to the aerospace and defense markets. A.E. Petsche has about $200 million in sales. More

Chicago, IL-based Esmark Industrial Group, a newly formed subsidiary of Esmark Inc., has acquired Meadville, PA-based Excalibur Machine Company Inc. for $3.5 million in cash. More

HVACR distributor Johnstone Supply, Inc., Portland, has appointed DeWight Wallace as the cooperative’s new CEO. Wallace previously worked for electronics distributor Premier Farnell as president of MCM Electronics. More

New orders for manufactured goods in November, up seven of the last eight months, increased $3.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $365.3 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 1.9%. Shipments increased 1 percent to $374.2 billion. Unfilled orders, down fourteen consecutive months, decreased 0.7 percent. More

Construction spending during November 2009 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $900.1 billion, 0.6 percent below October. The November figure is 13.2% below November 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. During the first 11 months of this year, construction spending was 12.7 percent below the same period in 2008. More

The manufacturing sector expanded in December for the fifth consecutive month, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The report, issued by the Institute for Supply Management each month, showed the PMI rising to 55.9 percent, its highest reading since April 2006. A reading above 50 percent indicates expansion. More

Zep Inc., Atlanta, GA, a manufacturer of specialty chemical products, has acquired Atlanta-based Amrep Inc. for $64.4 million. Amrep manufactures maintenance chemicals for the automotive aftermarket as well as the janitorial market sold through distributors. More

Manufacturer Brady Corp., Milwaukee, WI, has acquired Stickolor Industria e Comercio de Auto Adesivos Ltda., São Paulo, Brazil. Stickolor manufactures screen-printed custom labels, overlays and nameplates. Stickolor has annual sales of $9 million. More