Melville, NY-based MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc. (NYSE: MSM), No. 12 on the top industrial distributors list, reported sales for the third quarter ended May 28, 2011, were $532.4 million, an increase of 18.2 percent over the same period a year ago. Profit increased 40.3 percent to $62.1 million.

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For the first nine months of fiscal 2011, sales increased 21 percent to $1.49 billion. Profit was $159.3 million, an increase of 49.9 percent in a year-over-year comparison.

\”Our company remains focused on executing our strategic plan. We continue honing our repeatable formula within the Metalworking segment as our highest priority growth opportunity,\” said David Sandler, president and CEO. \”We have a unique combination of many years of market leadership, yet a low market share position, due to the fragmented nature of the market. Our plan is to take that repeatable formula and extend it. Over time, we will move into other product lines consumed on the manufacturing floor as well as other end markets outside of the narrow band of durable manufacturing that we excel in today. All of this presents a huge runway opportunity for future, profitable growth in our business.\”