MDM Premium Archives - Page 519 of 548 - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

Search
Premium Member Dashboard

All your exclusive premium content in one location.

Warehouse Inventory 5
Economic Trends

MDM Forecast: Most Sectors Slide in May Update

All but two of the 19 wholesale distributors sectors we track moved more pessimistic month-to-month in our May forecast for 2024 revenue growth, which moved into lower single digits.
Read More

Premium Monthly

Archives

Market Insight Reports

MDM 1Q 2024 MarketPulse Report

Find a wealth of data and analysis extracted from the 1Q24 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey, including trending charts and figures for revenue and expectations, plus plenty of interesting commentary.

MDM 4Q 2023 M&A Report

The report features in-depth articles that recap the year that was 2023 in distribution dealmaking, a full rundown of every deal we covered in October-December, the latest EBITDA trading multiples and more.

MDM 4Q 2023 MarketPulse Report

Find a wealth of data and analysis extracted from the 3Q23 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey, including trending charts and figures for revenue and expectations, plus plenty of interesting commentary.

MDM 3Q 2023 MarketPulse Report

Find a wealth of data and analysis extracted from the 3Q23 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey, including trending charts and figures for revenue and expectations, plus plenty of interesting commentary.

MDM 3Q 2023 M&A Report

Our 2023 third quarter M&A report features in-depth articles on activity by Ferguson and Veritiv, and chronicles the overall quarterly pace of new deals.
Archives
Premium Events
Premium Articles
Economic Trends
Manufacturing Expands Again in May
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the fourth consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 67th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
&nbsp ;
The PMI rose to its highest level in the past 12 months. Both the New Orders and Production Indexes indicated growth. The ISM Inventories Index indicates that manufacturers are now in their 10th month of inventory reduction. A major concern of respondents is the rate of price increases covering a wide variety of ...
Finance
Praxair Acquires Wilson Welding
Praxair Distribution, Inc., a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc., Danbury, CT, has acquired Wilson Welding & Medical Gases of Warren, MI. Wilson is a distributor of industrial, medical, specialty gases and related equipment and supplies.
&nbsp ;
Wilson operates a cylinder filling plant and retail store in Warren, retail stores in Macomb and Pontiac, and a beverage CO2 business in Flint, Michigan. The business generated sales of $20 million in 2006 and has 72 employees.
&nbsp ;
Praxair, Inc. is a global industrial gases with 2006 sales of $8.3 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of ...
Economic Trends
Economic Growth Slows in First Quarter

Real gross domestic product - the output of goods and services produced by labor and property in the U.S. - increased at an annual rate of 0.6% in the first quarter 2007, according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.


The estimate is based on more complete source data than advance data released last month, when the increase was estimated at 1.3%.


In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 2.5%.


The increase in GDP was offset by negative contributions from private inventory investment, residential fixed investment and federal government spending. Imports, a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, ...

Economic Trends
Forecast: Economy Should Gradually Improve Through End of Year
Despite a soft first quarter, the U.S. economy should gradually improve through the end of the year, according to the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Industrial Outlook, a report that analyzes 27 major industries.


Manufacturing industrial production expanded at a 0.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter 2007, but the MAPI forecast envisions an improved 3 percent growth rate in the second quarter.&nbsp ; For the year as a whole, though, the report predicts that manufacturing production growth will decelerate from the 4.7 percent recorded in 2006 to 2.1 percent growth in 2007, before rebounding to 3.3 percent growth in 2008.

The manufacturing inventory correction is over, the inexplicable decline in exports has passed, the January 1, 2007, EPA diesel ...
Finance
Houston Investor Wins $36M in Acquisition Suit
A Houston, TX, investor who alleged that private investment firm Key Principal Partners, LLC and corporate parent Key Corp. secretly cut him out of a 2003 deal to acquire one of Hawaii's largest lumber suppliers has won a $36.5 million jury verdict against the companies.


A Honolulu circuit court jury found late Wednesday that the Key defendants breached their fiduciary duties, intentionally interfered in investor Richard R. Foreman's attempts to acquire Honsador Lumber Corp, and violated Hawaii's unfair competition statute.

Foreman alleged that he and a group of investors that included Key Principal Partners, LLC formed a partnership in 2003 to buy Honsador for $28 million. According to the lawsuit, Key wrongfully withdrew from the partnership and then secretly ...
Free
Canadian Sawmills Shut Down

Canadian sawmill operations are suffering thanks to the recent downturn in residential construction in the U.S.

&nbsp ;
Calling the recent downturn the worst this industry has seen in decades," Canfor Corporation, Vancouver, BC, Canada, announced it would close its Mackenzie sawmill indefinitely once the remaining log inventory at the facility has been processed.
&nbsp ;
The move is part of a program to reduce costs to help the company weather the market downturn. Canfor is a forest products company with 33 facilities in Canada and the U.S. It is a producer of softwood lumber, and produces oriented strand board, plywood, remanufactured lumber products and specialized wood products.
&nbsp ;
Home Channel News reported that Federated Co-operatives, which serves ...
Finance
Fletcher Building Buys Formica for $700M

Fletcher Building Limited, Auckland, New Zealand, has acquired Formica Corporation, Cincinnati, OH, for $700 million. Fletcher is a publicly traded material and construction company with revenues of US$4 billion.

The company has five operating units: Laminates & Panels, Building Products, Steel, Infrastructure and Distribution.

Formica will retain the South America operations and certain real estate in California.

Formica has 14 manufacturing and 33 distribution facilities across Asia, Europe and North America.


In the near term, Formica will be structured as a business unit within the Fletcher Building Laminates & Panels division. Frank Riddick will remain as president and CEO of Formica and the management team will remain with the ...
Economic Trends
PT/MC Report: Sales Grow 7.4% in 2006
Revealing the profit challenges and opportunities in the power transmission/motion control industry, a recent report from the Power Transmission Distributors Association supports forecasts made by PTDA members in late 2005 of moderate growth in sales with no change in gross margins in 2006.
&nbsp ;
The Power Transmission Distributors Association announced the results of its 2007 PT Distributor Performance Report, based on 2006 data.
&nbsp ;
When asked in October 2005 to forecast sales for 2006, 44% of distributor respondents indicated that they expected sales to increase between 5% and 9.9%. The actual sales growth rate for a typical PTDA distributor, as reported in the 2007 PT Distributor Performance Report, fell right in the middle of that range, with sales growth in 2006 ...
Finance
Private Equity Firm Buys Mark IV’s Fluid Handling Unit

Sun Capital Partners, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, private investment firm announced that one of its affiliates has acquired the automotive OEM fuel and fluid handling operations of Mark IV Industries, Inc., Amherst, NY/Airasca, Italy, which will operate under the name, Fluid Routing Solutions, Inc.
&nbsp ;
FRS designs and manufactures highly-engineered fluid and fuel handling systems from six facilities in Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee and Quebec. Products are sold to original equipment automotive manufacturers serving customers in North America, Europe, South America, Asia and the Pacific regions.
&nbsp ;
Fuel system products include fuel filler assemblies, evaporation canisters, and coolant hoses primarily for original equipment channels. Fluid handling ...
Free
Columbus McKinnon Sales Grow 6% in Fiscal 2007
Columbus McKinnon Corporation, Amherst, NY, manufacturer and marketer of material handling products, reported sales for its fiscal year 2007 ended on March 31, 2007, were $589.8 million, up 6.1%. Sales in the fourth quarter were 4156.9 million, up 6.8% from the year-ago period.
&nbsp ;
Net income for fiscal 2007 was $34.1 million, compared with $59.8 million for fiscal 2006.
&nbsp ;
Profit in the fourth quarter was $11.1 million, compared with $47.8 million in the same period a year ago. Profit in fiscal ...
Free
Schneider Electric Agrees to Buy German Firm

Schneider Electric has agreed to acquire Ritto GmbH & Co Kg, a German firm that manufactures door entry and intercom systems for the residential and small tertiary buildings markets. Ritto had revenue of nearly 25 million euro in 2006.
&nbsp ;
The company will be added to Schneider's offerings in Installation Systems and Control, which includes wiring devices, installation material, control products and VDI.
&nbsp ;
Schneider has operations in 190 ...
Finance
Danaher Agrees to Buy ChemTreat for $435M

Danaher Corporation has agreed to buy ChemTreat Inc., a provider of water treatment products and services, for $435 million in cash.
&nbsp ;
Headquartered in Glen Allen, VA, and with revenues of over $200 million in its most recent completed fiscal year, ChemTreat serves a broad set of end markets with a particular focus on boiler, cooling water and industrial waste water applications.
&nbsp ;
Danaher is a manufacturer of Professional Instrumentation, Medical Technologies, Industrial Technologies and Tools and ...
Finance
MN-based JH Larson Buys Lappin Lighting

JH Larson Electrical Company, Plymouth, MN, has purchased Lappin Lighting, a full-service lighting showroom, Minneapolis, MN. Lappin serves the commercial and residential lighting markets.

&nbsp ;
JH Larson serves the electrical, plumbing and HVAC residential and commercial markets. It has 240 employees in eight branches. It is in three ...
Free
Rexnord Sales Grow 16.1% in 2007
Rexnord LLC, Milwaukee, WI, supplier with two key platforms of power transmission and water management products, reported sales for fiscal 2007 grew 16.1% over the prior year to $1.3 billion. Power Transmission sales grew 9.7% to $1.18 billion.
&nbsp ;
Sales in the fourth quarter grew 27.1% over the prior-year quarter to $386.1 million. PT sales grew 4.2% to $316.6 million. Waste Management sales were $69.5 million from acquisition date through March 31, 2007.
&nbsp ;
Rexnord reported growth across many of its end markets; in its PT platform, mining, energy, aggregates and aerospace growth rates were above average. Slower growth rates were see in general industries and in forest products.
&nbsp ;
Within Water Management, commercial construction continues to be solid, ...
Finance
Beyond the HD Supply Factor

The volume of mergers and acquisitions activity in distribution has increased substantially over the past 12 months. Along with a continued increase in interest from private equity firms, strategic buyers have reentered the fray, both in the U.S. and overseas. The market will likely plateau or even soften in the next year or so, especially in sectors affected by the downturn in residential construction. Right now though, the market is hot -maybe even too hot, according to some industry experts. What's more, an HD Supply spin-off could have an impact on valuations and provide opportunity to competitors of its diverse units.



HD Supply
Home Depot's potential spin-off of its $12-billion wholesale division -announced in February by the $90-billion ...
Finance
Grainger President: M& A Shifts Market

The competitive landscape has shifted thanks to growing consolidation, Grainger President and COO Jim Ryan said recently.


Small regional and local distributors still command the overwhelming share of this market," he said. "But they're under attack from larger regional and national players. The billion-dollar plus players are growing at a disproportionate rate to the market and to their smaller competitors.


"...There is going to be a need for specialist distributors, and there is absolutely a place for large-scale distributors. The ones who will find it more difficult are the generalists in the middle."


Ryan was addressing analysts attending the annual meeting of the Electrical Products Group of New York. Grainger is a $5.9 billion broad-line supplier of ...
Research & Analytics
Trends in Canada’s Wholesale Industry

Canada's wholesalers had a third consecutive year of strong growth, with much of the impetus coming from the two westernmost provinces.


A combination of continued strong sales of machinery and electronic equipment and high demand for consumer-related goods propelled the industry to another record high, according to Wholesale Trade: The Year 2006 in Review," a recently released report from Statistics Canada.


Nationally, wholesale sales increased by 6.3 percent to $497.4 billion (in current dollars) in 2006, slightly better than the previous year's 5.2 percent increase. The gain in overall wholesale sales contributed to another profitable year for wholesalers, as industry profits rose 15.1 percent to a new record high of $16.6 billion.


This ...
Human Resources in Wholesale Distribution
Legal Risks in Health Care Plans

Employer spending on health care continues to grow so many employers are focusing on hiring healthier employees. This article looks at some of the federal and state laws that affect decisions regarding who to hire based on health considerations.



In recent years most employer provided health plans have significantly raised employees'co-payments so that the amount of money employers spend on prescription medication has decreased. Nevertheless, employer spending on total health care still exceeds the rates of general inflation. Indeed, such spending increased 7.7% in 2006.
Given the continuing increase in employer spending it's not surprising that employers are focusing on hiring healthy employees, wellness programs and on employer provided drug programs. Doing so is ...
Economic Trends
Commentary: Prepare for Market Turns With Better Visibility

The mainstream media is poised to shout recession" from the rooftops, particularly as June tends to be a slow news month. We have heard consistent reports of flat to slowth growth, but no one is talking about cliff diving in manufacturing sectors. Some markets have stayed strong into May.


Even distributors into the tough automotive sectors are not exactly surprised, and have seen strong orders in other areas such as heavy equipment and aerospace. And while residential markets remain bleak, those distributors with commercial or industrial construction customers have seen those markets stay strong.


No one likes volatile market conditions, but if there is any consistency, it is that while some traditional markets are down, others are emerging to temper the damage. And ...
Free
MDM News Digest 3710
The Home Depot, Atlanta, GA, reported first-quarter profit of $1 billion, compared with $1.5 billion in the same period in fiscal 2006. Sales for the first quarter totaled $21.6 billion, a 0.6 percent increase from the first quarter of fiscal 2006. Total sales in the retail segment declined 4.3 percent to $18.5 billion, and comparable store sales declined 7.6 percent. Total sales in the HD Supply segment grew by 46 percent to $3.1 billion, reflecting sales from acquired businesses. Organic sales were down 6.5 percent. More & hellip;
HeidelbergCement AG, Heidelberg, Germany, has agreed to buy Hanson plc for about & pound; 8 billion (US$15.8 billion). HeidelbergCement is one of the top ...

Investment Banking Directory

Work with a banking partner that knows your business. Get detailed information on investment banks with expertise in the wholesale distribution industry.

Learn More
Featured Content

3 Ways Distributors Can Make Better Inventory Decisions

Discover how a leading distributor has revolutionized inventory policies and supply chain planning to…

SHIFT 2023 Playbook

As distribution leaders constantly seek educational resources on business transformation, technology optimization and talent…

Data-Driven Decisions: Opportunities and Challenges in the Data Revolution

Distributors of all sizes and in all verticals are ambitiously investing in data capabilities…

Elevate Your Sales Game: The Ultimate CRM Playbook for Distributors

Customer expectations are evolving, buying behavior is shifting, and competition has become more intense….
Go to Library

Market Prospector

  • Build strategic sales plans.

  • Determine market and demand.

  • Create smart prospect lists. 

Turn your sales data into actionable data with Market Prospector.  A web-based SAAS tool that gives you insight into your market, your territories, your customers and new prospects too. 

Learn More

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

Our daily newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Sign Up

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.