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Quarterly MDM-Baird Distribution Survey

Analysis: Geopolitical Impacts on Distributors’ Supply Chains

We analyze the qualitative results of our 1Q24 Baird-MDM Distribution Survey question that asked distributors about current or expected impacts from geopolitical issues.
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Market Insight Reports

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
Free
RONA Sales Grow to $6B With Recent Acquisition

RONA Inc., Canadian retailer and distributor of home improvement, hardware and gardening products, reported sales grew 13.1% in fiscal 2006; organic growth (without major acquisitions) was 6%. Profit reached $190.6 million, up 8.8% over 2005.


&nbsp ;


Same-store sales were up 1.3%.


&nbsp ;


“RONA's 2006 results are in line with our 7-07 target, said Chief Executive Robert Dutton. “Our growth was both solid and profitable: Network retail sales are now nearing the&nbsp ; $6 billion mark and earnings have increased for the 16th straight year. We also made significant progress against all our benchmarks, especially those related to operating efficiency."

“Still promising in the medium and long term, our market is being affected by the ...
Free
Despite Construction Slowdown, 84 Lumber Expands
In a time when most building
materials distributors and suppliers are cutting assets, <A
href=http://www.84lumber.com/" target=_blank>84 Lumber
Company, Eighty Four, PA, supplier of building materials, recently
announced it has opened three new stores.


&nbsp ;


The first, in <st1:place
w:st="on">Gonzales, <st1:State
w:st="on">LA, includes a 5,865 square-foot main building
and 38,580 square-foot warehouse on 9.1 acres of property. The second is in
Sarasota, <st1:State
w:st="on">FL, the company's 23rd location in
the state. It includes a 6,918 square-foot main building and ...
Finance
Brady Industries Acquires Boulder Creek Supply

Brady Industries, Las Vegas, NV, a janitorial supply distributor, has acquired Boulder Creek Supply, a Boise, ID-based company.

Boulder Creek was founded in 1999.  With this acquisition, Brady Industries expands its geographic footprint to seven locations with plans for further expansion in 2007.

"The Boise acquisition compliments our regional coverage of the Idaho market, said Travis Brady, president of Brady Industries. "With branches in Salt Lake City and Idaho Falls, this acquisition strengthens our regional service capabilities."

Brady Industries supplies janitorial supplies and commercial cleaning equipment and service in the Las Vegas market. Brady has expanded its offering to include a complete warewash product line along with its already extensive kitchen cleaning and sanitation program.

Finance
Columbus McKinnon Sells Larco Unit

Columbus McKinnon Corporation, Amherst, NY, manufacturer of material handling products, has sold Larco Industrial Services, Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of the company's wholly owned subsidiary Crane Equipment & Service, Inc.


&nbsp ;


Larco, a manufacturer and servicer of large capacity overhead cranes based in Stoney Creek, Ontario, was sold to Canadian Overhead Handling Inc. of Montreal, Quebec. The net proceeds of the Larco sale will be used for debt reduction and general operating purposes.


&nbsp ;


For the latest 12 months, Larco contributed revenue of approximately $10 million and operated near breakeven.


&nbsp ;


Columbus McKinnon CEO Timothy T. Tevens said: Given its narrowly focused product line and market, Larco was not an ...
Free
Kaman Sales Up 9.5% in 2006

Kaman Corp.,
Bloomfield, CT, reported sales of $1.2 billion, up 9.5% from $1.1 billion in
2005. The Industrial Distribution segment recorded sales of $665.4 million, a 7%
increase.


&nbsp ;


Kaman's Aerospace
division saw a 13% increase in sales for the year to $326 million, and its Music
division saw a sales increase of 12% to $214.8 million.


&nbsp ;


Profit for the year
was $31.8 million, up from $13 million in 2005.


&nbsp ;


For the fourth
quarter 2006, sales were $308.9 million, up 7% from the same period last year.
Industrial Distribution saw a 3.6% sales increase in the fourth quarter to
$157.6 million.


&nbsp ;


The increase in
sales (in Industrial Distribution) was driven by strong ...
Finance
Nucor Buys Most of Harris Steel

Nucor Corp., Charlotte, NC, has acquired 96% of Toronto-based Harris Steel for C$46.25 in cash per share. Nucor intends to eventually buy all of Harris and take the company private.


&nbsp ;


Harris Steel has several business units: Harris Rebar, involved in the fabrication and placing of concrete reinforcing steel and the design and installation of concrete post-tensioning systems; Laurel Steel, a manufacturer and distributor of wire and wire products, welded wire mesh and cold finished bar; and Fisher & Ludlow, a manufacturer and distributor of heavy industrial steel grating, aluminum grating and expanded metal.


&nbsp ;


Harris also participates in steel trading on a worldwide basis through Novosteel and in the distribution of reinforcing steel and ...
Free
Lawson Products Profit Drops in 2006

Lawson Products, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, distributor of services, systems and products to the MRO and OEM marketplaces, announced sales of $518.2 million for 2006, a 15.1% increase from 2005. Profit decreased 52.8% to $12.6 million in 2006.


&nbsp ;


In 2006, Lawson integrated Rutland Tool & Supply Co., acquired in December 2005. That acquisition added about 80,000 SKUs to the company's offering. Lawson also reconfigured its Suwannee, GA, distribution center and started construction on a 140,000 square foot addition to its Reno, NV, DC.


Sales for the fourth quarter 2006 increased 9.2% to $126.2 million from the same quarter in 2005. Fourth quarter 2006 results include a full quarter of the operations of Rutland, which was acquired in December 2005. ...

Finance
Potential Buyers for HD Supply?

The Financial Times is reporting that three teams of private equity firms are preparing for possible bids for HD Supply. Teams include: Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and Clayton Dubilier & Rice (owner of Rexel); Thomas H Lee Partners, Goldman Sachs and CCMP; and Blackstone, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Leonard Green Partners and Texas Pacific Group.


&nbsp ;


Home Depot CEO Frank Blake told analysts and investors at the annual meeting this week that HD has not yet made a decision to sell. The Financial Times reports that the unit could get up to $11 billion.FT says Bain and Carlyle could be naturals for the ownership of HD Supply because of their investments in retail organizations - that said, HD Supply is a wholesale business, with a different operating structure from ...
Economic Trends
Manufacturing Expands in February

Manufacturing expanded in February following a decline in January, and the overall economy grew for the 64th consecutive month, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.


February proved to be a good month in the manufacturing sector as New Orders, Production and Employment contributed to a solid growth scenario, ISM reports. The Inventories Index showed significant reduction in manufacturers' inventories for the second consecutive month, and the Backlog of Orders Index is growing once again.


While the prices manufacturers pay reached their highest level in five months, concern about prices is still minimal due to the small number of commodities indicated as up in price. The trend in manufacturing, as well as the overall economy, ...

Free
Grainger Launches Plumbing Specialty Catalog

Grainger, distributor
of facilities maintenance supplies, has released a new specialty catalog for
plumbing products and supplies.&nbsp ; Products offered through&nbsp ; the catalog
include water heaters and coolers, pipes, valves, fittings, fixtures, faucets
and water filtration systems.


&nbsp ;


The catalog is 316
pages, with more than 16,000 Plumbing, Valves and Fittings, or which 12,000 are
new to Grainger's offering. An additional 1,500 products that are related to
Plumbing (from various categories) brings the total to about 17,750 items.&nbsp ;


&nbsp ;


Grainger also
bolstered its offering in material handling, fasteners and security products
this year.


&nbsp ;


W.W. Grainger, Inc.,
with ...
Free
Home Depot Outlines Plans to Refocus on Retail (UPDATED)

Home Depot CEO Frank Blake reinforced his drive to refocus on the business' retail division at the company's annual investor and analyst conference. To that end, Blake told participants that acquisitions outside of the retail core won't be a priority for us.


&nbsp ;


HD Supply ended the year at 12% of Home Depot's overall sales - HD hopes that number will grow to 15% by the end of the year. Still HD Supply, which reached $12 billion in sales in 2006, had a 6.9% decline in organic growth in the fourth quarter. That is consistent with the down housing market.


&nbsp ;


Retail also suffered in the fourth quarter 2006 with a profit drop of 28%. Sales were up just 4%. For the year, organic growth was down 2.8%.


&nbsp ;


HD does not expect ...
Finance
Barnes Group Inc. Acquires Di-Dro Manifold Systems Line

Barnes Group Inc., Bristol, CT, has acquired the assets of the Di-Dro Manifold Systems product line from Di-Dro Systems Inc. The Di-Dro Manifold System product line will be integrated into Barnes Group Inc.'s Associated Spring business segment.


The Di-Dro Manifold System product line is complementary to Associated Spring's Nitrogen Gas Spring Manifold System product line. The addition of the Di-Dro Manifold System product line expands the company's reach in high-quality gas springs for use in diverse industrial applications requiring high force and/or compact dimensions. Applications range from tool and die manufacturers, to industrial robots, to dump trucks to waste compressors around the world.


Related Links:
<A ...

Finance
SKF to Acquire Asian Manufacturer

SKF has agreed to acquire ABBA Linear Tech Co., Ltd., an Asian manufacturer of profile rail guides, based in Taiwan.


&nbsp ;


The ABBA Group has annual sales of about MSEK 250. It is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan and has facilities in Taiwan and in China.


&nbsp ;


With the addition of ABBA's product range, SKF is reinforcing its position in linear guides. The acquisition is in line with the SKF Group's strategy to strengthen its different technology platforms and to grow in Asia.


&nbsp ;


ABBA will be part of the SKF Actuation & Motion Control business unit within the Industrial Division.


&nbsp ;


More Breaking News
European ...
Finance
HD Supply White Cap Agrees to Buy GSI

HD Supply White Cap Construction Supply, a business of HD Supply, has agreed to acquire GSI General Materials LLC, a distributor of concrete accessories, forming systems and fabricated rebar.


&nbsp ;


GSI operates two North Carolina facilities and two South Carolina locations, and employs 72.


&nbsp ;


HD Supply White Cap Construction Supply is the construction supply business unit within The Home Depot's HD Supply Division, a distributor of specialty hardware, tools and materials targeting construction contractors.


&nbsp ;


With the addition of GSI General Materials, HD Supply White Cap Construction Supply will operate 160 branches in 27 states.



Related Links:
<A href=/pub/1_1/breaking-news/3740-1.html ...
Economic Trends
New Orders for Manufactured Goods Down in January

New Orders
New orders for manufactured durable goods in January decreased $17.1 billion or 7.8 percent to $203.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced in a preliminary release. This followed two consecutive monthly increases including a 2.8 percent December increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 3.1 percent. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 7.8 percent.

Shipments
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in January, up five of the last six months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.2 percent to $211.4 billion. This followed a 0.5 percent December increase.

Unfilled Orders
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in January, up twenty of the last twenty-one months, increased $1.0 ...

Finance
Sweden-based AxIndustries Acquires AB Sverull

Stockholm, Sweden-based AxIndustries has acquired AB Sverull, a distributor of bearings, transmissions and seals, also based in Sweden.


Sverull has annual sales of SEK 125 million with more than 45 employees&nbsp ; at offices in five cities.


After the acquisition, AxIndustries will have annual sales of more than SEK 600 million in bearings, transmissions and seals. It has mroe than SEK 1.1 billion in sales overall. AxIndustries is a part of Axel Johnson International.


Sverull will continue to be run as an independent company in AxIndustries.


More Breaking ...

Free
Airgas to Raise Prices

Higher electricity and energy prices, as well as metals prices, have led Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, to increase prices on packaged and bulk gases, and other products.


&nbsp ;


We are facing rising costs, even though the escalation of the past year has moderated, said Airgas Chairman and CEO Peter McCausland.


&nbsp ;


Prices will increase, on average:




  • 10%-15% for packaged and bulk industrial gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; acetylene and other fuel gases; specialty gases; process chemicals and rare gases; medical gases; nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and dry ice;


  • 15%-25% for helium

Effective immediately, Airgas also will raise rental rates for cylinders and bulk tanks ...
Finance
USG to Buy California Wholesale Material Supply for $280M

USG Corp, Chicago, IL, announced its specialty distribution subsidiary, L & W Supply, will acquire California Wholesale Material Supply Inc. for $280 million.


&nbsp ;


California Wholesale Material Supply is a distributor of building materials with annual sales of $600 million. It has 30 locations in seven Western states and Mexico and nearly 900 employees.


&nbsp ;


The acquisition is expected to help USG enhance L & W's reach on the West Coast and in the Southwest.


&nbsp ;


L & W Supply contributes about $2.5 billion to USG's annual sales.


&nbsp ;


USG also announced it would build a new plant in northern California to manufacture about 1 billion square feet of SHEETROCK ...
Economic Trends
Industrial Production Falls 0.5% in January

Industrial production decreased 0.5 percent in January after an increase of 0.5 percent in December. Output in the manufacturing sector declined 0.7 percent in January; about one-half of the decrease was a result of a drop of 6 percent in motor vehicles and parts.


The output of utilities rebounded 2.3 percent, as temperatures moved back toward seasonal norms, while the output of mines moved down 1.2 percent. At 111.9 percent of its 2002 average, overall industrial output for the month was 2.6 percent above its January 2006 level.


The rate of capacity utilization in January fell 0.6 percentage point, to 81.2 percent. Even so, it was 0.1 percentage point above its year-earlier level and 0.2 percentage point above its 1972-2006 average.


Market ...

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