April 2011 News
Acme Tools expands product line
Acme Tools announced its expansion to offer industrial woodworking machinery and tooling products to customers in the Upper Midwest.
Barnes Group sales up 15%
Barnes Group said its net sales grew 15 percent to $318.8 million from $278.1 million in the first quarter of 2010.
Lawson Products sales up, income falls
Lawson Products reported net sales of $82.6 million in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 10.2% over the prior year quarter.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index up in March
Led by gains in production indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index increased to +0.26 in March from +0.16 in February.
Kennametal sales up 25%
Kennametal said its fiscal third quarter sales were $615 million, compared with $493 million in the same quarter last year.
WinWholesale opens La. locations
WinWholesale said it has opened Winair brand companies in Lafayette and Lake Charles, La., to provide contractors with a complete line of HVACR equipment.
Pugh to retire from Applied Industrial Technologies
Applied Industrial Technologies announced that chairman and chief executive officer, David L. Pugh, will retire by the company's next annual shareholder meeting in October.
Praxair sales up 11%
Praxair reported first quarter sales of $2.7 billion, 11% above the previous-year quarter, due primarily to broad-based volume growth.
Rockwell Automation revenue up 26%
Rockwell Automation reported fiscal 2011 second quarter revenue of $1.46 billion, up 26 percent from $1.16 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
Stanley Black & Decker sales up 9%
Stanley Black & Decker said its first quarter sales increased by 9 percent to $2.4 billion compared to the same period last year.
Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index rises
The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index (CFMMI) increased 1.9% in March, to a seasonally adjusted level of 85.0.
Parker posts record results
Parker Hannifin Corporation reported fiscal 2011 third quarter sales of $3.2 billion, an increase of 23.9 percent from $2.6 billion in the same quarter a year ago.
Infor affiliate to acquire Lawson Software
GGC Software Holdings Inc., an affiliate of Golden Gate Capital and Infor, has agreed to acquire Lawson Software for approximately $2 billion.
Goldblatt Tools unveils new branding
Since its founding by Russian immigrant Henry Goldblatt in 1885, Goldblatt Tools has served professional and DIY customers throughout the country with quality hand tools.
UNK student wins ISA scholarship
The Industrial Supply Association (ISA) announced today that University of Nebraska at Kearney student Rustin Dring was chosen to receive the 2011-12 Gary L. Buffington Memorial Scholarship.
Central Atlantic factory activity slows
Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region expanded in April for the seventh straight month but at a more temperate pace than a month ago, according to the Richmond Fed's latest survey.
Snap-on announces re-branding effort
Williams, Bahco and CDI Torque Products are now part of Snap-on Industrial Brands.
3M sales up 15.2%
3M reported record first-quarter sales of $7.3 billion, up 15.2 percent year-on-year, including an 8.9 percent increase in organic sales volumes.
Timken generates record income
The Timken Company reported sales of $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 37 percent over the same period a year ago.
ITW sales up 17.4%
Illinois Tool Works Inc.reported first quarter revenues increased 17.4 percent to $4.3 billion.
NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence elects chair
Directors of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence elected Joseph Nettemeyer as 2011 chairman of the board.
United Stationers sales up 7.2%
United Stationers reported quarterly net sales were up 7.2% to $1.24 billion.
Direct Business Media is Moving!
Direct Business Media, LLC (DBM), the parent company of Industrial Supply and Contractor Supply magazines and publishers of the STAFDA Member Directory, the ISA Membership Directory and IDC Industrial Review magazine, has outgrown its current offices and is moving into a new home.
Texas manufacturing expansion continues
Texas factory activity continued to expand in April, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Field Fastener to expand
Field Fastener, a Machesny Park, Ill., fastener distributor, broke ground on a 43,000 square foot addition to its existing office and warehouse facility.
BDI acquires PneumaTrek National
BDI, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, announced the acquisition of Salt Lake City-based PneumaTrek National Inc., effective April 1.
Philly Fed manufacturing index slows
Regional manufacturing activity continued to grow in April but at a slower pace than in March according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Ingersoll-Rand posts loss
Ingersoll-Rand said its revenues of $3.1 billion in the first quarter of 2011 were up 13 percent compared with 2010.
Snap-on sales up 11.6%
Snap-on Incorporated reported sales of $693.7 million increased $72.1 million, or 11.6%, from 2010 levels.
Applied Industrial Technologies income up 60.6%
Applied Industrial Technologies reported net sales for its fiscal 2011 third quarter increased 16.4% to $565.9 million from $486.1 million in the comparable period a year ago.
WESCO International sales up 24.6%
WESCO International said its first quarter sales were $1.43 billion, compared to $1.14 billion for the first quarter of 2010.
Danaher sales up 11%
Danaher Corporation reported sales for the 2011 first quarter were $3.3 billion, 11.0% higher than the $3.0 billion reported for the 2010 first quarter.
United Rentals sales up
United Rentals reported first quarter total revenue of $523 million, with rental revenue of $434 million, compared with $478 million and $380 million, respectively, for the same period last year.
Myers Industries sales up 4%
Myers Industries said its net sales for the first quarter were $193.4 million compared to $186.4 million in the first quarter of 2010, an increase of 4%.
Eaton posts 23% sales gain
Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation announced first quarter sales of $3.8 billion, 23 percent above the same period in 2010.
Minarik acquires Automation Technology
Kaman Industrial Technologies subsidiary Minarik Corporation has acquired the assets of Automation Technology Inc. with locations in Salt Lake City, Utah and Boise, Idaho.
WinWholesale founder dies
Richard F. Schiewetz, the surviving founding member of Primus Inc., which later became the present WinWholesale Inc., passed away April 18 in Dayton, Ohio. He was 97.
Grainger sales up 13%
Grainger reported first quarter sales of $1.9 billion increased 13 percent versus $1.7 billion in the first quarter 2010.
H.B. Fuller acquires Liquamelt
H.B. Fuller Company announced the acquisition of Liquamelt Corp., an Ohio-based manufacturer and marketer of the patented Liquamelt adhesive system.
Industrial production rises
Industrial production increased 0.8 percent in March and rose at an annual rate of 6.0 percent for the first quarter as a whole.
Argus acquires Seelaus Instrument
The Argus Group has acquired the Seelaus Instrument Company of Cincinnati.
NY manufacturing climate improves
The New York Federal Reserve Bank said conditions for New York manufacturers improved at an accelerated pace in April.
Motion Industries sales climb 24%
Sales for Motion Industries were up 24% to $999.7 million in the first quarter of 2011.
ITW to sell finishing group companies
Illinois Tool Works Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its finishing group of businesses to Graco Inc. in a $650 million cash transaction.
HD Supply sales up 6.7 percent
HD Supply reported net sales for the fiscal 2010 fourth quarter of $1.7 billion, an increase of 6.7 percent, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009.
MAPI: Manufacturing growth may slow
The results of a quarterly Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Survey suggest a continued growth trend for manufacturing, although the rate of growth may start slowing later this year.
Chromalox acquired by equity firm
Sentinel Capital Partners has acquired Chromalox Inc., a manufacturer of commercial and industrial electric heating products and solutions.
Canada manufacturing sales decline
Manufacturing sales declined 1.5% in February to $47.1 billion, following a 4.4% gain in January, according to Statistics Canada.
Benfield Consulting applies for patent
Benfield Consulting of Chicago announced the successful development and patent filing of a new managerial costing process for buy/sell businesses including wholesalers and retailers.
Acumatica schedules nationwide seminars
Acumatica, a provider of Cloud ERP software, announced the opening of registration for the national seminar series "How the Cloud is Changing ERP."
IDC opens Reno distribution center
IDC-USA announced the opening of the IDC-USA Reno Distribution Center.
Bartle & Gibson wins Rayovac award
Rayovac awarded Bartle & Gibson the Rayovac Outstanding Distributor Award for the first quarter.
Fastenal sales up 23 percent
The Fastenal Company reported sales climbed 23 percent to $640.6 million in the first quarter.
DGI Supply to buy Midwest Industrial Tools
DGI Supply, a DoALL Company, has signed a letter of intent to purchase all outstanding shares of Midwest Industrial Tools Inc. of Omaha, Neb.
Manufacturing technology use up 138.1% year-over-year
February U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $329.43 million, down 10.9% from January but up 99.3% from February 2010.
Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index rises
The Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index increased 1.3% in February, to a seasonally adjusted level of 83.3.
MSC sales rise 22.2%
MSC Industrial Direct said its fiscal second quarter 2011 net sales rose 22.2% to $483.4 million, compared with $395.5 million in the prior year period.
Regal Beloit acquires start-up company
Regal Beloit Corporation has acquired Ramu Inc., a motor and control technology company headquartered in Blacksburg, Va.
Rexnord acquires British manufacturer
Rexnord LLC has acquired Autogard Holdings Ltd., a European manufacturer of torque limiters, couplings and torque monitoring devices.
Gibraltar acquires D.S. Brown Co.
Gibraltar Industries has completed its previously announced acquisition of The D.S. Brown Company.
Activant, Epicor to be acquired
Private equity firm Apax Partners has agreed to acquire distribution software providers Activant Solutions and Epicor Software Corporation in a combined transaction valued at about $2 billion.
ProBuild acquires Harbert Lumber
ProBuild Holdings Inc. has acquired Harbert Lumber Company, a building materials supplier based in Colorado.
Workholding shipments up 32.8%
At $62.8 million for fourth quarter 2010, shipments of workholding equipment were up 32.8 percent from fourth quarter 2009.
February construction spending falls
Construction spending fell by 1.4 percent during February according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
ISM: Manufacturing expansion continues
The manufacturing expansion has continued for the 20th straight month according to the Institute for Supply Management.
KC Fed: manufacturing 'accelerates rapidly'
Growth in Tenth District manufacturing activity accelerated rapidly in March, posting a record high for the second straight month.
Manufacturing jobs added
The nation's factories added 17,000 jobs in March according to the monthly employment statistics issued today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The May/June issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about GHX Industrial. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
