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March 2017 News

DXP Enterprises sales drop 20.2 percent
DXP Enterprises reported sales for the fourth quarter of 2016 were $222.3 million, a decrease of 20.2 percent compared to $278.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2015.

Real GDP up 2.1 percent in 4Q
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016.

H.B. Fuller revenue up 6.1 percent
H.B. Fuller Company reported net revenue for the first quarter of 2017 was $503.3 million, up 6.1 percent versus the first quarter of 2016.

Genuine Parts Co. invests in Australasian industrial distributor
Motion Industries reported that Genuine Parts Company has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 35% stake in Inenco Group for approximately $70 million.

Wolseley to rebrand as Ferguson
Wolseley announced plans to change its name to Ferguson to better align itself with its North American brand.

BlackHawk Industrial names CFO
BlackHawk Industrial announced the recent hire of Karl Scott to the position of chief financial officer.

Tofino Software EDI PunchOut Module
Tofino released its cXML-enabled eCommerce module for OCI and cXML "PunchOut" portals.

Walter Surface Technologies opens Dallas location
Walter Surface Technologies announced the opening of a 22,000 square foot distribution and training center in Dallas, Texas.

North American Tool's Lansbery wins award
Curt Lansbery, president and CEO of North American Tool Corporation in South Beloit, Illinois, received the 2017 Laurence A. Raymer Headliner Award for distinguished service and achievements in the community.

Atlas Copco begins production at Rock Hill plant
Atlas Copco has produced its first piece of equipment, an XAS 185 portable air compressor, at its new production facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Mayer appointed  Kaman Fluid Power VP and general manager
Kaman Distribution Group announced that David Mayer will become vice president and general manager of the Kaman Fluid Power (KFP) platform effective April 3, 2017.

Stellar Industrial Supply wins supplyFORCE award
Stellar Industrial Supply has been named by supplyFORCE as Owner-Member of the Year, ISD Division, 2016.

Premier Building Solutions names new director of sales
Premier Building Solutions has promoted DJ Dickinson to director of sales.

Actuant sales down 2 percent
Actuant Corporation reported consolidated sales for the second quarter were $259 million, 2% lower than the $263 million in the prior year.

HD Supply Waterworks relocated Theodore, Ala. branch
HD Supply Waterworks has relocated its Theodore branch to Mobile and is one of four Waterworks branches in the state.

ISA members experience slower growth in February
The March ISA Economic Indicator Report (EIR) from the Industrial Supply Association showed that manufacturers and distributors exhibited slower growth in February compared to January but remain in expansion mode.

Chicago Fed National Activity Index rose in February
Led by improvements in employment-related indicators, the Chicago Fed National Activity Index increased to +0.34 in February from –0.02 in January.

3M to acquire Scott Safety
3M has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Scott Safety from Johnson Controls for $2.0 billion.

PSMI launches online MRO catalog
After over a decade of providing integrated supply management solutions to clients in metal removal industries, PSMI has introduced a new online catalog MBEMRO (www.mbemrocatalog.com).

Sandvik names new Machining Solutions president
Klas Forsström has been appointed new president for Sandvik's business area Sandvik Machining Solutions and member of the Group Executive Management.

HD Supply sales up 4.4 percent in 2016
HD Supply reported net sales of $7.4 billion for the full-year fiscal 2016, an increase of 4.4 percent compared to fiscal 2015.

Allied Motion sales up 8.9 percent in 4Q
Allied Motion Technologies reported fourth quarter revenue rose 8.9% to $55.3 million.

SKF announces reorganization
SKF announced changes to its organizational structure and Group Management in an effort to simplify technology development and accelerate customer-driven innovation.

Lawson Products names senior VP of sales
Lawson Products announced the appointment of Matt Brown to senior vice president of sales.

January manufacturing technology orders down
U.S. manufacturing technology orders declined 40.7 percent in January compared to December and 11.4 percent compared to January 2016.

Grainger adds cutting tool reconditioning service
Grainger announced today, during the 2017 #GraingerShow, the addition of a cutting tool reconditioning service to its metalworking solutions.

Stanley completes Newell Tools and Craftsman acquisitions
Stanley Black & Decker announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of the Tools business of Newell Brands for $1.95 billion in cash.

Manufacturing and construction job gains in February
Employment picked up in the manufacturing and construction industries in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Cutting tool consumption up 8.7 percent in January
January U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $173.05 million, 8.7% higher than December’s $159.17 million and $159.22 million in January 2016.

Dorner Mfg. names territory manager
Mike Herrick has been appointed as territory manager for Dorner Mfg. Corp., covering Western Pennsylvania, Southern Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Manufacturing productivity up 2.0 percent in Q4
Manufacturing sector labor productivity increased 2.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Grainger named a Fortune most admired company
Grainger was named to Fortune's annual list of the World's Most Admired Companies for 2017.

Controx names key account manager
Controx recently added longtime industry veteran Todd Hammer as key account manager, Western U.S.

VARGO adds project engineer
VARGO, a provider of material-handling system integration, warehouse execution software and equipment solutions for major fulfillment and distribution centers, has hired Juan Sanchez as a project engineer.

Crown Equipment opens new Indiana location
Crown Equipment Corporation announced the opening of a new sales and service location in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Distributors Guide to Surviving Amazon Business While Thriving
Amazon Business (AB) is receiving much publicity as a foe of industrial distributors. But AB is not the foe.

Applied acquires Sentinel Fluid Controls
Applied Industrial Technologies has acquired Sentinel Fluid Controls, a distributor of hydraulic and lubrication components, systems and solutions.

HD Supply Waterworks expands operations
HD Supply Waterworks’ Fire Protection division opened a new supply location in Nashville and added a fabrication shop in metro-Seattle.

Manufactured goods orders increased in January
New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.2 percent in January to $470.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.

Gasco names two account managers
Gasco announced that Amy Dodson and Sheila Eicke have been hired as account managers. 

Fastenal February sales up 1.1 percent
Fastenal reported sales of $324.8 million in February, a 1.1 percent gain from $321.3 million in February 2016.

Lincoln Electric considers Air Liquide Welding acquisition
Lincoln Electric Holdings has signed a memorandum of understanding and entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire Air Liquide’s subsidiary, Air Liquide Welding.

Fastenal to acquire Mansco
Fastenal Company has signed an agreement to acquire assets of industrial and fastener supply distributor Manufacturer's Supply Company (Mansco).

IDC-USA names new executive VP
IDC-USA announced the addition of Bob Boyle as executive vice president.

Winsupply opens Arkansas location
Winsupply Inc. has opened Winwater of Northeast Arkansas, serving waterworks contractors throughout the northeast part of the state.

Jason Industries sales decline 
Jason Industries reported fourth quarter 2016 net sales of $158.8 million, an 8.6 percent decrease from $173.8 million in the same period last year.

Construction spending down in January
Construction spending during January 2017 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,180.3 billion, 1.0 percent below the revised December estimate of $1,192.2 billion.

Manufacturing expanded in February
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in February, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.

NewAge Industries begins plant expansion
Preparations at NewAge Industries are underway to expand and renovate 40,000 square feet of space for more clean room suites, inspection areas and warehousing.

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