Eric Smith

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA), Chicago, Illinois, this week released its third quarter 2020 Sales History & Outlook Report (SHOR) that showed improving business conditions in the period despite continued decline in U.S. industrial production and in the PTDA Distributor and Manufacturer Total Sales Indices. The PTDA Distributors Total Sales Index in the third […]

Landscape distributor Heritage Landscape Supply Group Inc., a McKinney, Texas-based subsidiary of SRS Distribution, has acquired two companies — REAMS Sprinkler Supply, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Irrigation Station, Houston, Texas. Financial terms of the deals weren’t disclosed. REAMS Sprinkler Supply is a family-owned distributor of irrigation, outdoor lighting, and other landscape products. The company was founded […]

Paints, coatings and specialty materials supplier PPG (NYSE: PPG), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday announced that it has agreed to acquire Tikkurila, a Vantaa, Finland-based manufacturer and distributor of paints and coatings, for €$1.1 billion (US$1.3 billion). Established in 1862, Tikkurila is a producer and distributor of decorative paint and coatings with operations in 11 countries […]

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Seattle, Washington, on Friday announced plans to build an Amazon fulfillment center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The 640,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in 2022 and create more than 1,000 full-time jobs. “We are thrilled to be opening our first fulfillment center in the great state of South Dakota and […]

Specialty building materials distributor US LBM Holdings LLC, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, on Thursday announced it has acquired Tri-County Building Supplies, a building materials distributor in southern New Jersey. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Founded in 1964, Tri-County Building Supplies operates multiple locations in southern New Jersey, including a 14-acre flagship location in Pleasantville […]

Indian River Consulting Group’s (IRCG) weekly Pandemic Revenue Index for the work week of Dec. 7-11 indicated a 2.9% increase compared with the same week a year ago. “After a strong end to November, December’s index is back down to where it’s hovered for most of the fall,” said Mike Emerson, IRCG partner. “Of the […]

Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,639,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 8.5% above the November 2019 rate of 1,510,000 and 6.2% above the revised October rate of 1,544,000. Single-family authorizations […]

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Seattle, Washington, on Thursday announced plans to build an Amazon fulfillment center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The facility is expected to open in 2021 and create more than 500 full-time jobs. “We are proud to be expanding our operations in Arkansas with our newest facility in North Little Rock and we are excited to […]

The second half of 2020 saw a resurgence of M&A across wholesale distribution, and that trend is likely to continue next year, according to Jon Doehr and Ashley Gray of the Southfield, Michigan-based private investment and investment banking firm Cascade Partners. Doehr, the firm’s managing director, and Gray, a vice president, spoke with MDM this […]

NW Synergy (NWS) — the combination of JanSan and facilities maintenance distributors North American, WAXIE Sanitary Supply and SWPlus — on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Southeastern Paper Group (SEPG), Spartanburg, South Carolina. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The addition of SEPG to the NWS portfolio extends its geographical reach to nearly every […]

Specialty building materials distributor US LBM Holdings LLC, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, on Wednesday announced that it has opened a new roofing and siding location in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The location is US LBM’s 10th new roofing and siding focused greenfield to open since 2018 and fifth this year. US LBM opened a similar roofing […]

Bunzl PLC, the London-based specialist international distribution and services group, on Wednesday reported preliminary revenue for 2020 as well as the completion of a recent acquisition. The company expects group revenue for the year to increase 8% at actual exchange rates and 9% at constant exchange rates, with growth attributable to both organic revenue and […]

Building products distributor Hardwoods Distribution Inc. (TSX: HDI), Langley, British Columbia, this week announced that it has, through its subsidiary Rugby Holdings LLC, acquired River City Millwork Inc. for $4.2 million. Based in Rockford, Illinois, River City Millwork is a wholesale distributor of interior and exterior doors, custom millwork and other ancillary products. The company’s […]

Building products distributor Hardwoods Distribution Inc. (TSX: HDI), Langley, British Columbia, this week announced that it has, through its subsidiary Rugby Holdings LLC, acquired River City Millwork Inc. for $4.2 million. Based in Rockford, Illinois, River City Millwork is a wholesale distributor of interior and exterior doors, custom millwork and other ancillary products. The company’s […]

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for October, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,482.3 billion, up 2.2% from October 2019 and up 0.9% from September 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Manufacturers’ and trade inventories for October, adjusted for seasonal […]

Even before COVID-19 changed the way B2B customers order and purchase products, they were clamoring for an e-commerce option from their distributors. The pandemic has only accelerated that trend, leaving late adopters behind and wondering how they can catch up. Catching up is becoming harder — yet more necessary — with each passing year. 2020 […]

Total industrial production grew 0.4% in November, according to the Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Report, released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve. The index has recovered much of its 16.5% decline from February to April, but output in November was still 5% lower than its pre-pandemic February level. After edging up 1% in October, manufacturing […]

Electrical and industrial distributor Turtle & Hughes, Linden, New Jersey, on Tuesday announced a reorganization of its corporate and distribution operations departments, including the promotion of two veteran staff members to new positions. Chuck Noll, who has spent close to 30 years at Turtle, is now senior vice president of electrical distribution operations, a newly created […]

Power management company Eaton (NYSE:ETN), Dublin, Ireland, on Tuesday announced it has agreed to acquire a 50% stake in HuanYu High Tech, a subsidiary of HuanYu Group that manufactures and markets low-voltage circuit breakers and contactors in China, and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. HuanYu High Tech had 2019 sales of $106 million and has production […]

TriMas (NASDAQ: TRS), the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer of engineered and applied products, on Tuesday announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Affaba & Ferrari, an Italian designer and manufacturer of precision caps and closures for food & beverage and industrial product applications. “We are pleased to have closed on this strategic acquisition […]