The Leading Source for Industrial Distribution News
The Pros And Cons Of Globalization
December 15, 2010 4:19 am | by Mike Collins, Author, Saving American Manufacturing | Articles | CommentsGlobalization is an economic tidal wave that is sweeping over the world. It can’t be stopped, and there will be winners and losers. People around the globe are more connected to each other then ever before. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world.
Material Handling Solution Improves Inventory Tracking
December 15, 2010 4:18 am | Articles | CommentsA reliable material handling application allowed one company to minimize inventory tracking errors and receive more comprehensive and precise project status updates. Problem: Many manufacturing companies use manual processes to track inventory and provide project status updates.
Safer, More Comfortable Harnesses
December 14, 2010 6:57 am | Product Releases | CommentsCapital Safety (Red Wing, MN) has launched the latest product in its Delta harness line from DBI-SALA, which provides premium comfort and ease of use. The newest full-body harness has an improved ergonomic fit, lighter-weight buckles, and high-strength webbing. The harness also uses a No-Tangle triangle pattern, which creates a frame that allows the harness to easily fall into place when worn, and maintains an ideal spacing of shoulder straps to eliminate rubbing and chafing.
Pump It Up
December 14, 2010 6:48 am | Product Releases | CommentsMoyno (Springfield, OH) offers the Moyno® 2000 Progressing Cavity Pump with a unique gear joint that allows the versatile, high-performance pump to handle a wide range of applications. The Moyno 2000 Pump features a crowned gear universal joint drive train configuration that is designed to provide exceptional torque and thrust control.
Lift Precision Metal Coils With Ease
December 14, 2010 6:46 am | Product Releases | CommentsAnver (Hudson, MA) now offers an air-powered, below-the-hook vacuum lifter. According to the company, it is designed to lift precision metal coils up to four feet in diameter from the skid to the winding machine. The Anver VPFL-4 Air-Powered Vacuum Lifter has an “X” frame with adjustable suction pads and spring suspensions to accommodate and grip precision metal coils up to 4 ft.
Box Bracket With Cable Support
December 14, 2010 6:37 am | Product Releases | CommentsThomas & Betts (Memphis, TN) introduces its Steel City pre-frab box bracket with far-side and cable support. According to the company, it combines three component parts into one, simplifying installation and reducing inventory. Compatible with four-inch and 4 11/16-inch boxes, it can be either right or left-stud mounted.
Future Workforce Gets Manufacturing Lesson
December 14, 2010 5:42 am | Videos | CommentsIn mid-November, students from the Engineering and Design Academy toured Pittsburg, California-based manufacturer Bishop-Wisecarver as part of a day-long trip to visit local manufacturers. The high school students were able to receive an up-close-and-personal look at how products at the manufacturer were made.
GM Offers Buyouts To Thousands Of Skilled Workers
December 14, 2010 4:22 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. is offering buyouts to several thousand skilled trades workers at 14 plants around the U.S. The company estimates it has 2,000 more skilled trades workers than it needs right now. Skilled trades workers do jobs that need special training, like electrical work and welding.
CEO Survey: Firms Expect To Hire More In Next Six Months
December 14, 2010 4:21 am | by Tali Arbel, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Top corporate executives expect to hire more workers and spend more on their companies over the next six months. A survey from Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of big U.S. companies, shows 45 percent of executives say they expect their companies to add more workers.
TransDigm Expects To Exceed Wall Street's 2011 Expectations
December 13, 2010 5:20 am | News | CommentsCLEVELAND (AP) — TransDigm Group Inc., an aircraft parts supplier, expects its fiscal 2011 revenue to beat Wall Street's expectations. The Cleveland-based company also said Monday that it is seeing clearer signs of aerospace stabilization. TransDigm anticipates that its full-year revenue should be in a range of $1.
GM: Automaker's Recovery Hindered By Executive Salary Limits
December 13, 2010 5:19 am | by Ken Thomas, Associated Press | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The top executive at General Motors said Friday that the automaker's attempt to rebound from its bankruptcy is being hindered by salary limits the government has clamped on executives at companies that accepted federal bailouts. GM CEO Dan Akerson said in a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, D.
Wholesale Inventories Up In October
December 10, 2010 3:28 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. business inventories at the wholesale level rose for the 10th straight month in October while sales were up by the largest amount in seven months. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that wholesale inventories rose 1.9 percent in October, a much larger gain than many economists were expecting.
U.S. Trade Deficit Lowest Level In Nine Months
December 10, 2010 3:27 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell to its lowest level in nine months, as growing demand for American goods overseas pushed exports to their highest level in more than two years. The trade deficit narrowed to $38.7 billion in October, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
How Offices Are Ruining Worker Productivity
December 9, 2010 4:57 am | Videos | CommentsAccording to Jason Fried, co-founder and president of 37 Signals, M&M's (managers and meetings) at the office are ruining work productivity. Fried says the majority of employees are being interrupted by various unintended distractions (managers and meetings being two of the more prevalent distractions), making the "work day" into a series of segmented "work moments.
Judge Remands DuPont Injury Cases
December 9, 2010 3:38 am | News | CommentsMORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Fifteen West Virginia families who blame ailments ranging from rashes to cancer on long-term toxic exposure to former DuPont zinc-smelting plant are heading back to state court. U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley remanded their lawsuit to Harrison County Circuit Court in a ruling Monday.
South Carolina Labor Chief To Fight Boeing Union
December 9, 2010 3:36 am | by Jim Davenport, Associated Press | News | CommentsCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov.-elect Nikki Haley says her new Cabinet pick to run the state's labor agency will lead efforts to fight unions, particularly at Boeing's new North Charleston plant. Haley said Wednesday the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation will play a big role in keeping unions out of the Boeing Co.
Wolseley's Revenue Increased By 2% In 1Q
December 8, 2010 4:27 am | News | CommentsREADING, England – Wolseley recently announced its first quarter earnings results. According to the company, Revenue increased by 2% and like-for-like revenue increased by 4%. Gross margin was 27.0%, 0.2% ahead after adjusting for disposals. Operating costs were £23 million lower than last year principally due to disposals.
Labor Dept: Fewer Metro Areas Show Improvement In Unemployment
December 8, 2010 4:25 am | by Christopher S. Rugaber, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment fell in more than half of the nation's largest cities in October while rising in nearly a third, offering a mixed outlook for hiring. The jobless rate dropped in 200 of the 372 largest metro areas in October, compared to the previous month, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
HD Supply Reports 3.2% Net Sales Increase in 3Q
December 8, 2010 4:23 am | News | CommentsATLANTA-- HD Supply, Inc. today reported net sales for the 2010 fiscal third quarter ended October 31, 2010 of $2.0 billion, an increase of $61 million, or 3.2 percent, compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2009. Operating income for the fiscal third quarter of 2010 was $38 million, an increase of $256 million compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2009, which included a $224 million pre-tax goodwill impairment charge.
Graybar Opens Two New Distribution Branches
December 8, 2010 4:21 am | News | CommentsBISMARCK, N.D. -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications, and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, announced the opening of two new branches. One branch is located in Bismarck, N.D., where it opened on Dec. 1 to serve the western half of North Dakota.
