The Leading Source for Industrial Distribution News
Inventories Up, Sales Down For U.S. Businesses
July 14, 2010 6:09 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Inventories held by businesses rose for a fifth consecutive month in May but sales dropped for the first time in more than a year. Inventories edged up 0.1 percent in May, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Sales dropped 0.9 percent, the first decline since March 2009 when they fell 2.
U.S. Trade Deficit Widens To Highest Level in 18 Months
July 13, 2010 5:45 am | by Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit widened in May to the highest level in 18 months as a rebounding economy pushed up demand for imports of foreign-made cars, computers and clothing. The Commerce Department says the trade deficit increased 4.8 percent to $42.3 billion, the largest imbalance since November 2008.
Semiconductor Distributor NU Horizons Reports Strong 1Q
July 13, 2010 5:37 am | News | CommentsMELVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Semiconductor distributor Nu Horizons Electronics Corp. reported a first-quarter profit Thursday, as recovering demand among businesses for new technology helped it recover from a loss a year earlier. Shares spiked 9 percent in electronic trading after the market closed.
Stack And Ship Without Worry
July 12, 2010 12:13 pm | Product Releases | CommentsPlastican (Leonminster, MA) now offers a new, lightweight, and versatile 5-gallon rigid plastic container. According to the company, it is designed to package goods for the industrial and consumer markets. Those include building products, paints, foods, and a variety of do-it-yourself products.
Sporty And Safe
July 12, 2010 12:07 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGateway Safety (Cleveland, OH) offers a new, sporty, and safe eye-protection solution. Varsity features a v-shaped temple design and sporty wraparound lenses, and can be used in a multitude of applications. Other features include: A soft, adjustable nosepiece Impact protection that meets or exceeds ANSI Z87.
Dispense Efficiently
July 12, 2010 12:04 pm | Product Releases | CommentsGeorgia-Pacific Professional (Atlanta, GA) recently unveiled the SofPull™ centerpull tissue dispenser. The product’s dispensing system features a completely enclosed roll. Sheet-by-sheet feeding of tissue is pulled from a small opening in the front, leaving a minimal amount of tissue exposed.
Precision-Formed And Hardened Tool
July 12, 2010 12:01 pm | Product Releases | CommentsIDEAL Industries (Sycamore, IL) now offers a 5-in-1 non-conductive screwdriver. The high-visibility bright yellow handle, along with a permanently bonded orange insulation shaft, act as an "at-a-glance" safety system, letting users know they're using the right tool on or around a potentially live circuit.
Supplier Strikes Take Toll On Honda
July 12, 2010 5:38 am | News | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — Honda Motor Co. says its sales in China fell 2.7 percent in June from a year earlier, the second straight month of declines amid labor strife and a slowing in overall demand. Honda sold 50,113 vehicles in June in China, down from 51,497 in June 2009, while its sales for the first half of the year climbed 22 percent to 309,575, the company said in a statement released Monday.
China's Auto Sales Growth Weakens
July 12, 2010 5:37 am | News | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — China's auto sales growth weakened further in June as explosive demand driven by government incentives cooled, an industry group reported Friday. Sales rose 19.4 percent from a year earlier to just over 1 million vehicles, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.
Analyst: Commercial Aftermarket Sales Rebound Won't Be Robust
July 12, 2010 5:36 am | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Shares of aircraft parts supplier TransDigm Group Inc. were downgraded Monday by an analyst at Wedbush Securities who said the rebound in commercial aftermarket sales won't be as robust as he had thought. TransDigm, based in Cleveland, has predicted a commercial aftermarket sales increase in the low to mid single digits for fiscal 2010.
Wholesaler Inventories Rise For Fifth Straight Month?
July 9, 2010 4:45 am | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Inventories held by wholesalers likely rose for a fifth straight month in May while sales are expected to post another gain as well. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect wholesale inventories rose 0.4 percent in May and they are looking for a similar 0.4 percent increase in sales.
Food Supplier Sees Bitter Four-Month Worker Strike End
July 9, 2010 4:42 am | News | CommentsMETHUEN, Mass. (AP) — A sometimes bitter four-month long strike by about 300 workers at a Shaw's Supermarkets Inc. distribution center in Methuen has ended with the signing of a new four-year contract. An official with Local 791 of the United Food and Commercial Workers says workers overwhelmingly voted to accept the new contract on Thursday.
Cheap Made-in-China Era Could Be Coming To An End
July 9, 2010 4:41 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSHANGHAI (AP) — Factory workers demanding better wages and working conditions are hastening the eventual end of an era of cheap costs that helped make southern coastal China the world's factory floor. A series of strikes over the past two months have been a rude wakeup call for the many foreign companies that depend on China's low costs to compete overseas, from makers of Christmas trees to manufacturers of gadgets like the iPad.
ISM To Hold 64th Annual Southwest Supply Management Conference
July 8, 2010 11:36 am | News | CommentsSAN ANTONIO, TX -- The Institute of Supply Management’s Southwest Forum presents its Strength of Networking … Power of Knowledge 64th annual Southwest Supply Management Conference in San Antonio, TX. Scheduled to be held from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, this year’s event will include five educational tracks: Supply Chain Skill Sets for the Next Millennium, and Creating Best of Class Supply Chain Efficiency Within Your Organization Strategic Cost Analysis, Next Level Cost Management Practices, and Best of Class Negotiation Practices Within the Supply Chain Contract Administration Best Practices and World-Class Risk Mitigation Practices Effective Public Procurement Strategies Savvy Solutions and Cost Savings for Transportation and Logistics Within the Supply Chain Since the Logistics and Transportation Group will be a co-sponsor this year, we have our own dedicated Track 5 – Savvy Solutions and Cost Savings for Transportation and Logistics Within the Supply Chain with five unique sessions: Session A The Case for Barcoding Everything: Supply Management Leads the Way Ron Grossman, PMC, PCMH, CICSM Session B The Untapped Inbound Logistics Goldmine: Making the Case for Identifying Opportunities and Cost Savings: Part I Tom Tanel C.
Sugar Supplier Fined $6M For Ga. Plant Blast
July 8, 2010 5:07 am | by Russ Bynum, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsSAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Imperial Sugar has agreed to pay more than $6 million in fines for safety violations at two of its U.S. plants, including the Georgia refinery where a dust explosion killed 14 workers in 2008, federal regulators said Wednesday. The settlement with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration comes nearly two years after regulators first sought to penalize the Texas-based company for allowing combustible sugar dust to accumulate in dangerous amounts inside its plants despite prior warnings.
Obama: U.S. To Double Exports In Five Years
July 8, 2010 5:05 am | by Tom Raum, Associated Press Writer | News | CommentsWASHINGTON (AP) — Moving trade to a front burner, President Barack Obama claimed Wednesday that the U.S. was on track to meet his goal of doubling exports in the next five years. While many economists and business leaders see that target as overly ambitious, the president has been increasingly linking his trade push with job creation — and trying to blunt a brewing business revolt against his policies ahead of midterm elections.
Toyota To Open Six Offices For Study Of Vehicle Problems
July 8, 2010 5:04 am | by Dan Strumpf, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsTOYOTA, Japan (AP) — Toyota will open six new offices in North America to gather information about vehicle problems as the automaker works to recover from huge recalls that started last year. Toyota Motor Corp. says it will open four offices in the U.S. and two in Canada over the next 12 months to collect feedback to study vehicle problems and customer complaints.
GM Sells Steering Supplier To Chinese Venture
July 8, 2010 5:01 am | News | CommentsDETROIT (AP) — General Motors has reached a deal to sell its Nexteer steering business to a venture backed by Chinese companies. GM said Wednesday that it will sell the division to Pacific Century Motors for an undisclosed sum. The venture is made up of the investing arm of the Beijing municipal government and Beijing-based auto parts maker The Tempo Group.
Atlas Copco Acquires Clayhill
July 7, 2010 11:29 am | News | CommentsSTOCKHOLM - Atlas Copco Compressors LLC, has purchased certain assets of American Air Products, Inc. The acquired business has been a long-serving Atlas Copco compressor distributor for many years in the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota as well as areas of Wisconsin. “Feet on the street and maintaining the closest relationship with the customer continues to be a high priority for us in the U.
