Welcome to Industrial Distribution's 9th annual Buyer's Guide. In the following pages, you'll find eight product groups representing more than 1,000 manufacturers of industrial products. The guide is designed as a reference tool for distributors to use throughout the year to identify and acquire new products.

At Industrial Distribution, we realize that finding new products and keeping up with the latest technologies are key factors in a distributor's business. So, our 2003 Buyer's Guide aims to help in the ongoing effort to provide customers with all of their industrial MRO needs. Product categories include: abrasives and brushes, adhesives and fasteners, industrial hose and couplings and fittings, cutting tools, fluid power and power transmission, hand and power tools, materials handling equipment, and safety equipment.

The 2003 Buyer's Guide has a user-friendly format. There are two main sections to the guide: the "product locator" lists manufacturers of the various products under each of the eight product categories; the "supplier locator" follows, with an alphabetical listing of each company, including contact information.

We welcome reader feedback on this guide. Suggestions should be faxed to (617) 630-3922. And be sure to check out the expanded online version of the Buyer's Guide, which is updated throughout the year. The online Buyer's Guide is located on our Web site at www.inddist.com.