The ISCON Convention held recently in Orlando, Fla., provided a cross-section of opinions in the abrasives market, as manufacturing and distribution were represented.

For Mark Hanna, vice president of Abrasive Tool Corp of Rochester, N.Y., "the past three years have been difficult, especially in New York state, where we lost a significant number of manufacturing jobs. I read somewhere we lost 32 percent of the manufacturing jobs in the six county Rochester area."

The distributor of abrasives (as well as various fasteners, hand tools, tool and die-related materials) was able to get through the difficult times without having to trim benefits or lay off workers, Hanna adds.

"We always stayed very, very lean. Our people work long hours and work hard," he says proudly. "We've got guys on the road with a lot of years of experience who aren't afraid to try new products. Having that technical edge over competitors is what we're good at."

Belanger Abrasives is a Northville, Mich.based manufacturer of coated abrasive polishing and finishing products. A specialty is their heavy-duty mechanical flap wheels that they sell primarily to the automotive industry.

In recent months, they have added to their product line, explains Richard Belanger, operations manager. The flap wheels, for example, used to be limited to a 12-inch diameter. Yet recently, Belanger Abrasives has added wheels with diameters as low as 4 inches.

Belanger was joined by Donald Hibbs, a sales representative, who focused on the service Belanger can offer its customers as a main factor in its ability to get through difficult economic times. So far in 2004, Hibbs says, things are going well for Belanger with repeat orders becoming more common.

"We pride ourselves on service. We've been in business for 35 years," he says. "And we still serve customers we started with back then. We service them properly, listen to them, understand their needs and give them quality products."

Also in attendance at ISCON was Harvey Nudelman, president of Modern Abrasive Corp. in Spring Grove, Ill. Modern makes "sticks and stones," Nudelman laughs—but more specifically, Modern makes mounted points, sharpening stones and dressing sticks. Unlike others in that field, they have been doing well, he explains, as there are fewer manufacturers of those products these days.

"The market itself has been soft overall, even though last year was a growth year for us, which put us in the minority. So we've been fortunate as our business has been steady," Nudelman explains. "Because we've lost some competitors the past few years."

Hanna and Abrasive Tool seem to best personify the feelings voiced at ISCON, that things are definitely on the upswing. But it's a tentative feeling, he stresses.

"There are a lot of busy shops now. A lot of people are beginning to hire.... Some of the places that laid off quite a few people are beginning to call them back," he says. "But I'm cautious when you look at the nation as a whole. When you add in the shortage of steel and fuel, it seems to me that one little glitch could throw this thing into a spiral."