Articles
The Lead
PwC: Average Global Effective Tax Rate On The Rise
June 17, 2013 | by PwC | Comments
According to PwC’s study, the increase in average three-year ETR is due in part to an improved business climate and a decrease in companies reporting losses. In 2009, one in four companies in the study was in a loss making position; by 2012, the ratio was much smaller at one in 10.
Q&A With Doug Braun, New CEO Of IBS
February 15, 2013 1:17 pm | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate Editor | Comments
IBS operates Dynaman, an advanced warehouse management solution and Bookmaster, a leader in ERP...
Tompkins Podcast Probes Store Closings Following Holiday 2012
February 15, 2013 1:00 pm | by Tompkins International | Comments
A recent Forbes report indicates store closings increased by 25% for the first three...
Second Annual National Manufacturing Day Slated For Oct. 4, 2013
February 12, 2013 5:07 pm | Comments
After a successful initial celebration last year, the next Manufacturing Day has been scheduled...
Barriers To Re-Shoring: A Detailed Look
June 13, 2013 4:51 pm | by Joel Hans, Editor, Manufacturing.netWhen it comes to the current American manufacturing workforce, there are two truths most commonly accepted: that the people are getting older, and that the younger generations aren’t able or aren’t ready to pick up the slack. When it comes to the former, Van den Bossche says there’s no debating the real data — the median age of manufacturing workers has increased from 40.5 to 44.7 between 2000 and 2012.
Preparing To Succeed When Your Network Has Been Breached
June 11, 2013 9:22 am | by Jeff Multz, Director of North America Midmarket Sales, Dell SecureWorksSince it’s almost certain that every organization will experience a cyber security incident at some time, you need to be well prepared in advance. According to the 2013 Verizon Data Breach report, 22 organizations, mainly in manufacturing and professional services, with only one to 100 employees became a victim to cyber espionage last year.
Amercian Made MRO: American Products, Materials, & Labor
June 10, 2013 9:29 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorIn 2012, Bob Purvis and Don Chargin launched the E-commerce site American Made MRO. Industrial Distribution had the chance to speak with Purvis and Chargin about the endeavor: how it got its start, why they feel it is important, and where the venture is headed.
Falling Commodity Prices Give Buyers Using Cost Analysis The Upper Hand
June 4, 2013 9:30 am | by IHSThe headlines often trumpet news about declining commodity prices. So why don’t these reductions ever seem to result in price reductions from suppliers? Suppliers will never volunteer to lower their prices, of course. Because of that, the only way for purchasers to parlay falling raw-materials expenses into real cost savings is to arm themselves with critical knowledge that can give them an edge in price negotiations.
Paul Glover: Management Consultant Formerly Known As Lawyer
June 3, 2013 10:10 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorPaul Glover is an author, speaker, and business management coach, as well as a regular contributor here at ID. Hoping to give our readers a little more background on where Paul is coming from as a contributor, we asked him a few questions about his skills, his business, and his theory on the shifting economy as management styles are changing.
Fast Forklift Charging For Fast-Paced Environments
May 30, 2013 9:39 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorThe Minit Charger is a battery fast-charging technology that is designed for on-road electric vehicles, automated guided vehicles, and material handling applications. Minit Chargers can provide a safe charge for an electric lift truck in approximately 15 minutes. The benefit of the system is that electric industrial lift trucks recharge quickly and when it is convenient for workers and their various shifts.
Intermodal Transportation & Its Impact On Vehicle Restraints
May 24, 2013 9:52 am | by Troy Bergum, Product Manager at Rite-HiteThere is no dispute that intermodal transportation is on the rise and shows no signs of slowing down. Many experts feel the expansion of the Panama Canal, which is scheduled for completion in 2014, will only fuel the trend. In addition, rising fuel costs, highway congestion and increased trucking legislation have led many companies to look at moving freight via railcar or cargo ship.
Global Manufacturers Lack Supply Chain Visibility Beyond Tier 1 Suppliers
May 22, 2013 4:30 pm | by KPMG, LLPOnly nine percent of the 335 global respondents of the 2013 KPMG 2013 survey say they have complete visibility of their supply chains. That number is even lower among U.S. executives, with only seven percent claiming complete visibility.
Kahn Tools: An All-American Endeavor
May 21, 2013 9:50 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorKahn Tools is a new industrial supply company that exclusively sells American made products, founded by industry veteran Mark Kahn. Mark was the former president of Production Tool Supply for over 30 years. He has returned from retirement to create Kahn Tools, launching their eCommerce site on May 6th of this year.
Grainger: Technical Education A Continued Priority
May 20, 2013 9:51 amAs the required skill set for advanced manufacturing continues to evolve, many resources emerge to address workforce development needs in the industry. James Ryan, CEO of industrial distribution leader, Grainger, discusses the ways in which technical education has been a continued priority for his business — and why the skilled trades have more to offer than many people realize.
Increased Comfort Increases Safety & Productivity
May 16, 2013 9:54 am | by Big Ass FansMachinery can break down in extreme conditions so it only seems natural that employees might have cause to break down as well. As temperatures escalate, comfort tends to take a nosedive, dragging productivity and safety along with it. The introduction of air movement by way of high volume, low speed (HVLS) fans helps combat these adverse conditions.
Is The United States Ready To Take Manufacturing Back?
May 10, 2013 3:49 pm | by Patrick Van den Bossche, Pramod Gupta, Hector Gutierrez, Chui Lee — A.T. KearneyThe return of a few companies’ manufacturing is encouraging. But the big question is: To what extent is the United States capable of taking back manufacturing on a significant scale? The challenges are great. From a broad supply chain ecosystem perspective, for example, companies obviously will need to rebuild a supplier network that may have evaporated, along with the disappearance of the manufacturing operations it supported.
Key To Mobile Success In Industrial Channels
May 9, 2013 10:02 am | by Jim Somers, Antenna SoftwareAs industrial companies move closer to embracing mobility, there is potential temptation to get things done quickly and overlook crucial elements of a deployment until after the app is deployed. However, by addressing these areas early in the planning stage of a deployment, companies can achieve the ROI and long-term value they desire with mobile applications.
Association Spotlight: Ninth Annual ISA Product Show & Conference Grows in Size, Scope, Message
May 6, 2013 10:42 am | by John Buckley, Executive Vice President, Industrial Supply AssoicationSan Diego seems to be the right place to be in 2013; everything will be bigger and better — including the 2013 ISA Product Show & Conference, scheduled for June 1-4 at the San Diego Convention Center and Hilton San Diego Bayfront. As of ten weeks out, we have signed up 60 new exhibitors and have 50 percent larger registration than last year.
Eight Ideas To Inspire Your Distribution Business
May 3, 2013 2:24 pm | by Unleash:WD & EpicorWhat will your company do differently this year? In recent discussions with innovators in the wholesale distribution industry, several forward-looking themes emerged. It’s important to make a distinction between true transformations versus incremental change.
ISM: Manufacturing Slowing, But Still Expanding
May 3, 2013 9:33 am | by Jon Minnick, Associate Editor, Manufacturing Business TechnologyEconomic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in April for the fifth consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Report On Business. ISM’s New Orders Index registered 52.3 percent in April, an increase of 0.9 percentage point when compared to the March reading of 51.4 percent.
Report Indicates Electrical Wholesaler Websites Have Untapped Opportunities
April 26, 2013 9:53 am | by hybrisThe hybris 2012 State of B2B E-Commerce survey found that the majority of B2B procurement specialists (88%) prefer vendors that offer e-commerce over those who do not. Many buyers, however, indicated that the quality of the B2B e-commerce experience is inferior to that of B2C, limiting its effectiveness.
MRO Data Key To Unlocking Cost Savings & Operational Efficiency
April 23, 2013 9:44 am | by IHSMaintenance, repair and operations (MRO) groups at many companies are facing a major challenge: toxic MRO master catalogs stuffed with incomplete data on replacement parts, a problem that drives up costs and creates large-scale problems for multiple corporate divisions.
Plant Maintenance Opportunities
April 22, 2013 9:58 am | by Grady Winston, Blogger & EntrepeneurThink of a scheduled maintenance and plant shutdown project as spring cleaning on a huge scale. Scheduled maintenance at a plant can mean a wealth of opportunities for a distributor. Check out this infographic for a list of supplies plant operators need to get the spring cleaning job done.
Q&A With Marisa Betancourt on Infor's FACTS
April 17, 2013 10:02 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorIndustrial Distribution had a chance recently to speak with Marisa Betancourt at Infor. Betancourt is the FACTS Product Manager/Senior Business Analyst for the software company, and filled us in on what the FACTS programs was created to do for distributors.
