Articles
The Lead
Intermodal Transportation & Its Impact On Vehicle Restraints
May 24, 2013 | by Troy Bergum, Product Manager at Rite-Hite | Comments
There 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.
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...
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.
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.
The Amazon Cure
April 15, 2013 5:16 pm | by Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins InternationalTompkins explores the main symptoms associated with the current plague of short-term thinking, how companies can begin growing again, and how the “Amazon Cure” and Jeff Bezos’ focus on innovation and investment help create long-term value. It’s time for business leaders to stop cannibalizing their long-term success by focusing on short-term profits.
Successful Succession Planning - Part Two
April 4, 2013 4:18 pmI think some of the misconceptions are that you have to give control away to transfer ownership. The business owner’s rarely want to give up control. Oftentimes they have a very valuable company that they have worked hard to build and they are scared to transfer it on down.
Q&A With Joe Nettemeyer, CEO Of Valin Corporation
April 4, 2013 9:42 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorIndustrial Distribution recently had the chance to speak with Joseph Nettemeyer, President & CEO of Valin Corporation, a company that made the 2012 Big 50 Watch List. Joe entered Valin as the company’s second CEO when the founder wished to retire and the semiconductor industry, which had been Valin’s bread and butter, could not sustain the business alone.
Q&A With Greg White, CEO of Blue Ridge Inventory
March 29, 2013 4:22 pm | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorIndustrial Distribution had a chance to chat with Greg White, Chairman & CEO of Blue Ridge, on how managing inventory is a changing game. Blue Ridge's complete solution includes proven inventory-alignment technology along with an investment-driven approach to support and buyer education—all delivered by a team with first-hand experience as inventory replenishment, supply-chain professionals.
Industrial People Movers
March 29, 2013 2:01 pmWith the slow rebound of economy and 2-3% predicated growth in 2013, more and more businesses look for ways to cut cost and increase productivity. As a result, large manufacturing plants and distribution warehouses are increasingly turning to small electric scooters to shave off miles of unproductive walking time.
Successful Succession Planning - Part One
March 29, 2013 9:25 am | by Abbigail Kriebs, Associate EditorMore than 70 percent of businesses fail from one generation to the next, and the chances of it failing from second to third generation are in the teens. Those who have it on their radar screen understand that it is important to address this issue.
Cool Around Conveyors & Equipment
March 27, 2013 2:27 pm | by Nina Wolgelenter, Senior Writer, Big Ass FansWhat started as a 40,000 sq. ft. empty box is now a maze of multilayered conveyors and “mods” where employees sort and pack merchandise for distribution to the various Kohl’s retail stores around the country. Of the nine Kohl’s distribution centers, this Findlay, Ohio location needed a way to help the HVAC system distribute the air throughout the space so the employees on the line were more comfortable.
Q&A: Counterfeits In Military And Aerospace Applications
March 25, 2013 2:31 pm | by Manufacturing.net StaffBecause counterfeiting is an illegal act based on the end goal of profiteering through opportunism, many of the counterfeit instances fall into two subtypes: (1) very common, typically lower cost items and (2) very specialized, high cost, hard to get items.
