Supply Chain | Industrial Distribution

Honeywell's Phoenix Engines campus in Phoenix, AZ.

Honeywell to Make Masks

The move follows the company's Smithfield, RI factory ramping up face mask production.

In this March 26, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room, in Washington. Trump on Friday, March 27, invoked the Defense Production Act after claiming that General Motors wasn't moving fast enough to make much-needed ventilators in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Yet experts on managing factory production say GM is already making an extraordinary effort for a company that normally isn't in the business of building ventilators.

GM: We're Going Fast on Ventilators

Experts on managing factory production say GM is already making an extraordinary effort to shift to ventilator production.

Logistics Management

Logistics Industry Divided Over Virus Impact

It is not easy to decipher which one of the two opinions is more justified.

PPE manufacturer and supplier Radians donated over 14,000 N95 respirators to help protect Memphis first responders and medical community during COVID-19 crisis.

Radians Donates 14,000 N95 Respirators

The company added the N95 respirator to its PPE portfolio in 2018.

In this Nov. 11, 2014 photo, Ron Hudgins welds a 2015 Ford F-150 cab at the Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Mich.

Major Autos Push for Factory Restart

Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Honda and Toyota took steps to re-open their plants by mid-April.

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NAW to Pence: Don't Bypass Distributors

NAW expressed to Pence concerns over manufacturers sending critical products direct to end users amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Alert Over Fake COVID-19 Test Kits

The agency has already issued nearly a dozen warning letters to companies found selling and promoting fraudulent items.

Volunteers Keshia Link, left, and Dan Peterson unload boxes of donated gloves and alcohol wipes from a car at a drive-up donation site for medical supplies at the University of Washington to help fight the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday, March 24 in Seattle.

Medical Glove Factories Cutting Staff 50%

Malaysia, by far the world’s largest medical glove supplier, is now operating at half capacity just when they're most needed.

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White House Taps Distributors to Aid PPE Supply

See the key takeaways of last week's call between the Trump Administration and leaders of distributors and retailers in the industrial supply sector, as well as who was invited.

Staff inspect medical equipments at an emergency hospital set up amid the new coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday, March 23.

Hunt for PPE Becomes All-Consuming

“If we don't get the equipment, we're literally going to lose lives,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN.

Auto Plants May Pivot to Medical

GM and Ford are hoping to contribute to addressing the impending medical device shortage.

In this March 17 photo, Laurie Kuypers, a registered nurse, reaches into a car to take a nasopharyngeal swab from a patient at a drive-through COVID-19 coronavirus testing station for University of Washington Medicine patients in Seattle.

US Struggles to Meet Protective Gear Demand

The pandemic has exposed some of the stockpile's shortcomings: The cache isn't designed to be a long-term solution.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks, with Vice President Mike Pence behind him, during a briefing about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, Sunday, March 15, 2020, in Washington.

Trump Invokes War-Time Law

The Defense Production Act of 1950 was first enacted amid concerns about supplies and equipment during the Korean War.

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Distributors Must Forge Through the Chaos

This is truly March Madness, and for the worst reason.

In this Sept. 27, 2018, file photo a United Auto Workers assemblymen work on a 2018 Ford F-150 trucks being assembled at the Ford Rouge assembly plant in Dearborn, Mich.

North American Auto Plants Close

The Detroit 3 alone will idle about 150,000 workers.

TP Makers Call Events 'Uncharted’

No single consumer product has been more impacted by the COVID-19 scare than toilet tissue.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit's three automakers have agreed to partial factory shutdowns, deep cleaning of equipment and longer periods between shifts to head off union demands for U.S. plant closures due to the coronavirus threat. The agreements came Tuesday night after union officials spoke individually with General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler. The companies also agreed to “extensive plans” to avoid union members coming in contact with one another, the United Auto Workers union said in a statement. The union said earlier in the day that it wanted the automakers to shut down their factories for two weeks to keep its members safe from the spreading coronavirus. Each company agreed to different provisions depending on its situation, but generally, automakers agreed to cut shifts on a rotating basis, which would idle factories for long periods to clean the building and equipment. Some companies agreed to cut overtime work to build space between shifts for added cleaning. Details of how to keep workers apart were still being worked out and more announcements will be coming in the next 24 hours, the union said in a statement. “All three companies have agreed to new measures that will increase adherence to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommendations on social distancing in the workplace,” the statement said. Officials have recommended that people not gather in large groups and try to stay at least 6 feet (about 2 meters) from each other to stop the virus that causes COVID-19 from spreading. Earlier Tuesday UAW President Rory Gamble said in an email to members that the companies were not willing to stop production when the union asked for it Sunday. Gamble says the union gave Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler two days to put together plans to safeguard workers. That period ended Tuesday afternoon. Gamble said if the union isn't satisfied it will take unspecified further action to protect members. The three companies employ about 150,000 auto workers at dozens of factories and parts depots across the country. Most of the manufacturing footprint is concentrated in the industrial Midwest, but the companies also have plants in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and other states. The dispute came as union members complained that continued work at the plants would expose them to the virus. Industry analysts have said it will be difficult to keep the factories open for very long as the COVID-19 virus spreads. Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Volkswagen, Daimler AG and PSA Groupe have closed their European factories to help stop the virus from spreading. “There's very few industries where you get this many people together and they all touch the same things,” said Kristin Dziczek, vice president of labor and manufacturing for the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think tank in Michigan. GM believes it can run the plants safely with preventive measure it has put in place since January and enhancements it is working on, spokesman Jim Cain said. Fiat Chrysler says it already has put “extensive protocols” in place to ensure the health and safety of workers. “We are continuing to carefully monitor the situation and are making improvements as needed,” spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said in a statement. Ford said it's working closely with the union and will announce details later. Analysts expect U.S. auto sales to take a nosedive as people stay home to avoid other people. The industry likely has enough inventory to satisfy slower demand due to the virus, they have said. Ford reported Tuesday that sales had fallen in Europe and that parts supplies have been interrupted. On Sunday, the union and companies announced they would form a task force to deal with worker safety as the plants continued operating. Seventeen workers at a Fiat Chrysler factory in Warren, Michigan, walked off their jobs in the paint shop Monday over concerns about the novel coronavirus. A worker at an FCA transmission plant in Kokomo, Indiana, tested positive for the virus last week. He and nearby co-workers were told to stay home and his work area was deep cleaned. Production continued at both factories.

Automakers Agree to Partial Shutdown

The agreements came Tuesday night after union officials spoke individually with General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler.

A man looks at train departures boards in a nearly empty Central station in Brussels, Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

World Locks Down As Virus Spreads

Furloughs and job cuts, from dog walkers, to oilfield workers, have begun.

Department Of Labor

DoL Grants Compliance Waiver for Supply, Service, Construction Contracts

The exemption and waiver does not apply to complaints of discrimination.

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COVID-19 Disruption: What Distributors Should Do Next

As we won't see 'business as usual' for a while, here are critical steps distributors need to take now to strengthen their positions for a new normal.