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April 2018 News

Holladay wins BSA's Lifetime Achievement Award

Motion Industries announced that Ellen Holladay is the 2018 recipient of the Bearings Specialists Association (BSA) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gates acquires Rapro

Gates Industrial Corporation has completed the acquisition of Rapro, a manufacturer of molded and branched hoses and other products used primarily in commercial, heavy-duty and light vehicle replacement applications.

DeVilling & Associates aligns with Forward Collective

DeVilling & Associates and Forward Collective announced an alignment of services to provide clients with resources for executive recruiting, strategic consulting and marketing.

Whittemore Co. adds cutting tool brands

The Whittemore Co. announced that it has added the cutting tool brands of Precision Twist Drill, Dormer, Pramet and Union Butterfield to its portfolio of products it represents.

Radiac reduces lead time on superabrasives

Radiac Abrasives announced a reduction in lead times for superabrasive products manufactured in its Oswego, Illinois facility.

GDP increased 2.3 percent in first quarter

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in the first quarter of 2018, according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Applied posts sales gain of 21.8 percent

Applied Industrial Technologies said its fiscal third-quarter net sales grew 21.8 percent to $827.7 million from $679.3 million in the same quarter a year ago.

Air Products sales climb 9 percent

Air Products reported second-quarter sales of $2.2 billion increased nine percent from the prior year on four percent higher volumes and five percent favorable currency.

Praxair income jumps 19 percent

Praxair posted first-quarter net income of $462 million, an increase of 19 percent from $389 million in last year's first quarter.

WESCO International posts strong first quarter

WESCO International reported net sales of $2.0 billion for the first quarter of 2018, compared to $1.8 billion for the first quarter of 2017, an increase of 12.5 percent.

Essendant sales decline 2.3 percent

Sales at Essendant declined 2.3 percent to $1.2 billion in the first quarter, compared to $1.3 billion in the same period a year ago.

Macpherson: Grainger ready to compete more aggressively

Calling 2017 an important year for Grainger, its chairman and CEO DG Macpherson said the company took action to "become more relevant to our customers and to compete more aggressively in the market."

Ingersoll Rand revenues up 13 percent

Ingersoll-Rand plc reported first-quarter revenues of $3.4 billion, a 13 percent gain from $3.0 billion in the same period last year. 

Rockwell Automation sales rise 6.2 percent

Rockwell Automation reported fiscal 2018 second quarter sales of $1.65 billion, up 6.2 percent from $1.55 billion in the second quarter of fiscal 2017.

3M sales up 7.7 percent

3M reported first-quarter sales were up 7.7 percent to $8.3 billion.

Turtle & Hughes acquires Associated of Los Angeles

Turtle & Hughes Inc. announced the acquisition of Associated of Los Angeles, a subsidiary of Steven Engineering Inc.

Safety Supply acquires LFS Glove

Safety Supply Corporation, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment, announced its agreement to acquire LFS Glove, a division of LFS Inc.

Index shows moderate growth in March

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index declined to +0.10 in March from +0.98 in February.

ERB Safety names new regional sales manager

ERB Safety announced the addition of Leslie Hugo as regional sales manager for the Northwest region.

Snap-on posts 5.5 percent sales gain

Snap-on Incorporated reported net sales of $935.5 million in the first quarter increased by 5.5 percent from 2017 levels.

PrimeSource names president/CEO

PrimeSource Building Products announced the appointment of Tom Koos as its president and chief executive officer.

Lafert North America names inside sales members

Lafert North America, a manufacturer of metric AC motors, metric gearboxes and coolant pumps, announced the appointment of two new sales representatives.

Grainger sales up 9 percent in Q1

Grainger reported first-quarter sales of $2.8 billion increased 9 percent versus $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2017.

Lawson Products Q1 sales up 13.2 percent

Lawson Products announced that sales increased 13.2 percent to $84.5 million for the first quarter of 2018 compared to $74.6 million in 2017.

Genuine Parts Company sales up 17.4 percent

Genuine Parts Company reported sales for the first quarter were a record $4.6 billion, a 17.4 percent increase compared to $3.9 billion for the same period in 2017.

Grace Engineered Products acquires Civionics

Grace Engineered Products announced the acquisition of Civionics, the creators of Percēv IIoT predictive sensing technology.

Rex-Cut Abrasives celebrates 90 years in business

Fall River, Massachusetts-based Rex-Cut Abrasives is celebrating its 90th year in business.

Airgas earns Boeing Supplier of the Year award

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, has been recognized as Supplier of the Year in the safety category by The Boeing Company.

FlexMove, Geppert-Band merge into Dorner

Dorner Mfg. Corp. announced that it is merging the Dorner, FlexMove and Geppert-Band GmbH entities into one consolidated brand.

Emerson to acquire Textron's Tools & Test business

Emerson has signed an agreement to purchase the Tools and Test Equipment business of Textron for $810 million.

Industrial production up slightly in March

Industrial production rose 0.5 percent in March after increasing 1.0 percent in February.

Bearings Limited added to IDC Marketplace

IDC-USA announced that it recently added Bearings Limited to its IDC Marketplace.

Earnest Machine adds new drilling capability

Earnest Machine has added new equipment at its Rocky River, Ohio, facility that enables the company to do high-volume production and specialty drilling of holes from 3/64 inches to 13/32 inches.

BlueLinx acquires Cedar Creek

BlueLinx, a distributor of building and industrial products, has completed its previously announced acquisition of Cedar Creek, a building products wholesale distributor.

IWDC sets monthly record in March

IWDC member companies’ spend through their co-op exceeded $23 million in March 2018, topping the prior record established in June 2017 by over $2 million.

Essendant to merge with GP's S.P. Richards

Essendant and Genuine Parts Company announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement to combine Essendant and Genuine Parts Company's S.P. Richards business.

Fastenal sales up 13.2 percent

Fastenal reported first-quarter sales of $1.2 billion, a 13.2 percent increase from $1.0 billion in the same period last year.

NetPlus Alliance partners with Texas A&M to help small distributors

NetPlus Alliance has teamed up with Texas A&M University to launch the Small Distributor Consortium.

MCR Safety names new director of marketing

MCR Safety named Chris Smith its new director of marketing, replacing Larry Garner, who is entering semi-retirement.

MSC posts 9.3 percent sales gain

MSC Industrial Supply posted net sales of $769 million for its fiscal 2018 second quarter, a gain of 9.3 percent from the same period last year.

U.S. manufacturing technology orders rose in February

For the first two months of 2018, U.S. manufacturing technology orders climbed 27 percent higher than the same period in 2017.

Kaman names senior VP of finance

Kaman Distribution Group announced that Bryan Larson has been appointed senior vice president, finance and administration.

Manufacturing and mining post March job gains

In March, employment in manufacturing rose by 22,000, with all of the gain in the durable goods component.

Ballard Industrial acquires Jaxx

Seattle-based Ballard Industrial has acquired the assets of Jaxx LLC located in South Seattle.

Endries International acquires Branam Fastening

Endries International announced its acquisition of Branam Fastening Systems Inc., a provider of fasteners to the original equipment manufacturing and distribution markets.

AD Industrial highlights record results

AD Industrial highlighted record results from 2017 when it hosted the 2018 AD Spring Network Meeting recently.

Bishop Lifting acquires Safeway Sling USA

Bishop Lifting has acquired Safeway Sling USA, a sling fabrication company headquartered in Greendale, Wisconsin.

Grainger names new CFO

Grainger announced it has appointed Thomas Okray as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective May 2, 2018.

Mi-T-M water treatment division celebrates 20 years

Mi-T-M announced that 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of its Water Treatment Division.

Manufacturing expanded in March

Manufacturing expanded in March as the Institute for Supply Management purchasing manager index registered 59.3 percent.

Construction spending rose 0.1 percent in February

Construction spending during February 2018 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,273.1 billion, 0.1 percent above the revised January estimate of $1,272.2 billion.

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