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.