February 2020 News
NAW's Van Dongen to retire
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors president and CEO Dirk Van Dongen announced that he will step down on Nov. 30, 2020, the end of the association’s current fiscal year.
Jason Industries acquires Matchless Metal Polish Company
Jason Industries has acquired the Matchless Metal Polish Company in an all cash transaction valued at $5 million.
Irby president to retire
Sonepar USA announced that Mike Leech, president of Irby, will retire on June 26.
Walter Surface Technologies acquires ArcOne
Walter Surface Technologies announced the acquisition of ArcOne, a provider of industrial safety products based in Taunton, Massachusetts.
STAFDA names keynote speaker
The Specialty Tools & Fastener Distributors Association has selected Guy Kawasaki to deliver the keynote address at the 2020 STAFDA Convention & Trade Show.
Real GDP grew 2.1 percent in fourth quarter
Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the second estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Lawson Products sales up 6 percent
Lawson Products reported that net sales increased 6.0 percent in 2019 to $370.8 million from $349.6 million in 2018.
G.L. Huyett adds two regional sales managers
G.L. Huyett has added Andy Roach as Southeast region sales manager and Tom Bello as sales manager for the Northeast region.
Mettler-Toledo acquires industrial scales company
Metter-Toledo International has acquired D.C. Martin & Son Scales, of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chicago Fed National Activity Index rises
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index increased to –0.25 in January from –0.51 in December.
Barnes Group sales decline 4 percent
Barnes Group Inc. reported fourth-quarter 2019 net sales of $370 million were down 4 percent from $384 million in the prior year period.
Ferguson to acquire Columbia Pipe & Supply
Ferguson plc announced that it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Columbia Pipe & Supply Co.
B&B Manufacturing acquires Plastic PowerDrive Products
B&B Manufacturing announced that it has purchased the assets, inventory, tooling, and rights to Plastic PowerDrive Products.
AD reaches 5 million SKU milestone
Attendees at AD's fourth eCommerce Summit learned that more than 5 million enhanced and normalized product content SKUs are now available to the AD membership.
Industrial Scientific names VP of global sales
Industrial Scientific announced that Marc Osgoodby has joined the company as vice president of global sales.
NOW Inc. sales decline 16.4 percent
NOW Inc. reported sales of $639 million for the fourth quarter, a decrease of 16.4 percent from $764 million in the same period a year ago.
Winsupply opens Tri State Winsupply in Dubuque
Winsupply Inc. has opened Tri State Winsupply in Dubuque, Iowa, serving plumbing, heating and air conditioning, water well and septic contractors in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin.
Gardner Denver 4Q and full year revenues down
Gardner Denver Holdings reported fourth-quarter revenues of $606 million were down 15 percent compared to the prior year.
Genuine Parts Company makes leadership changes
Genuine Parts Company has named Treg S. Brown executive vice president, mergers and acquisitions, and appointed James R. Neill executive vice president and chief human resources officer.
MSC to work with DOE on manufacturing research
MSC Industrial Supply announced that it has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance manufacturing in the United States.
The Reynolds Company acquires Flow-Zone
The Reynolds Company has acquired Flow-Zone, a Houston-based distributor of pipe, valves, fittings, instrumentation, controls and measurement equipment.
Martin Fastening awarded ISO 9001:2015 Certification
Martin Fastening has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification, an internationally recognized standard that ensures the company's products and services meet the needs of customers through an effective quality management system.
Industrial production down 0.3 percent in January
Industrial production declined 0.3 percent in January, as unseasonably warm weather held down the output of utilities and as a major manufacturer significantly slowed production of civilian aircraft.
Sonepar USA makes executive appointments
Sonepar North America announced today that Janine McManus, Sonepar USA senior vice president of human resources, will take on the role of senior vice president human resources for Vallen North America, a member of the Sonepar Group.
Winsupply holds grand opening for regional distribution center
Winsupply Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its newest regional distribution center, a 272,000 foot center in Jacksonville, Florida.
GWS Tool Group acquires North American Tool
GWS Tool Group has acquired North American Tool Corporation, the second add-on acquisition in 2020 for GWS.
Regal Beloit fourth-quarter sales decline
Regal Beloit Corporation reported fourth-quarter net sales of $738.2 million decreased 16.3 percent from $881.7 million in the same period last year.
BlackHawk Industrial acquires J&S Tool
BlackHawk Industrial announced the acquisition of J&S Tool, a distributor, manufacturer and reconditioner of cutting tools based in O'Fallon, Missouri.
Harbour Group acquires SHF
SHF Inc., a distributor of stainless adaptors, fluid power fittings, instrumentation fittings, and valves, has been acquired by the Harbour Group.
Infor acquired by Koch Industries
Koch Equity Development LLC, the investment and acquisition subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining equity stake in Infor held by Golden Gate Capital.
Midwest Industrial Rubber acquired by AMMEGA
AMMEGA, the holding company of Ammeraal Beltech and Megadyne, has completed the acquisition of St. Louis-based Midwest Industrial Rubber.
Construction jobs added in January but factory jobs declined
The construction industry added 44,000 jobs in January while manufacturing lost 12,000 jobs.
Fastenal reports 3.6 percent January sales gain
Fastenal reported that its January sales of $462.8 million were 3.6 percent higher than $446.9 million in January 2019.
Fourth-quarter productivity increased 1.4 percent
Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Snap-on sales relatively flat
Snap-on reported net sales of $955.2 million in the fourth quarter increased 0.3 percent from $952.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.
DXP Enterprises acquires Turbo Machinery Repair
DXP Enterprises announced the acquisition of Turbo Machinery Repair Inc., a pump and industrial equipment repair, maintenance, machining and labor services company.
Ramco Innovations acquires Richard Greene Company
Automation solutions distributor Ramco Innovations, West Des Moines, Iowa, announced the acquisition of Richard Greene Company of St Louis.
Winsupply acquires Morgan Brothers Supply
Winsupply announced its purchase of Morgan Brothers Supply Inc., a plumbing wholesale distributor primarily serving central and northern Florida.
PTDA reaches 60 percent of fundraising goal
The PTDA Foundation reached nearly 60 percent of its 2020 fundraising goal in the first three months to support PT WORK Force.
QA1 moves into new headquarters
QA1 recently moved to a new headquarters location in Lakeville, Minnesota, combining all operations under one roof.
Pennsylvania Scale Company hires Siegrist
The Pennsylvania Scale Company announced the recent hiring of Peter Siegrist, a former PA Scale employee who is returning to the company after 16 years.
Timken sales down 1.5 percent
The Timken Company reported fourth-quarter 2019 sales of $896.2 million, down 1.5 percent from $910 million in the same period a year ago.
Stanley Black & Decker sales grow by 2 percent
Stanley Black & Decker reported net sales for the fourth quarter were $3.7 billion, up 2 percent versus prior year.
RBC Bearings sales increase 3.2 percent
RBC Bearings reported net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 were $177.0 million, an increase of 3.2 percent from $171.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
Eaton sales decline 4 percent
Eaton Corporation reported sales in the fourth quarter of 2019 were $5.2 billion, down 4 percent from $5.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Kennametal sales drop 14 percent
Kennametal said its fiscal 2020 second quarter sales of $505 million decreased 14 percent from $587 million in the prior year quarter.
Tofino Software releases new cloud version
Tofino Software announced the release of Tofino Cloud, a re-engineered version of its real-time MRO purchasing.
BlackHawk acquires Machine Tools Supply
BlackHawk Industrial, a distributor of metalworking, industrial, MROP and packaging supplies, announced the acquisition of Machine Tools Supply (MTS).
Manufacturing expanded in January
Manufacturing expanded in January after five straight months of contraction, according to the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
Construction spending declined in December
Construction spending during December 2019 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,327.7 billion, 0.2 percent below the revised November estimate of $1,329.9 billion.
Manuli Rubber Industries acquires RYCO Hydraulics
Manuli Rubber Industries SpA (MRI) and RYCO Hydraulics Pty Ltd announced that MRI has completed the acquisition of a majority shareholding in RYCO.
AD member sales up 12 percent
AD reported that 2019 member sales across its 12 divisions were $46.3 billion, an increase of 12 percent from 2018.
Ingersoll-Rand revenues climb 7 percent
Ingersoll-Rand plc reported revenues of $4.1 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, an increase of 7 percent from $3.8 billion in the same period the previous year.