W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill., is moving fast on its mission to become a more global distributor, as you can see from its recent acquistions of Acklands-Grainger Inc., Fercomat Inc., Canada’s largest distributor of industrial, safety and fastener supplies through its Acklands-Grainger division, and its purchase of Fabory, a large Dutch fasteners distributor.
CEO Jim Ryan offers some interesting details on this strategy in this Seeking Alpha posting on its recent acquisition of Fabory. Grainger plans to use Fabory, which is considered Europe’s “master of fasteners,” as a base for future expansion. Fabory last year did approximately $350 million in sales and has more than 1,600 team members at 120 locations in 14 countries.
Archive for the ‘Channel Chatter’ Category
Grainger CEO looks to global expansion
Construction starts up eight percent in August according to McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill Construction said construction starts in August advanced eight percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $424.7 billion. The gain followed a 10% decline in July, and continued the fluctuating pattern that’s been present in recent months. The pickup for total construction in August was the result of greater activity for each of construction’s three main sectors – nonresidential building, residential building, and nonbuilding construction. For the first eight months of 2011, total construction on an unadjusted basis was reported at $274.8 billion, down 6% from the same period a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill
Details
Ideal announces executive appointments
Nick Shkordoff
Shkordoff had been president of Anderson Power Products (APP), an Ideal subsidiary that designs and manufactures high power interconnects and accessories. Previously, he was president of Ideal Industries Canada. In addition, Jeffrey Burkhardt, currently V.P. of global sales and marketing for Anderson Power Products, has been appointed that company’s new general manager, succeeding Shkordoff.
Dennis Gravette Joins Arlington Industries’ Sales Team
Arlington Industries, (Scranton, Pa.): Dennis Gravette, formerly Western regional manager for Burndy, will join the Arlington sales team effective Oct. 1. He will assume the position of Western regional manager currently held by Larry Troxel in Jan. 2012. Troxel will remain with the company, assuming a newly created market development role for Arlington. Gravette has 30-years of experience in the electrical industry. He resides in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Schneider’s Pauley speaks out for building energy data collection
Jim Pauley, senior VP of governmental relations and external affairs for Schneider Electric, has an article up today on the website Greener Buildings where he promotes a public-private partnership to continue a program likely to be defunded by Congress.
In the article, “Are We Missing the Green Buildings Deal of a Lifetime?”, Pauley argues that the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is a relatively inexpensive ($12 million) program that has become a source of data vital to the further development of more efficient commercial buildings. The program’s most recent data is now rather old, dating to 2003, and completion of the scheduled 2011 survey is uncertain. Pauley suggests that the benefits to users as diverse as the Energy Star program and suppliers of energy efficiency technology who use it as a benchmark are too important to let the program go.
“From my perspective, it’s too big for any one group to tackle, but a public-private approach involving private companies, trade groups, academics and the public sector may be just what we need to carry out the equivalent of a Green Buildings Census and keep the industry on solid footing.”
Graybar’s Horst takes on new role as V.P. of service and administration
Graybar Electric Co. (St. Louis, Mo.): Steven Horst is now V.P., service and administration. He’s a 16-year Graybar veteran who most recently served as national market manager for construction. Horst also worked in Graybar’s IT organization on process and systems development related to the company’s launch of SAP. Horst has a B.A. in psychology from Washington State University.
Chase promoted to branch manager of three Border States Electric branches
Border States Electric (Fargo, N.D.): Justin Chase is now branch manager for BSE’s Pewaukee and Green Bay, Wis., and Kingsford, Mich., locations. He joined the company in 1997 and has held a variety of positions at the corporate office in Fargo, N.D., including supply chain services manager and supply chain services alliance manager. He also served as the company’s supplier diversity manager and is the past board chair of the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council, a National Minority Supplier Development Council affiliate serving Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and western Iowa. Chase received his bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, Minn.
NEMA to Host Webcast on Latest Lighting Management Technology
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., will present a webcast on Thursday, Sept. 15 from 1-2 p.m. (EDT), hosted by Building Operating Management magazine. The event focuses on the latest lighting control technologies, strategies and systems that will enable building managers to approach net-zero energy use and achieve sustainability goals.
In addition to highlighting the latest information on digital lighting controls, wireless systems, advanced daylighting and window shade controls, and occupancy sensors, the webcast will address energy code compliance and intelligent building systems integration. This webinar is available at no charge. To register, click here.
ElectricPilot.com adds new product info
ElectricPilot.com, a search engine focusing on the electrical industry search engine that’s loaded with links to the websites of thousands of electrical manufacturers, electrical distributors, reps and other electrical firms, now posts new product information on its site. Alan Wulff, the company’s president and founder, says ElectricPilot.com hosts more than 20,000 companies in the electrical, communications and utility industries.
Billtrust acquires Invoice Connection
Billtrust, Jamesburg, N.J., which provides outsourced billing services to many electrical distributors, announced the acquisition of Invoice Connection, an automated invoice and statement delivery company headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif. No financial details were disclosed.
Invoice Connection has a significant presence in wholesale distribution vertical, Billtrust said in a release announcing the deal. Billtrust’s suite of services is particularly aligned with the needs of that market, and the acquisition provides additional value to the customers they serve, the company said.
“Our respective companies have a great deal of respect for each other because we share the same unwavering commitment to client service,” said Flint Lane, Billtrust CEO and president. “Customers coming into the Billtrust fold will have access to an even broader range of print/mail and electronic billing services.”