Supply House Times articles from February 2001

Supply House Times archives from February 2001

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... Industry would benefit from Hester's advice Jack Hester's Forum piece in your November issue, "Source ASA+ is the future" (page 4), was outstanding. Both Mr. Hester's astute analysis of the situation and his recommendations were very...

John A. Hanna to oversee Westburne/Rexel Canada.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... John A. Hanna has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer for North America at Rexel Canada, formerly known as Westburne. This appointment follows the departure of Robert Chevrier, chairman/CEO of Westburne/ Rexel...

First Briefing.(list of upcoming tradeshows and conferences)(Brief Article)(Directory)
February 1, 2001... * SUPPLY HOUSE TIMES has been acquired by Business News Publishing, based in Troy, Mich. The transaction between Cahners Business Information and BNP, which also publishes Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer, was completed Jan. 23. BNP, a...

Noland appoints Rhodes, Andrews.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Noland Co. (Newport News, Va.) has named H.E. Rhodes Jr. its marketing manager for air conditioning. Ron Andrews succeeds Rhodes as south central regional manager. He will oversee branch operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi,...

Information bureau ends its existence.(Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Information Bureau)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Information Bureau, founded in 1919 to be the consumer public relations arm of the industry, closed its doors Dec. 31, 2000. PHCIB was founded as an all-industry organization with membership encompassing all...

CWA and MAD approved as new ASA Region 4.(Central Wholesalers Association and the Michigan Association of Distributors join American Supply Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The American Supply Association approved the application of the Central Wholesalers Association and the Michigan Association of Distributors to become ASA Region 4. CWA and MAD will serve ASA members in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, western...

Hughes Supply sells pool supply business.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Hughes Supply closed the sale of the assets of its pool supply business to SCP Pool Corp. on Jan. 26. The wholesaler had been in the pool supply business since 1995. The business grew over the years to about $120 million in sales. "This...

Home Depot projects reduced 4Q earnings.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Home Depot has revised its outlook for the fourth quarter of fiscal 00, which ended Jan. 28. Citing a "rapidly downward spiraling economic environment," the home improvement retailer said it expects to report earnings of 20 cents per share...

ASA raising funds for Brad Sell's family.(American Supply Association )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The American Supply Association is questing donations to the Brad 11 Family Trust, to help support his family and pay for college for his children. Sell, executive director of Wholesalers of the Northeast, has been diagnosed with terminal...

Bath & Kitchen: Briefs.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... * St. Thomas Creations named Jennifer Mitchell as vice president/marketing. She succeeds Michael T. Allen, who was president of Altmans, a distributor of high-end faucets and fittings that was acquired by St. Thomas last year.... * Symmons...

Elkay to offer online customer service.(Elkay Manufacturing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Elkay Manufacturing is testing an online system that will provide order status and inventory information to its customers and reps. Elkay Connect will be offered as an option on the company's Web site, accessible to those who register with...

Delta Faucet opens plant in China.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Delta Faucet Co. has opened a manufacturing facility in Panyu, China. The 96,800-sq.-ft. site includes a two-level, 27,400-sq.-ft. plant and warehouse facility and a 4,450-sq.-ft. dormitory. The plant employs 26 manufacturing and administrative...

Fortune Brands unites home and hardware.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Bruce A. Carbonari, who has been leading Fortune Brands' kitchen and bath operations since 1998, has been promoted to president/CEO of Fortune Brands Home & Hardware. He joined Moen in 1988 and is currently its chairman/ CEO, a position he will...

First EXPO Design Center opens in Illinois.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Home Depot opened the first EXPO Design Center in Illinois in January. The 105,000-sq-ft. store is located in Aurora, Ill., about 42 miles west of downtown Chicago. "It's slightly larger than our other EXPO stores," said Melissa...

Brass Craft acquires MagneFlo gas product line.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Brass Craft Manufacturing Co., a division of Masco Corp., has acquired MagneFlo, a California-based manufacturer of gas products. Featured in the MagneFlo product line is an excess flow valve marketed as a safety device, which uses a...

Industrial PVF: Briefs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... * Industrial building construction in October 2000 rose 41.8% over the dollar value level of work on manufacturing and warehousing building in October 1999, according to the Cahners Building & Construction Market Forecast.... * VMA: The Valve...

Van Leeuwen to sell U.S. assets to Wilson.(Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube Corp., Smith International)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Wilson Industries, a subsidiary of Smith International, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the net assets of Houston-based Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube Corp. Van Leeuwen is a leading provider of pipe, valves...

Study: more e-commerce for industrial market.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... A recent survey points to rapid growth in Internet commerce over the next two years in the industrial-supply business. The study, E-Commerce Study: an Industry Baseline for E-commerce and Supply Chain Integration, was sponsored jointly by the...

IPSCO starts up new steel mill.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... IPSCO Steel Inc., a subsidiary of IPSCO Inc., has produced the first liquid steel at its new Mobile County (Alabama) steelworks. The facility will produce 1.25 million tons of steel annually. Work on the new facility began in April 1999 and...

Study: industrial valve demand to increase at slower pace.(Freedonia Group projection)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... The business-research firm The Freedonia Group projects U.S. demand for industrial valves to rise 3.8% annually to $12 billion in 2004. The expected increases, however, represent a slowdown over the 4.9% annual rate between 1994 and 1999. This...

McJunkin expands in Midwest, West.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... McJunkin Corp. announced plans to acquire substantially all assets of two established industrial-PVF distributors: M.P. Wilkins Supply of Toledo, Ohio, and Automation & Controls Specialists of Dublin, Calif. Wilkins, a 52-year-old firm...

Rolled Alloys adds Singapore office.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Rolled Alloys, a multinational supplier of specialty heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant and aerospace alloys, has established Rolled Alloys International Ltd. Singapore. The new office will serve customers in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand...

University opens Beschloss center.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Morris R. Beschloss, a veteran of the industrial-valve industry for more than 40 years, and his family have funded a state-of-the-art media-design center at the University of Illinois College of Communications. The center includes 25...

IBM, E3 partner to provide inventory management.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... IBM and E3 Corp. announced a global strategic alliance to deliver e-business solutions in inventory management for the distribution marketplace. E3's collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment solutions on IBM's e-servers are used by...

Thomas Register joins Yahoo!(includes Stiles Industrial web site launch)
February 1, 2001... ThomasRegister.com, an online industrial product and services sourcing and buying Web site, announced that its online database is now available on Yahoo! B2B Marketplace (http://b2b.yahoo.com) and Yahoo] Electronics Marketplace, which is part...

Netting the customer.(report: Facing the Forces of Change: Four Trends Reshaping Wholesale Distribution)
February 1, 2001... Tomorrow's contractors will dictate wholesalers' technology strategies. Customer demands will affect wholesalers' technology strategy more than anything else. That's what the most recent Distribution Research and Education Foundation...

Estate tax repeal takes center stage.(Column)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... New life for a repeal of the death tax looks more promising with a Republican in the White House. As President Bush took office, there were signs of new life being breathed into efforts to repeal the estate and and gift tax. Those hoping...

E-commerce exchanges: with friends like these ...(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2001... Potentially beneficial to many, Web marketplaces threaten to disintermediate wholesalers. After years of waiting for an easy way to conduct e-commerce with manufacturers and customers, wholesalers may have gotten their wish: Internet...

More ways to cut bankruptcy losses.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Providing your contractor base with some basic accounting concepts can help them be better customers. I just got off the phone after talking to an old friend in the HVACR supply-house business, Steve Bellar of IM/Thrifty Supply in...

Products Plumbing.(Brief Article)(Directory)
February 1, 2001... Plastic Trends This 6-in. two-way cleanout, gasketed sewer fitting is one-piece molded PVC for smooth-flowing sanitary sweeps. * Circle 101 Powers Process The 430 Hydroguard master mixing valve is designed to blend hot and...

Electronic Technology.(Brief Article)(Directory)
February 1, 2001... IMPAC Technology Source ASA+ is an electronic product catalog and database now available on the Internet at www. sourceasa.com. It features secure processes for accepting, validating and completing transactions online. Credit card clearing...

"It is the people, stupid!".(Brief Article)(Editorial)
February 1, 2001... Here's a little secret from my past: One of my first jobs after college was in a supply house. The company wasn't in the PHCP industry but was a cigar-and-candy wholesaler in Nashville. The owner hired me to clean up in the warehouse, and...

Crane Supply promotes four.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Dennis Hewko, formerly president of Crane Supply, has been named head of Crane's fluid handling group. He is succeeded in his previous responsibilities by Tom Frazer, who was promoted to vice president and general manager of Crane Supply....

Bell Pipe and Supply is selling online.(briefs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Bell Pipe and Supply is now selling online through its Web site at www.bellpipe.com. Its NetSales solution allows Bell Pipe customers to track orders, search the company's catalog, place orders, make payment arrangements including credit card...

Hydronics/HVACR: Briefs.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... * Burnham Corp. hired David King as technical services associate in the company's Hydronics Division. King provides technical support to Burnham's contractor and distributor customer base. * Pameco Corp. appointed Stephen Hileman as senior...

Conflicts in channel hinder growth: survey.(Wholesaler-Manufacturer Relations)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Poor communication is not the only reason that relations between manufacturers and distributors are strained, consultant John Sedgwick told members of the Northamerican Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Wholesalers Association Dec. 3...

Watsco to close locations in 2001.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... As part of its three-pronged effort to improve operating efficiency and profitability, Watsco (Coconut Grove, Fla.) announced that it will close and integrate seven locations in the first half of 2001. These initiatives include retaining...

DOE calls for 13 SEER on central air conditioners.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Outgoing Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced Jan. 19 that central air conditioners will have to meet a minimum SEER of 13. The standard for heat pumps will rise to 13 SEER and 7.7 HSPF. The minimum efficiency requirements are scheduled...

Noland adds distribution for Rheem and Ruud.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The distribution rights to Rheem Manufacturing Co.'s WeatherKing line of heating and air-conditioning equipment in Florida will transfer to Noland Co., effective March 5. Addison Products Co., headquartered in Orlando, Fla., currently...

Sid Harvey to distribute Honeywell IAQ line.(Sid Harvey Industries, indoor air quality products)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Honeywell named Sid Harvey Industries as a distributor of the Perfect Climate line of indoor air quality products and accessories. Primary components of the line include ultraviolet air-treatment systems, electronic and media air cleaners,...

OBITUARIES.(brief death notices)(Obituary)
February 1, 2001... * Milton (Milt) Hindon, chairman of Duro Dyne Corp., died on Dec. 30, 2000. Hindon joined the Northamerican Heating, Refrigeration and Airconditioning Wholesalers Association in 1955 and became an active and recognized member. * Leo Walsh,...

Technology: Briefs.(company news)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... * ImproveNet received notification from Nasdaq that the company has not met the minimum bid price requirement of at least $1 for 30 consecutive trading days as set forth in the marketplace rules. If the minimum bid requirements are not met by...

BuildNet launches new Internet tool.(allowing trading partners to share critical information)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... BuildNet, parent company to HVAConline and PLUMBINGonline, launched a new Internet-based collaboration and procurement tool at the 2001 Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration show in Atlanta. BuildNet Express was developed to synchronize...

Prophet 21 offers ASP option for business-critical applications.(application service provider )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Prophet 21 is offering an application service provider option to its customers and prospects to enable them quick and easy access to business-critical applications via the Internet, such as Prophet 21's Acclaim and CommerceCenter products. ...

EC Directions debuts in Atlanta.(user group conference designed to bring new technology solutions to specific markets)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Management Information Systems Group announced the launch of EC Directions 2001, a user group conference designed to bring new technology solutions to specific markets. The conference is supported by the American Supply Association and other...

Bestroute.com offers money-back guarantees.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Bestroute.com has introduced money-back performance guarantees on key aspects of its customers' transactions, said Michael J. Gambino, company founder and president. A $50 credit will be issued to the customer in the following situations:...