Manufacturing exodus squeezes industrial distributors, says new survey.(surveys)(Brief Article)

A new survey released by Industrial Distribution Magazine, Reed Research, and Pembroke Consulting finds the offshoring of U.S. manufacturing plants is forcing many industrial distributors to rethink their business models as profits and customers become scarce.

Approximately 800 industrial distribution executives across North America recently responded to Industrial Distribution Magazine's "58th Annual Survey of Distributor Operations." According to the survey:

* 45 percent of the distributors reported having manufacturing customers move offshore in the last 12 months

* Distributors reported at least a 10 percent sales decline due to offshoring

* 64 percent of the distributors predicted seeing more manufacturers moving offshore within 5 years

"This year's report shows distributors are faced with a variety of concerns impacting their ability to make a profit," said Jack Keough, editor and associate publisher of ...