Recently my colleague, Gene Biben, penned an article for ElectricalTrends, discussing a disturbing trends, perhaps it's an outgrowth from COVID, that affects many manufacturers. As background, Gene spent over 40 years as a manufacturer rep. The agency was passed from father to son. He has since retired, with his son-in-law taking over, but he stays involved in the business … [Read more...] about Manufacturers – Is Your Customer King?
Industry News
Opinion – WATSCOs latest move is more than just another HVACR acquisition
WATSCO's latest acquisition appears to be more than just another HVACR bolt on addition. It may open new channels for WATSCO to grow in 2024 and the future both organically and with acquisitions. Last week one of the largest HVACR distributors Watsco announced it completed its acquisition of Gateway Supply Company, Inc. distributor of plumbing and HVAC products … [Read more...] about Opinion – WATSCOs latest move is more than just another HVACR acquisition
CRM helps Reps and Manufacturers Succeed
CRM data sharing between independent manufacturer reps and manufacturers is a tricky, and touchy, issue. One of a rep's value propositions is local market knowledge as well as account / opportunity knowledge. No salesperson likes to let their "boss" know everything they know, but times have changed. The value in information sharing is significant and can help close sales … [Read more...] about CRM helps Reps and Manufacturers Succeed
NIBCO Service Enables Access to Specs
The odds of selling a more "technical", or "engineered", product increase the tighter the specs are to the product you're selling. Over the years the specification process in many industries has essentially devolved to "or equal". In other words, "hard specs" became "soft specs" and the term "value engineering" was coined. Value engineering became associated with "how do I … [Read more...] about NIBCO Service Enables Access to Specs
Coburn Supply Acquires Bay Electric, Adds HVAC
Coburn Supply, a multi-industry distributor headquartered in Texas serving the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and waterwork segments in eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee through over 60 locations recently announced its second acquisition of the year, this time in the electrical industry. The company acquired the assets of Bay Electric Supply’s League … [Read more...] about Coburn Supply Acquires Bay Electric, Adds HVAC
Ferguson FYQ2 Performance Insights
Last week Ferguson shared their FY Q2 performance, which was the equivalent of Q4 2022. Not surprisingly, given the Fed’s interest rate hikes and the resulting impact on the residential market, Ferguson reported deceleration in its sales growth. After all, continuing to exceed performance over the past few years, given the confluence of supply chain issues, price increases … [Read more...] about Ferguson FYQ2 Performance Insights
The Master Group Acquired RSC; PE Strikes
Private equity firms, which always seem to have access to funds, are looking to acquire distributors, believing this is a growth segment for them In the electrical industry, within the past six months two independent distributors have been acquired by private equity firms with the previous owners remaining involved in the business ... professionally and financially. The … [Read more...] about The Master Group Acquired RSC; PE Strikes
