Industry News

We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- DDI System. DDI System’s inform 2008 is an innovative Windows ERP system for PHCP, HVACR, PVF and Waterworks distributors. Inform's highly configurable workflow and functionality meets two important criteria: industry specific performance, and outstanding value.   Inform 2008 handles your company's needs for order fulfillment, inventory management, business and financial reporting, as well as next-generation Supply Chain Integration, Customer Relationship Management, and Business Intelligence performance analytics.

 

To find out more about special e-newsletter advertising opportunities, please contact your Wholesaler sales rep by visiting www.thewholesaler.com.

 

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Charlotte Pipe opens new Utah plant’

 

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company has opened a new plastic pipe manufacturing plant in Cedar City, Utah. Located in Iron County about 250 miles south of Salt Lake City, the plant boasts the most modern equipment available, from high output extrusion lines and compounding equipment to energy efficient lighting and chilled water systems. The plant will manufacture PVC and ABS pipe for drain, waste and vent systems and FlowGuard Gold CPVC CTS pipe for domestic water applications.

 

As Charlotte Pipe continues to strengthen its presence in the West, the new plant will allow the company to offer its pipe and fittings systems from Colorado west to the Pacific Ocean.  Charlotte manufactures its PVC, ABS and CPVC pipe to the middle of the spec range as defined by ASTM standards. When combined with Charlotte fittings the result is a TrueFit System that ensures a tight, reliable and consistent fit every time, saviing on installation time and resulting in fewer callbacks for the plumber.

 

Forecasters predicting housing rebound

 

According to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics, the worst of the painful housing slump and the credit crunch might come to an end this year. Unfortunately, the forecasters participating believe the economy will weaken further and unemployment will rise. The survey of 52 economics was conducted April 17 through May 1.

 

The survey noted that 56% of economics think the country is on the brink of a recession or in one already because of all the problems in housing, credit and financial markets. That is an 11% gain from a similar survey in February. However these economists say that if there is indeed a recession, it probably will be short and shallow. Also, they predict that growth of the economy will slow to 1.4% this year -- down from the 1.8% they projected in the February survey. (Last year, the economy grew 2.2%.) On a positive note, the forecasters believe that next year, the economy will gain 2.3%.

The unemployment rate is expected to be higher than last year’s 4.6% average. In fact, the survey showed that economics predict the jobless rate will hit 5.3% in 2008 and 5.6% in 2009. 

 

When considering home sales, forecasters believe that the housing slump will hit bottom this year -- although they couldn’t come to agreement as to which quarter that would occur. Home prices are likely to continuing dropping the remainder of this year and next.

 

Wholesaling economic reports now available

 

The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence announced that the completely revised and updated 2008 Wholesale Distribution Economic Reports are now available for immediate download as PDF files. To order, go to www.naw.org/wder08 or call 202/872-0885.

 

The Reports -- written by Adam J. Fein, Ph.D., president of Pembroke Consulting -- supply a wealth of detailed channel benchmarking data, including revenue and employment growth trends, the number and size distribution of companies, gross margins, wages and many other operating statistics. Each individual report includes economic analyses of one of the 19 major wholesale distribution sectors in an immediate and easy-to-read downloadable format. This means that users can download only the reports that are most relevant to their business.

 

Among the 19 wholesale distribution sectors covered in the Reports are: Building Material and Construction Wholesale Distributors; Chemicals and Plastics Wholesale Distributors; Electrical and Electronics Wholesalers; Hardware, Plumbing, and Heating Equipment and Supplies Wholesale Distributors; Industrial Distributors; and Oil and Gas Products Wholesale Distributors.

New Products

Great reporting with distribution software www.ddisystem.com Easy accessibility to your company's business performance. That's one advantage of using DDI System inform 2008 distribution software. With DDI's business intelligence module you and your management team will have a remarkable opportunity to delve into the strengths and weaknesses of your sales and inventory. This executive reporting system is easily customizable, with drag and drop and double-click drill downs. Business performance can be easily viewed by salesperson, customer, manufacturer and more. DDI System.

Forged brass ball valves www.fortunevalve.com The new series 224 forged brass ball valves are ideal for many applications. They carry nsg 61.8 and csa 3.16 approvals for natural gas service. Have a full port design and are fully compliant to MSS SP-110 standards. Valves feature a cavity-style ball to reduce weight, double o-ring packing and are available in either threaded (1/4"-4") or solder ends (1/22"-4"). This manufacturer takes pride in its quality, on-time delivery and competitive pricing. Fortune Valves.

Easier pipe installation www.siouxchief.com The Power Bar Mini Strut improves cumbersome strut installations and reduces installation time with preloaded TouchDown clamps. Reduce material costs and labor time when installing lightweight pipe runs overhead. Pre-cut bracket with pre-drilled holes accepts 3/8" threaded rod. Pre-loaded TouchDown-I clamps hold multiple pipe sizes to 1"; TouchDown-II handles larger diameter pipe to 2" o.d. or when smaller cts lines are insulated. Sioux Chief.

Pipe hanger/restrainer www.tolco.com A double-offset CPVC hanger and restrainer is now available for plastic fire sprinkler pipe. The newly designed Figure 29 eases installation by eliminating the need for a wood block extension and allowing retrofit attachment of the hanger to the sprinkler pipe. Attaches easily to wood structures with 2 special #10x1 screws; provides a double offset 11/2"x11/2" from the mounting surface. Available in 3/4" and 1" pipe sizes; meets and exceeds the requirements for NFPA 13, 13R and 13D. Tolco, a brand of Nibco.

Movers & Shakers

Spencer Gilmore was promoted to director of business integration at Ferguson. Gilmore will strategically manage and oversee the functional business transition of all new acquisitions. He joined Ferguson in Richmond, Va., in 1989, and has since held key positions including systems development manager, regional operations manager, manager of installation and manager of business integration in acquisitions.

At SFA Saniflo, Regis Saragosti succeeded Bertrand Bouchard as chief executive officer of its operations in the U.S. An 18-year veteran with Saniflo and its parent, SFA Group in Paris, Bouchard retired on March 31. Saragosti originally joined sfa in 2005, initially working as an export manager in Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Japan, India, Armenia, etc. He subsequently served as top manager for SFA subsidiaries in Russia, Poland, Ireland and Romania, charged with launching and/or developing the Saniflo brand in those countries. In his new role, Saragosti will work with national sales manager Bob Lechner and the rest of the Saniflo team to expand its presence in the U.S.