We were at the NAED Eastern Regional Conference in New Orleans last week. While attendance was on the light side, which people attribute to the economy and that the IMARK and A-D meetings immediately preceeded it, conversations with distributors and […]
We wanted to title this “Looking Forward to 2010”, however, we debated on the word “forward” given the forecasts that we’re seeing. Consider: “There is so much uncertainty about the first half of next year that until you have a […]
The past 12 months, needless to say, have been an economic maelstrom for many. Compounding the issue has been which metrics to measure your performance by? Year over year numbers became inconsequential given 2008’s performance through the first three quarters […]
There are essentially three strategies to survive, and thrive, in a slowdown or recession (whichever term you prefer). They are: Take advantage of opportunities and “sell” your way through the economic challenge, hence positioning yourself for the inevitable upturn. This […]
Every once in a while life has those humorous moments and we thought this might give you a smile. Wednesday’s tedmag.com newsletter had the following snippet: ROCKWELL IN CHINA—Rockwell Automation has reported that it will realize 20% revenue […]
Energy efficiency is coming to the home.For years, the knock on CFLs was the price and the form. When CFLs were not price competitive with incandescents, many said the product category wouldn’t take off. But all this is changing.Over the […]
Recently we spoke to a few purchasing people from large builders (production types like Ryan, Pulte, Centex, Toll). While they are suffering, all are doing some building. The goal of our discussion was to better understand their purchasing decision drivers […]
Private labeling and unbranded products could have unintended consequences. An emerging trend amongst “contract manufacturers” is the development of strategies to move up the value chain. Consider: A July 18th Wall Street Journal article entitled “Contract Manufacturers Shift to Brand […]
In a couple of words, “not much”. HD Supply has still been sold to private equity (at a significantly reduced price). Our thoughts is that, from an electrical perspective, HD Supply is over-weighted in the residential market; has a strong […]
We’ve had conversations with several analysts recently who have inquired about the electrical distribution industry. The conversations frequently turn to “what would happen to distributors if the economy slowed down?” While there are obvious revenue and profit implications, we discussed […]
