January’s figure still indicated contraction for a 14th consecutive month, but at a much slower pace than almost all of 2023.
Facilities Maintenance (MRO)
Article
Grainger to Add Massive DC Near Houston, 400 Jobs
The MRO supplies distribution giant expects the 1.2-million-square-foot facility to open in 2026.
Economic Trends
Article
Fed Holds Rates Steady, Signals Cuts Not Imminent
Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that a rate cut issued at his committee’s March 19-20 meeting is unlikely.
Facilities Maintenance (MRO)
Article
Industrial Supply Company Longtime Owner Passes at 100
Joyce Orlob Evans — the daughter of the company’s founder — played an active role in the MROP distributor throughout her life.
Building Materials/Construction
Article
CD&R Buys “Significant” Stake in Foundation Building Materials
Fellow private equity firm American Securities, which acquired FBM in 2021, retains a majority stake in the distributor.
Human Resources
Article
UPS to Cut 12,000 Jobs As Volume Falls
UPS plans to cut 12,000 jobs this year to realize $1 billion in cost savings after both domestic and international volumes have suffered.
Cybersecurity
Article
Schneider Electric Division Hit by Ransomware Attack
Terabytes of data were stolen from manufacturing giant Schneider Electric’s sustainability division in a ransomware attack on Jan. 17.
Technology Provider News
Article
Proton Launches Pronto: An AI Chatbot Built Specifically for Distributors
Proton describes it as the first conversational AI chatbot designed specifically for distributors and exclusively for Proton CRM customers.
Power Transmission/Motion Control
Article
Applied’s 2Q Sales Slow, But Margin and EBITDA Tick Up
Organic sales narrowly dipped year-over-year as modest growth in Applied’s Service Center segment offset a decline in Engineered Solutions.
Manufacturing
Article
anyseals Rolls Out Bulk Pricing Structure for Distributors
anyseals’ streamlined operations have resulted in more competitive pricing on large-volume orders.
Electrical
Article
Former Border States CEO Miller Eyes North Dakota Governor Seat
Tammy Miller spent 32 years at the electrical distributor, serving as CEO from 2006-2020.
Facilities Maintenance (MRO)
Article
3M Safety & Industrial Organic Sales Fall 3.9% in 4Q
See our full breakdown of 3M’s 4Q numbers, which showed that roofing granules were the only industrial category to see decent growth.

