What Stanley Black Decker Earnings Tell Us About Channel Demand The latest Stanley Black Decker earnings tell a split story. Margins are improving, but the volume underneath is soft, and the gains are coming from pricing and cost structure rather than demand. For distributors and contractors who sell, stock, and rely on DeWalt, Craftsman, and Stanley products every day, … [Read more...] about Stanley Black Decker Earnings: Margins Up, But Volume Softness Raises Channel Questions
Supplier & Product News
Part 3 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
I have written two recent columns reminding Industrial Channel leaders to not forget about the business fundamentals of the channel, which hit a nerve with many readers. These columns focused on that even with all the changes over the past two decades - instant access to data, end customers who want self-service digital tools and full-service support, and many other changes- AI … [Read more...] about Part 3 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
Industrial Planning Meetings Part 3, are you ready for 2026?
Last week, I was up in St. Paul, MN and had a chance to speak and meet with the 3M Safety & Industrial team. I had some time in between sessions to walk around the 3M Innovation Center and look at some of the history of 3M. It was like a museum tour for an Industrial distribution leader: The early history of 3M, established as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing … [Read more...] about Industrial Planning Meetings Part 3, are you ready for 2026?
Why the ISA Executive Network Matters More Than Ever
For the past few months, the ISA leadership team and the ISA Educational Council have been working behind the scenes on this project. It has been fun to be part of the project led by Brendan Breen, his entire ISA team, and all the great educational committee and board leaders (leaders who are working every day in the channel) who are committed to this program. So, getting … [Read more...] about Why the ISA Executive Network Matters More Than Ever
Industrial Planning season is here, are you ready for 2026?
As the 4th quarter approaches and planning season happens, the importance of year-end profit numbers grows by the day. Many channel leaders have to see-saw from a meeting about this year to a Planning meeting for 2026 about every hour. I found when I was in those meetings every day, that I needed to focus my energy into buckets, to do the best job possible for the year end … [Read more...] about Industrial Planning season is here, are you ready for 2026?
Part 2 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
I wrote a recent column reminding Industrial Channel leaders about not forgetting about the business fundamentals of the channel that hit a nerve with many readers. The column focused on that even with all the changes over the past two decades - smart phones, instant access to data, end customers who want self-service digital tools and full-service support, and many other … [Read more...] about Part 2 – All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
Fall is the season to get your Channel business ready for 2026
This week, I was on calls with various Industrial Channel and Industrial Supply Association (ISA) leaders discussing the upcoming ISA Fall Summit in Memphis, TN, in early November. We were discussing the tracks, the speakers and presenters, and the takeaways for participants. In looking at the speakers and presenters, I was struck by the fact that 20 of the speakers across … [Read more...] about Fall is the season to get your Channel business ready for 2026
ISA Member Earnings – Lawson Products (DSG)
ISA Member - Lawson Products is part of Distribution Solutions Group (DSG), so their results are shown as platform in the overall DSG earnings releases. Lawson showed moderate sales growth in the latest Q2 2025 Earnings Release. Distribution Solutions Group (DSG) – DSG, the specialty distribution company serving the MRO, OEM and industrial technologies markets, headquartered … [Read more...] about ISA Member Earnings – Lawson Products (DSG)
ISA Member Earnings – Kennametal Q4 2025 Results
Kennametal launched their fourth-quarter earnings report in August and the industrial waters have been choppy this year, but the size of the overall North American market creates opportunities for growth. Kennametal – Kennametal, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions for the … [Read more...] about ISA Member Earnings – Kennametal Q4 2025 Results
All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
On my first week on the job as a distributor 25 years ago, that quote that Dick Schmid told me at Crescent Electric Supply stuck with me. From 2000 to 2025 a lot has changed in the distribution channel - smart phones, instant access to data, end customers who want self-service tools and full-service support, and many other changes (with AI being another … [Read more...] about All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
