Amid continued uncertainty over the long-term impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus, oil and gas prices, and the economy in general, Industrial Info Resources has tracked more than $55 billion worth of U.S. capital projects requiring pipe, valves and fittings (PVF) that were planned for completion in the first quarter of 2020. 

Harold Armstrong, Armstrong/Weatherly, is the 2020 inductee into The Wholesaler's PVF Hall of Fame.

The average annual sales growth for the 12 months through March 2020 is 4.1 percent.

Indicative of the virtual environment many businesses are relying on to fulfill needs, 68 percent of members in the AD eCommerce program saw an increase in customer online activity and orders in spite of the lockdowns. 

Downsizing is one of the most important factors that can either weaken or strengthen your company — both during the crisis and for years after — depending on how you do it.

Supply chains throughout our economy will experience volatile shock waves of product supply and demand over the next year or more. This will create chaos in both customer fulfillment and supplier replenishment unless managers adopt a completely different way of managing their supply chains.

One noteworthy result of the April 24 survey is the stabilization of distributor sales, with 22 percent of respondents reporting their sales increased compared to the previous week.

Wholesaler-distributors looking to become leaner and execute flawlessly are recognizing a rapidly changing landscape, pushing many to consider investments in core warehouse distribution operations to capture incremental efficiencies.