Grainger Ups Fastener SKUs From 3,500 to 30,000
Grainger Ups Fastener SKUs From 3,500 to 30,000
John Wolz
The new 4,007-page WW Grainger catalog will have 260 pages on fasteners. The 2005 catalog had just 60 pages on fasteners.
In what Purchasing magazine described as “the biggest product expansion in its 78-year history” Grainger is spending $5 million to $10 million to jump from 3,500 fastener SKUs to 30,000.
Grainger’s catalog lists a total of more than a half million supplies and 2.5 million repair parts primarily to MRO customers. Grainger reported sales of $5.5 billion in 2005.
Last summer potential fastener suppliers reported going through a “difficult” approval process (see FastenerNews.com, August 24, 2005).
Grainger’s fastener expansion was initially viewed as moving into more direct competition with Fastenal. However Grainger could affect local distributors too.
“Customers and other purchasing professionals who want to leverage the unplanned MRO buy have told us that we need to add more fasteners to our offering,” Grainger vice president of product management Michael Pulick told reporter Susan Avery of Purchasing magazine.
Grainger found that 88% of its customers make unplanned purchases of fasteners and turned to local distributors or fastener specialist sources.
“By expanding our fastener line, we are giving our customers a broad array of products so that they can truly consolidate their purchases which saves them time and money, and, ultimately makes them more productive,” Pulick explained.
In addition to finding sources, Grainger has added fastener training for employees and a central technical support group.
In 1927 Bill Grainger founded the company in Chicago to supply electric motors. The first branch was opened in Philadelphia in 1933 and by 1936 there were 15 branches.
Today there are 570 North American branches, including 400 in the U.S. Web: ****************************************************************
144 Companies Reserve NIFS/East Booths
John Wolz
A total of 144 companies have booked booths for the 2006 National Industrial Fastener Show/East in Columbus, OH.
The East regional trade show will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2, 2006. Conferences, an opening reception and other events are on Monday.
The official floor plan provides 292 booths. As of March 3. NIFS” website lists 144 companies reserving 156 booths. The total includes sponsors and booths bartered with associations.
The show had 223 booths in 2005 in Baltimore and the record is 653 in 1996.
For NIFS information contact show manager Susan Hurley. Tel: 614 895-1279 Fax 614 895-3466 E-mail: nifsco@fastenershows.com Web: fastenershows.com �2006 FastenerNews.com
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