Plumbing - Articles - Page 4 | Supply House Times

Winsupply to add 1.6 million square feet of distribution capacity

Winsupply Family of Companies to grow distribution network via three key regions.

March 23, 2026

Winsupply announced a significant multi-year expansion of its national distribution network. Over the next two years, the company will add 1.6 million square feet of capacity, designed to empower its 680-plus Local Companies and provide a scalable foundation for future entrepreneurs to join the Winsupply Family of Companies.

Oil Refinery Gas Chemical Equipment Production in Saltend at East Riding of Yorkshire, UK

Oil price surge drives up freight costs for distributors

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down, distributors face rising transportation costs, material price pressure and renewed uncertainty.

Natalie Forster

March 20, 2026

The Strait of Hormuz is normally responsible for moving roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply has not been officially shut down in a legal sense. Instead, it has become functionally impassable for much of global shipping, creating the same supply shock as a formal closure. For global energy markets, and for the supply chains that depend on them, the impact is identical: constrained supply, rising prices and widespread uncertainty.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

Why conservative branding and hesitant messaging may be limiting distributor growth more than market conditions

You can’t grow if you’re afraid to be seen

Alicia Branham

March 20, 2026

Being visible invites judgment. Once your company is seen, it can be critiqued, compared, misunderstood, or challenged. In industries where reputation matters and tradition runs deep, that exposure feels risky.

Guest Column | Fred Simpson

Blending knowledge and advancements: How to successfully adopt new HVAC technologies.

Fred Simpson

March 18, 2026

Advancements are constantly rolling out to the PHCP and HVAC industries, and even the most seasoned professionals are fascinated by the way they help us do our jobs more efficiently while keeping our customers more comfortable.

ASA News

Cybersecruity starts with awareness, not technology

March 18, 2026

What makes this resource especially effective is that each attack scenario is explicitly tied back to related controls in the Cybersecurity Checklist. The attacks describe what can happen. The checklist outlines the practices organizations use to reduce exposure across increasing maturity levels.

ASA News

Navigating FMLA: DOL’s opinion letter clarifies travel time

March 17, 2026

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recently issued an opinion letter explaining an employee’s available leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) may be applied toward time spent traveling to and from a medical appointment.

Navigating the new freight reality

Geopolitical tensions, labor constraints and rapid technology adoption are reshaping how distributors manage transportation risk.

Carolyn Heinze

March 17, 2026

Few would argue that transporting cargo from one place to the next isn’t complicated. Even during the best of times, there are (literally) so many moving parts to account for, and one tiny blip in the process can produce big (read: expensive) problems. Today, ongoing commercial, environmental, and geopolitical developments are making the management and movement of fleets and freight an ever-changing affair.

ASA News

Experience is the product you are actually selling: What 5,000-plus customer responses reveal

Brian Hopkins Jonathan Bein

March 13, 2026

Analysis of 5,063 customer responses from 10 MEP distributors confirms what many suspected but few have quantified — customer experience has become the primary differentiator in wholesale distribution. Companies prioritizing experience demonstrate higher retention rates, greater wallet share, and reduced cost-to-serve.

EPA launches initiative to strengthen U.S. drinking water systems

RealWaterTA initiative targets aging infrastructure, regulatory compliance and technical assistance for utilities.

Natalie Forster

March 12, 2026

Announced March 4, the initiative, Real Water Technical Assistance (RealWaterTA), refocuses federal resources on technical support and practical guidance for water systems, particularly those facing operational, financial or regulatory challenges.