As reported in Late-Breaking News in May Supply House Times, Newport News, Va.-based Ferguson Enterprises signed an agreement to purchase the assets of Full Service Supply (FSS), headquartered in Latrobe, Pa. FSS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of J&L America, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kennametal.

FSS is an integrated supplier, focused on delivery of Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) supplies to customers in the manufacturing sector. It serves 114 customers across 33 states in the United States and one province of Canada. The company had sales of about $139 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, and employs 226 associates.

The company will operate as part of the Ferguson Integrated Systems Division and do business as Ferguson Full Service Supply.

Ferguson's Integrated Systems Division

Ferguson's Integrated Systems Division had sales of about $225 million prior to the acquisition. The acquisition would boost it to around $365 million in annual revenues, making Ferguson one of the largest integrated suppliers in the country.

In other news, Ferguson's Integrated Systems Division announced the startup of its new on-site operation at Williams International in Ogden, Utah. Williams International is a world leader in the development, manufacture and support of small gas turbine engines for the aviation and industrial markets.

The Ferguson team will source and procure stock and non-stock requests, and manage the customer inventory. Ferguson will own the inventory and replenish it at multiple points throughout the customer facility. Scott Wheeler will head the Ferguson operation. Wheeler previously held leadership positions with Ferguson's operations at Motorola and Johnson & Johnson.