Plumbing

RSS

Most learning happens on the job, with 70% from daily work, 20% from peers, and only 10% from formal training. Programs not integrated into operations often fail, and nearly half of managers see a lack of leadership development, especially at the branch level where theory must link to daily execution.

A significant percentage of AD’s overall YTD growth was the result of its 2024 merger with IMARK Electrical. However, AD members also acquired 75 companies year-to-date, including 24 fellow AD members and 51 from outside the group. 

The American Supply Association (ASA) is set to transform the plumbing, heating, cooling, and PVF industries with its Product Data Standard (PDS), launching on July 1, 2025. This initiative aims to standardize product information across the supply chain, streamlining communication from manufacturer to distributor to end user. Say goodbye to inconsistent data and hello to a new era of efficiency and clarity.

The branch is scheduled to be fully operational by early September. It will be led by Todd Shumate, a PVF industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience serving markets across West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

When Cheryl Merchant talks about her path from rural Michigan to the corner office at the Taco Family of Companies, she does so with the steady confidence of someone who’s spent four decades proving that perseverance and people-first leadership can build anything — from global factories to family-style company cultures.

Many states are amping up their efforts to remove PFAS from drinking water. 

The American Supply Association's Industrial Piping Division has awarded Alan Lipp, co-CEO of Merit Brass in Cleveland, Ohio, the 2025 IPD Award of Excellence for his significant achievements and dedicated service to the industrial and mechanical PVF segment of the PHCP-PVF industry.

Ensure your dealers account for adequate margins to offer competitive wages and maintain a skilled workforce. In the competitive HVAC repair market, paying well attracts quality employees who generate more business. Ultimately, investing in a pay raise may be more cost-effective than losing a valuable employee to a competitor.

All respondents to the new report reported a median August sales increase of +2.8% y/y, but -6% vs. July 2025. Calendar-year YTD sales +6.4%; TTM sales +6.7%. Inventory: +6% versus August 2024. Cash cycle: Median three-month average days' sales outstanding fell to 41 days.

In manufacturing and the PHCP/PVF trade, decisions made this quarter significantly shape business strategy for the next twelve months. They determine whether marketing remains reactionary and fragmented or becomes proactive and profitable. Waiting until January puts you a step behind.