The January 2023 issue of Supply House Times features the 13th Annual ASA-Supply House Times distributor roundtable, 2023 Industry forecast, and much more!
During the roundtable, participants covered everything from supply chain and labor concerns to working with the next generation customer and warehouse technology. One thing is for certain, the distribution game has changed.
As B2B offerings become increasingly commoditized, it has become more important than in any previous time in history to have a clear picture of the value proposition of your distributorship. The last 20 years - and in particular, the last two - have seen the slow but steady growth of industry behemoths that are driving commoditization of the PHCP industry.
Heading into 2023, experts remain optimistic about the health of the PHCP-PVF market despite a few impending factors: a possible recession, inflation, ongoing labor concerns, price increases and supply chain disruption.
Founded in 1923, by Henry Charles Oswald, Oswald Supply is family owned and operated through four generations and has a rich history centered on supporting heating systems throughout New York City. Over the past several decades, Oswald has expanded their presence nationally to support municipalities, housing authorities, heating & cooling Contractors, and industrial supply distributors.
All too often, what appears to be a minor sprain or strain escalates to a recordable injury because the only alternative for the employee is a trip to the ER or doctor’s office. Invariably the visit results in an anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxant prescription and/or chiropractic therapy; both defined by OSHA as recordable.
With all of the goings on over the last two years, many of us have lost sight of our customer base undergoing a significant change. Baby Boomers have moved into the background as Millennials are entering their prime earning time and make up a significant portion of decorative plumbing showrooms' professional and homeowner customers.
When it comes to keeping your finger on the pulse of the economy, ASA chief economist Dr. Chris Kuehl does just that through his live monthly ASA economic update webinars (a free member benefit) and through his three-times-a-month podcasts (also a free member benefit) where Dr. Kuehl zeroes in on a specific topic of great interest to ASA members.
While much uncertainty in the economy is ahead, we know we’ve been in this position before and we know we can weather any changes ahead. It will be increasingly important to harness the power of not only our industry trade association, but also the power of the organizations across our industry working together collectively, cooperatively and complementary as buying groups, adjacent industry organizations, and regions to support our overall industry strength.
We have much smarter circulators these days, so I was wondering whether today’s contractors preferred using circulators or zone valves. I posed the question on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com, which is a place where some of the smartest hydronic-minded people meet to discuss such things. They are never shy when asked a question. Here’s some of what they had to say.
As the popular saying goes, "branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room," while marketing is how you communicate your brand message to the world.
So will 2023 still be a sellers’ market, or can we expect things to level out? According to Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist, next year could be more of a “nobody’s market.”
As 2022 comes to a close it is now time to review my predictions from last year as well as predict ten more trends I see as we enter 2023. Just like last year, I will stay away from prognosticating about where the stock market will be at this end of the year; instead, I will stick to identifying trends that supply houses will find important in this upcoming year. With all that being said, let's jump right in and review my 2022 predictions.
There are two things that political campaigns can never have enough of — time and money. Both are used to the maximum in modern, American political operations, and 2022 was no exception.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, freight transportation activity has increased in recent years along with the total number of freight transportation related fatalities, reaching 5,653 in 2019, a 31.8% increase compared to just 10 years prior.