Bottom Line
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How Much More Can We Handle
A former government economist dissects the numbers. By Joseph V. Kennedy -
The Recovery…Really!
Economist Alan Beaulieu analyzes economic trends that signal a turnaround for the gases and welding industry and encourages distributors to start spending again. By Alan Beaulieu. -
The Siren Song of Inventory Reductions
Reducing investment in inventory during an economic slowdown can be risky. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
When Will It Improve Out There?
Economist Alan Beaulieu analyzes economic trends that signal a turnaround for the gases and welding industry. By Alan Beaulieu -
Fiscal Fitness
Gases and welding suppliers and distributors discuss innovative steps taken to survive in a difficult gases and welding economy. -
Is Your Company Ripe for Embezzlement?
Employee schemes and methods of stealing and embezzling to protect against in the gases and welding industry. By Edward J. McMillan. -
Managing The Cultural Transition Of An Acquisition
Managing The Cultural Transition Of An Acquisition. By Deborah Carter-Gordley. -
Lessons Learned
Acquisitions are common in the gases and welding industry, and understanding the process makes for a more successful acquisition. By William J. Kroll. -
The Other Part Of The Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008
Not all provisions of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 have been well-publicized, including the Section 179 Deduction and Bonus Depreciation segments. By Bart A. Basi. -
Why Are Wire Rod Prices Increasing?
Prices of steel wire rod for welding have increased dramatically due to the unstable economy and increased costs of raw materials for steel wire rod in welding wire mills. By David B. Eckert. -
Avoid Creative Constipation
Many business owners in the gases and welding industry are trained to think traditionally, but in order to survive, businesses must be innovative and creative when developing new ideas. By Eric Wahl. -
The Art Of Acquisition
Gases and welding distributors discuss the process of an acquisition and what makes for a successful acquisition in the compressed gas and welding industry. -
Seller Beware
Buyers frequently take advantage of company’s looking to sell by purchasing the stock rather than the assets and taking over operations. Steps to protect against these buyer scams. By Bart A. Basi. -
The Growth Of Employee Ownership
Employee stock ownership plans are increasing in popularity due to benefits such as increased morale and efficiency. Most ESOPs include stock options for all employees. By Corey Rosen. -
Broad Demographic Trends Look Good For The Economy
Consumer spending can be broken down by generational differences, with Baby Boomers and Generation Yers leading in consumption. By Dr. Stephen Happel. -
Surcharging Into The Future
The rising cost of fuel has a large impact on sales calls and compressed gases and welding equipment delivery, and has forced many gases and welding distributors to enforce surcharges. -
The Price Of Success
Gases and welding manufacturers discuss reasons for price increases, including rising prices of fuel and steel. -
The Price Is Right?
Rising expenses such as oil prices and delivery costs are forcing distributors of compressed gases and welding equipment to raise prices and reevaluate pricing models. -
Liquid Oxygen Saves Trout Fishery
Linweld Oxygen supplies compressed gases and industrial gases to government-owned fisheries and used an oxygen contract to save a trout fishery. -
Fraud Protection
Credit card fraud affects millions every year. Following basic guidelines can help prevent you from being a victim of credit card fraud or identity theft. By Teri Nock. -
Total Upstream Process Improvement Prior To Welding
Welding equipment distributors have an opportunity to work with customers to lower the cost of welding by improving efficiency and material flow for the welding process. By Shannon D. Fanning. -
Doing Business The Customer’s Way
Traditional sales methods in the gases and welding industry must be changed in order to compete with online sales methods and a new type of gases and welding customer. By Robert Nadeau.
Business Operations
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Yes We Can
How distributors are weathering the economic downturn. -
Fueling Your Company
Gases and welding distributors struggle to save money on delivery costs for welding equipment and compressed gases as fuel prices rise. -
Discontinued/Isolated Product Liability Risks
Distributors of specialty gases and welding equipment must be sure they are insured and protected for discontinued products by creating a run-off infrastructure. By John Cavanaugh. -
Managing Interruptions
Seven tips for managing minor interruptions during the work day to allow a manager to increase efficiency and maximize productivity. By Steve McClatchy. -
Total Quality Management
The Total Quality Management philosophy is to create a culture of “quality consciousness” in all aspects of a gases and welding business in order to improve methods and increase efficiency. By Lloyd Robinson. -
A Tale Of Two Facilities
Gases and welding distributors share similar experiences moving into new branch location or fill plant facilities and offer advice on what to look out for with a new gases and welding distribution facility. -
Reduce Printing, Handling And Postage Costs
Taking simple steps allows a distributor in the compressed gas and welding equipment industry to reduce overhead costs and reduce printing, handling and mailing expenses. By David Schaer. -
Avoiding Fraudulent Credit Card Transactions
Credit card fraud has increased dramatically in the welding industry. Recent credit card scams include relay calls, internet inquiries and cross-country shipments. By Teri Nock Hunter. -
Change Your Corporate Culture To Enable Change
Innovation is critical for survival in the gases and welding industry. The culture of a corporation must be receptive to change and condone new ideas and innovation. By D. Bruce Merrifield Jr. -
Saving Money With Used Equipment
Buying used equipment for the storage and transport or compressed gases and other industrial gases can save a company money. By Jim Scarboro. -
Give Your Company Away
Employee stock option programs (or ESOPs) serve as an employee benefit as well as an incentive for employees to be more productive. -
More Begets More For Large Companies
Large gases and welding distributors enjoy the advantages of strong buying power combined with vast resources and a large customer base. -
Flexibility And Speed Are SMALL BUSINESS Hallmarks
Flexibility is the number one advantage that small gases and welding distributors have over large distributors of industrial gas and welding equipment. -
Does Company Size Really Matter?
Four distributors in the industrial gases and welding equipment industry discuss the impact of company size on change and innovation. -
Do Small Companies Fare Better Than Big Companies in Tough Times?
Small companies have an advantage over large companies in difficult economic times because of the speed of operations in implementation and proximity of key personnel. By Tom Reilly. -
Three Steps For Keeping Your Employees’ E-mail From Landing Your Business In Court
Improper use of a gases and welding company’s email system can land that company in legal troubles, facing litigation, lawsuits and heavy fines. By Patricia S. Eyres.
Globalization
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All That Glitters Is Not Gold
The case for having exposure to emerging markets in an investment portfolio has increasingly become a consensus view. However, after two years of strong returns, emerging markets (EM) stocks lurched sideways for the first half of 2011. By James Upton. -
The Great Wail Of “China”
U.S. manufacturers of welding equipment are moving operations overseas, causing many distributors of welding equipment to buy imports from China and others. -
Globalization Ups Ante For Product Liability
Globalization Ups Ante For Product Liability. Distributors must protect themselves from lawsuits involving overseas manufacturers. By Brian N. Johnson, Esq. -
An American Welding Manufacturer Responds To Offshore Competition
Imported welding equipment and other gases and welding products tend to be of lower quality than domestic products, but offer a lower price. By Paul Haneberg. -
The Global Marketplace
Offshore manufacturers of welding equipment use American technology to manufacture goods of equal quality at a lower price, leading to a more diverse global market for the gases and welding industry. By Barry Johnson.
Insurance
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FIC Decommissions Risk Retention Group
A history lesson in welding fume coverage. In 2004, eight distributors stepped up to protect an entire industry. By Wally Brant. -
Avoid Leaky Contractor Policies
Best practices for insurance and indemnification requirements in a gas and welding distributorship. By Tony Hopkins. -
How A Small Perk Can Cause Big Problems
The pros and cons of a company car benefit for members of the gases and welding equipment supply industry. By Tony Hopkins -
Insuring Success
Members of the Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) confront issues pertaining to welding fume litigation and insurance coverage for welding fume litigation. -
Distributor Risk Management Plans
A successful risk management program for a gases and welding distributor includes safety, security, regulatory compliance, quality, operational integrity, insurance, and plans for preparation and recovery. By Douglas Crayton. -
A Near-Term Solution For Health Insurance Costs
Health care insurance costs are a major concern for employers in the compressed gases and welding equipment industry. Health savings accounts (HSAs) may be a solution. By D. Bruce Merrifield Jr. -
Ride The Consumer-Driven Health Care Wave
Consumer driven health care (CDHC) allows customers to determine health benefits versus HMOs or PPOs. HSAs are an example of CHDC. By D. Bruce Merrifield Jr. -
The Other 25% Of Compensation
25% of an employee’s compensation is in benefits, so it is important to develop a communication system to communicate these compensation benefits to employees. By David E. Irving. -
Are Your Employees Underinsured?
Life insurance often is overshadowed by health insurance for employee insurance providers in the gases and welding industry. GAWDA employers need to ensure sufficient life insurance coverage for employees. By David E. Irving.
Profitability
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The Datings Game
Al Bates examines the issues of cash discounts and datings. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
Expense Leveraging And Gross Margin Management
Gases and welding distributors can increase profitability by focusing on leveraging expenses and gross margin management. Small changes in either of these will result in much higher profits. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
Let’s Make Things Worse: Cutting Prices In A Down Market
Cutting prices during slow economic times can be disastrous for a compressed gases and welding equipment distributor because it negatively impacts the bottom line. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
The Sales to Payroll Delta
It is critical to companies in the compressed gases and welding equipment industry that the sales to payroll delta be kept constant to ensure profitability. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
All Sales Volume Is Not Created Equal
The impact that a sale has on expenses determines whether it is a good sale or a bad sale, which is caused by the creation of new customers versus selling to existing ones. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
All Customers Are Not Created Equal
Customer profitability affects their importance within a gases and welding distributorship. Unprofitable customers should be let go to increase profitability. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
Hey, The Truck Is Going Right By There Anyway!
Incremental sales volume can be a good way to earn supplemental profit by employing services like invoice loading, product line extensions and direct shipments. Bates, Ph.D. -
Sales Force Pricing: The Stockholm Syndrome
Gases and welding distributors are often swayed by customers to lower prices out of empathy and end up decreasing profitability. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
Distributor Profitability Trends
A report on trends in distribution and distributor profitability as measured by all distribution versus Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) members. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D. -
Remembering The Mistakes Of The Past
Following a recession, managers in the gases and welding industry often increase payroll expenses and inventory investments, allowing uncontrolled growth. By Dr. Albert D. Bates. -
Making It Up With Volume
The unique structure of expenses in the compressed gases and welding equipment industry makes price cutting very unprofitable without significant increase in sales volume for GAWDA members. By Albert D. Bates, Ph.D.
Taxes
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The Family Limited Partnership
Tax and nontax benefits are substantial, but so is the downside. -
Selling Stock vs. Selling Assets
The tax consequences of selling a business. By Bart A. Basi and Marcus S. Renwick -
What In The World?
Now would be a good time to see your favorite tax advisor while the economy is starting to recover from the recession. By Alan Beaulieu. -
The Patient Protection And Affordable Health Care Act
Know the tax laws hidden within and see how it changes everything when it comes to health care costs. -
Personal Goodwill
Personal goodwill is the intangible value a specific person brings to a company, and is important for legal reasons for federal tax ramifications, capital gains, stock sales and special considerations for C corporations. By Bart A. Basi and Marcus S. Renwick.
