August 2012 – Dave Pheteplace, Bishop & Associates, looks at growth from 2010 through first quarter 2012 in the transportation market.

August 7, 2012 – A close look at prices, material costs, and other major factors, from the people who run the businesses

Competition is the primary cause for the decrease in both prices and margins. In a downturn, price competition heats up and the cannibalization of margins begins. Are distributors becoming their own worst enemies?

The military and aerospace industry is continuing to experience the downward pressures of a challenging economy. Military budgets have proven buoyant over the past few years, driven by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by higher spending by developing countries. Now the main drivers of military demand — threats, politics, and the economy — areRead More

The telecom industry continues to experience better growth than other market sectors due, in good part, to the world’s insatiable appetite for mobile subscriber technology, particularly smartphones. According to Gartner, smartphone manufacturers shipped 472 million of the devices in 2011 and they now compose 31% of the cellphone market. This is a 58% increase fromRead More

Sales have slowed down, but there’s no reason to panic: These numbers are acceptable and distributors maintain a positive business outlook. History says it’s all part of the normal business cycle, but Bishop & Associates is keeping a close eye on it.