Expert Insight

The Aerospace and Defense Industry Finds a Home in Utah

in June, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah) hosted the Utah Aerospace & Defense Industry Event. With featured speakers from the Department of Defense and Northrop Grumman, the discussions focused on the future of the aerospace and defense sectors in Utah, as well as the private and public partnerships that are helping to make the state an important site for the industry.  A quick survey of some of the recent aerospace and defense projects that are either underway or...

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How Businesses Can Beat the Heat and Keep their Workers Safe

In April, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) created a National Emphasis Campaign to highlight the workplace hazards of heat exposure. Every year, heat-related illnesses affect thousands of workers, and in some cases, even result in death. In fact, the Department of Labor reports that in the past three decades, the three-year average of workplace deaths caused by heat exposure has doubled. High heat exposure in the workplace happens in a wide-range of jobs. Summertime outdoor work in construction, road...

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What is Vendor Managed Inventory, and Can It Help My Business?

No business owner wants to be surprised by a lack of inventory. The sudden discovery that a tool, equipment element, safety gear, or other critical item is missing can slow, or worse, halt operations and negatively impact a company’s bottom line. On the flip side, maintaining large inventories of items can also hurt profitability, because resources must be diverted to acquiring and maintaining storage space. Businesses also face the possibility that inventory necessary today may become obsolete tomorrow, and if that...

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Recent Growth in Distribution and Fulfillment Centers Spotlights Utah’s Role in America’s Supply Chain

In December, Walmart announced that it had chosen Salt Lake City to be the location for one of its newest fulfillment centers. Scheduled to begin operations this summer, the over one-million square foot facility will employ about 450 full-time employees who will be responsible for packing and shipping items directly to customers. Located west of the airport, the fulfillment warehouse joins Walmart’s three distribution centers already in Utah, where millions of products are stored before moving on to replenish stock...

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It’s Not Always Good to Be Number One. Let’s Get Workplace Falls Off OSHA’s Top Ten Lists

For the eleventh fiscal year in a row, OSHA’s fall protection standard for the construction industry was the agency’s most frequently cited safety standard. Violations of Standard 1926.501 also topped OSHA’s lists of both “serious” violations (when a workplace hazard can cause death or serious physical harm) and “willful” violations (when an employer knowingly fails to comply with a standard or acts without concern for employee safety). Even more alarming is the fact that for construction workers, falls remain the leading...

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Thank you, Shawn

Thank You Shawn! After 36 Years, Shawn Newell Will Retire from Industrial Supply Company  At the end of this month, Industrial Supply Company will say goodbye to a man who has been instrumental in fostering our personalized customer service and supportive workplace culture. After a career that began almost four decades ago, Shawn Newell, our Vice President of Business Development, will be retiring.  Currently an important member of Industrial Supply’s executive team, his starting position at the company was much more modest. Back...

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Exciting Developments in Utah’s Renewable Energy Production

Last month, The Western Way released a report demonstrating the considerable economic impact renewable energy development has in Utah. Reviewing 31 projects in 11 rural Utah counties, researchers found that in the past few years, renewable energy projects have contributed an astounding $5.3 billion in total economic output and employed more than 9,000 Utahns.  Unlike fossil fuels, which require millions of years to get to a point where we can use them, renewable energy comes from sources—such as sun, geothermal, wind,...

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More Important Than Ever: Integrated Supply Services Help Businesses Navigate Today’s Global Supply Chains

2021 is when the term “supply chain” went mainstream. Before this year, many people never thought about the various processes required to create and transport the products they use. Now, we’re all much more aware that there is a “chain” of events necessary for a new car to get to a dealership, for just one example. Unfortunately, our awareness comes from news of disruptions, uncertainty, and problems in our supply chains. From manufacturing to transportation to warehousing, it seems that...

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Thank you supply chain workers!

Every year, Labor Day serves as an important reminder to recognize and appreciate the contributions of American workers. The past year and a half has arguably been one of the most unsettling times for wage earners, making their accomplishments during this period particularly meaningful. As a distributor of maintenance, repair, operating, and production supplies, the success of Industrial Supply Company and the customers we serve is very much dependent upon a wide-range of supply chain workers. Increased demand for products, such...

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Utah Soon to Produce Rare Element Needed for Solar Power

Utah Soon to Produce Rare Element Needed for Solar Power As we noted in a previous post (https://indsupply.com/mining-imw/), the Intermountain West makes significant contributions to the world market of metals and mined industrial materials. Exciting developments from one of Industrial Supply Company’s long-term customers indicate that our region may soon add a rare and critical component of green energy to its list of non-fuel commodities. In March, Rio Tinto announced it is building a new plant at the Utah Kennecott mine that...

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