In order to grow, the industry needs to fill thousands of positions.

What is industrial distribution?

It’s simple: Industrial distribution involves moving products from multiple manufacturers to multiple users.

Industrial distributors:

• Are found in every major city and most small ones, as well as near major agricultural and natural resource production centers.
• Sell a broad range of products for use in almost every industry.
• Range in size from single-location firms that sell less than $2 million annually to multi-billion, multinational companies with hundreds of locations.
• Primarily include privately-held corporations (more than 95%), many family-owned and operated.
• Serve as a “one-stop” resource for a wide range of industrial products and value-added services.
• Offer local technical expertise, product knowledge and product promotion.

What do industrial distributors do?

Industrial distributors are trained professionals who help manufacturers get their products into the hands of the customers who use it.

Customers, from your local pizza parlor to a jet engine manufacturer, all depend on distributors for products and services to help them improve productivity and profitability.

Industrial distributors:

• Call on customers and take orders
• Introduce new products
• Describe features
• Demonstrate benefits
• Solve problems
• Manage territory accounts
• Make presentations
• Purchase and inventory goods
• And more

Industries

Industrial products are used in almost every industry:

• For natural resource extraction and processing in agriculture, forestry, petroleum and mining
• To process and package food and beverages
• As components in equipment manufactured for businesses and consumers
• To maintain and repair machinery used in production processes
• In commercial and residential construction and facilities maintenance
• At public utilities and in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems

Why a career in industrial distribution?

Industrial distribution is one of the fastest growing segments of our economy:

In the United States alone, industrial distributors:

• Represent more than  5% of total gross domestic product ($750 billion).
• Operate almost 83,000 companies, with more than 113,000 branch locations.
• Employ 1.4 million workers, almost 1% of total employment

To learn more about Industrial Careers Pathway, visit their website www.industrialcareerspathway.org.