Distributor News

BEIJING — Manufacturing activity in China contracted for the first time in a year in July to hit a 28-month low, early HSBC data showed Thursday, the latest sign monetary tightening measures are being felt.

However, the figures also indicated that despite several interest rate hikes aimed at tempering stubbornly high inflation the cost of raw materials continued to rise.

HSBC's preliminary purchasing managers index fell to 48.9 in July from a final reading of 50.1 in June, the British banking giant said.

While the daunting task of branding a University is a far cry from branding a small business, I jumped at the opportunity to learn a few things from the woman who increased Southern Miss’s national media coverage by over 800 percent, web traffic by 107 percent, the alumni association by more than a 1,000 members beyond its goals and freshmen enrollment by 14 percent. I hope you learn a few things too!

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will soon vote on HR 1939, the "Enhancing CPSC Authority and Discretion Act of 2011," or ECADA, a bill that guts the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a vital law that keeps unsafe toys and other dangerous products off the shelves.

Congress passed CPSIA by an overwhelming, bipartisan vote in 2008, and President Bush signed the bill into law that year.

I’ve been talking abou the transformative changes taking place in the workplace today, and social media appears at first glance to be a whole new ballgame. But just as you experienced a change when you traded your vinyl records to shiny new compact discs and a transformation when you now carry all of your music library on your phone—you’re still listening to music.

Football legend Mike Ditka spoke to a packed house this morning in his keynote presentation, “ACE: Attitude, Character and Enthusiasm,” at The ASI Show in Chicago. Ditka talked to the audience about his history with the NFL, his thoughts on teamwork and leadership, and his definition of success.

Wayland, Massachusetts-based iPROMOTEu, a service provider to promotional products distributors, announced that 99 promotional products distributors have affiliated with iPROMOTEu during the first six months of 2011. These new affiliates, in the aggregate, have an estimated annual sales volume of nearly $22,500,000.

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wednesday as continued strong earnings, including from Apple Inc (AAPL.O), underscored the growing sense companies were faring well despite the soft patch in the economy.

Logomark, Tustin, Calif., a premier supplier of custom promotional products and corporate gifts, is slated to debut its new 2011 Holiday Gift Guide catalog and continue offering its popular mobile app download station at the ASI Show Chicago. The event runs from July 19 through the 21.

The Promo Marketing staff reported on new products, exhibitor opinions and speaker reactions from the first day of ASI's Chicago trade show.

When my grandparents moved into a retirement center, I helped with the garage sale. My cousin Claire and I were joking about how best to display the odds and ends from their 60 years together when I stumbled upon a gift from the gods of high kitsch. It was a letter opener, but this was not your typical letter opener.