AD, the member owned buying/marketing group, announced today the merger with IDI Independent Distributors, effective April 1, 2019. IDI brings 107 independent industrial Canadian distributors with over 364 locations into the AD family. AD also welcomes 21 new employees and a distribution center located in Mississauga, Ontario, as part of the transaction.

This is AD’s ninth merger since the group’s founding and its fourth merger within Canada. AD completed mergers with Canadian electrical groups in 1993 and 2012, and a Canadian plumbing and heating group in 2016. AD Canadian members represent 20 percent of AD consolidated sales.

“We are honored to welcome IDI members, suppliers and staff into the AD family," said Jack Templin, AD chief programs officer and industrial president. "The members are Canadian owned and operated entrepreneurs, local market leaders focused on strong service with a desire to collaborate and share best practices. This merger expands AD Industrial’s footprint in North America, our range of services, and helps us to continue to create a winning environment for independent distribution.” 

Coming on the heels of AD’s Jan. 1, 2019, acquisition of the IDC-USA group, the IDI merger further enhances the group’s private label and redistribution capabilities, reaffirms AD’s commitment to independent industrial distribution throughout North America and reinforces the value of single industry groups coming together under the AD multi-industry umbrella.

“On behalf of the 100 plus IDI members, we are proud to join this group of best-in-class independent distributors and supplier partners," said Steve Drummond, board chairman of IDI and president of Source Atlantic. "The IDI members will now get the best of both worlds; programs and services we value from IDI, and the multi-divisional scale and infrastructure of AD.

“We are also very fortunate that AD has the resources and the experience to seamlessly accomplish a merger of this size," Drummond continued. "Source Atlantic has benefited from two AD mergers. We first joined the group when AD merged with our former electrical group, and then our former plumbing & heating group joined AD, so I speak from experience when I say that AD knows how to do mergers right.”

As a part of the merger, IDI President Rob Dewar will take on the role as president of AD Canada Industrial & Safety.

“The programs that AD offers to help their members compete today and into the future, cannot be replicated without the scale, and program innovation that AD provides," said Dewar. "A great example is the significant investment that AD continues to make in eCommerce, this investment is unparalleled and will be a true game changer for the new members of AD Canada Industrial & Safety.”