MSC Industrial Supply Co. supports customers today to drive greater profitability and growth for a more productive tomorrow
MSC Industrial Supply Co. (MSC) is a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services. The company helps its customers drive greater productivity, profitability and growth with approximately 2.4 million product offerings, inventory management, supply chain solutions, and deep expertise with more than 80 years of working across industries.
Erik Gershwind is MSC’s Chief Executive Officer. During his nearly 30-year tenure, Erik has held a series of progressively responsible leadership roles across the business, including sales, product management, marketing, e-commerce and strategy.
As CEO, Erik has led the company’s transformation from a spot-buy supplier of industrial products to a trusted advisor helping customers solve their manufacturing challenges on the plant floor. Under Erik’s leadership, MSC’s strategic investments in people, technology, acquisitions and regional expansion across North America have resulted in revenue growth of approximately 75 percent to $4 billion, placing the company at No. 745 on the 2024 Fortune 1000 list. MSC has been certified a Great Place to Work and has been named a top place to work by several prominent publications, including Newsweek, Time, US News & World Report, Forbes and Computerworld magazines.
“Some of the themes that existed in manufacturing pre-pandemic were accelerated post Covid,” Erik begins. “When we speak to our customers, most are in desperate need of greater productivity. They’re facing margin pressures and their own competitive challenges to get products to market faster. We’ve seen an acceleration in reshoring, back to North America. As such, anything a partner can do to help with throughput and speed to market is important. Similarly, the need for skilled manufacturing talent has accelerated. In terms of recent developments at MSC, they’re all anchored around those customer needs.
“There are certain things we’ve done well over the years. We have a very large product assortment that spans metalworking supplies like tooling, cutting tools, and abrasives, and then broadline MRO categories that would be found around a plant floor like safety supplies, electrical supplies, power transmission, and hand and power tools. We have always provided our customers with a one-stop shopping experience and seamless service. We carry over two million SKUs and a large portion of those are in-stock items, with an inventory value of between $600 million and $700 million. We also have a logistics network with several large distribution centers, positioned to get products to our customers next day here in the States. There’s always been a strong customer service ethic at MSC, but what’s been different of late is the extension of MSC inside our customers’ operations to help them tackle those challenges.
“An example of this difference is what we call our in-plant program, which is designed to help customers with productivity, faster throughput, and with solving the skills gap. Along with technical expertise, a salesperson and an inventory management system, our people work with the customer on site and full time. With the customers participating in our in-plant program, we have experienced a remarkable acceleration in their productivity curve. Over the past five years, the program has gone from accounting for one percent of our sales to 16 percent and growing,” he elaborates.
Founded by Sid Jacobson, Erik’s grandfather, in 1941, the company continues to build on a rich history of commitment to customers, shareholders, associates and local communities.
“The values on which my grandfather founded the business still drive us today, including the importance of people and growth. Growth is the lifeblood of any company; growth fuels investment in people, customers, and suppliers. The other concept is reinvention. Values can remain the same, but it’s important to evolve because the world is changing, as are our customers’ needs. Our in-plant program is a great example of reinvention as we have transitioned from being a transactional supplier to becoming a partner that extends to our customers’ internal operations.
“My grandfather believed in embodying empathy and integrity. He also championed a sense of community which is akin to today’s concept of ESG. He believed the company was accountable to more than its shareholders and believed in giving back. Our company brand promise, ‘Built to Make you Better’ is a nod to the past, our sense of community service, and a nod to the future playing a bigger role in our customers’ operations.
“We have an open-door policy which extends to associates, suppliers and customers. If there is an issue, I and the rest of the executive team will personally reach out to the customer concerned. MSC’s structure is not hierarchical; the leadership team stays close to our front-line team, which is fundamental to the success of the company,” Erik explains.
The company prides itself on successful partnerships and innovative technology that drives customer success. “Our MSC MillMax® technology is revolutionizing American manufacturing,” adds Dr. Michael Gomez, Principal R&D Engineer. “It takes the guesswork out of optimizing milling applications, replacing the traditional trial and error approach with a scientifically proven method that delivers proven results. By taking minutes instead of hours, it promises to drive productivity for businesses like never before, with the potential to drive American manufacturing to new heights. Every milling tool assembly vibrates at a unique frequency. MSC MillMax® analyzes and records those frequencies, and our metalworking specialists then work with customers to interpret the data and provide everything needed for optimal performance. ROI is significant when it comes to maximizing a customer’s machining operations, and this is just one tool in the arsenal of our metalworking specialist team that helps them deliver cost savings and the customer experience that we strive to achieve every day.” 
“We partner with leadership and research centers in the US in conjunction with the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These partnerships have helped us to bring our technology to market,” Erik elaborates.
Another example of a successful customer partnership can be seen in MSC’s solutions to support BEST Pump and Flow’s (BEST) operations. BEST is a Fort Worth, Texas-based producer of high-performance products for oilfield services. Along with identifying opportunities, MSC collaborated with BEST to improve efficiency in several operations, including a deep milling process that once required two machines to complete. MSC has been a trusted partner to BEST for more than two decades.
“Alongside these customer and R&D partnerships, we have also made several acquisitions in terms of both intellectual property and geographic expansion. Through acquisitions in the US, Mexico and Canada, as well as in the UK, we’ve expanded our presence considerably,” he continues.
“We have seen a softening in manufacturing in recent months. A combination of higher interest rates for long periods of time, alongside the impending election, is giving people pause. So, right now, our customers need productivity and for the balance of 2024, our focus is on helping our customers achieve it. Looking at 2025, the outlook is more optimistic, and manufacturing is poised for a return to a good run of growth. So, we’re gearing up for that growth to help support our customers.
“Manufacturing has become an exciting place to be,” Erik enthuses, “with movement to higher growth industries. The job on the manufacturing floor has also changed and is more sophisticated. We champion the sector and are excited to play a part in helping manufacturing to flourish. Internally, we run several programs to develop our people and cultivate the next generation of diverse talent. We invest heavily in our own people and have partnerships with local universities to bring talent in,” he concludes. “At MSC, we’re big believers in cultivating the next generation of talent to support US manufacturing and ultimately, the entire sector on a global scale.”