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Quarterly MDM-Baird Distribution Survey

Research: Most Distributors Expect to Increase Tech Investment in 2026

Driven by continued AI adoption and ERP upgrades, more than half of the distributors/manufacturers polled in the 4Q25 Baird-MDM survey expect to increase IT investment in 2026.

January 23, 2026

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About 62% of the ~250 executives polled as part of the 4Q25 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution survey — of which 60% of respondents represented wholesale distributors and 30% represented manufacturers — indicated they expect to increase their organization’s IT and technology investment levels in 2026 compared to 2025. The survey was conducted Jan. 5-12. Among the top-line results, we found that just 6% expect to decrease their investment, while 31% expect investments to stay the same year-over-year. Based on the commentary provided by the respondents, investments in technology across all…

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