The 2026 AI Adoption Index – What 300+ Distributors Told Us

Tuesday August 25, 2026 @ 3:00 PM ET | Virtual

We’re now well passed the learning stage of AI in distribution, with the industry rapidly finding where those investments are producing measurable value.

Join NAW and Infor for a first look at findings from NAW’s inaugural AI Adoption Index, based on responses from more than 300 distribution leaders. Designed as a granular benchmarking tool, the Index enables distributors to compare their level of AI adoption, scale and organizational readiness with peers in their market, product sector and revenue band.

What You’ll Learn:

• Examine where distributors are evaluating, piloting, scaling and fully deploying AI across key business functions
• Show where AI is having the greatest measurable impact, how adoption differs by company size and sector and which barriers — including data quality, integration, governance, talent and unclear ROI — are slowing broader progress
• Provide critical context and analysis of the research data

This event will place the findings in the context of distribution’s broader AI evolution and discuss what executives should prioritize as they move from isolated use cases toward repeatable, scalable value.

Meet the Speakers

Soma Somasundaram
President & CTO
Infor

As President of Products and Chief Technology Officer, Soma Somasundaram defines Infor’s technology strategy and manages the design and rollout of the company’s full suite of business applications. Soma has worked in many countries around the globe, including India, Germany, Australia, the UK and has more than 40 years of experience in enterprise resource planning, supply chain and financial applications.

Steve Levy
Vice President of Enterprise Architecture
Infor

Steve Levy spent his early career redefining distribution as Executive Vice President of a wholesale paper distributor, where he pioneered vendor-managed inventory. Today, as VP of Enterprise Architecture for Distribution at Infor, Steve pairs deep operational roots with pragmatic innovation — guiding the world’s largest distributors through cloud modernization and digital transformation.

Mike Hockett
Executive Editor
NAW-MDM

Mike Hockett has served as MDM’s executive editor since early 2022. He oversees MDM’s editorial content and direction, coordinates with contributing authors, conducts interviews with executives in the wholesale distribution space and serves as the editorial face of MDM at industry events. He has extensively covered the distribution and manufacturing sectors since 2014.

This webinar sponsored by: