Why Distribution’s AI Bottleneck Isn’t Budget
The companies moving beyond isolated pilots are building a repeatable operating foundation around data, integration, governance and measurable business ownership.
October 22, 2026
The Series B brings InstaLILY’s total funding to nearly $100 million as the AI provider expands technology designed to build and maintain customized software for distributors and other operationally complex businesses.
At the company’s annual TUG conference for distribution customers, CEO Kevin Samuelson and AI Innovation leader Rick Rider outlined how the company is positioning AI for distributors — not as a standalone product, but as...
The San Francisco-based startup said its seed funding will support hiring, product development and continued expansion of its machine learning models for distributor purchasing decisions.
3M’s new customer-facing AI tool gives industrial users direct access to technical product expertise — a move that signals how manufacturers are using digital tools to get closer to end customers.
What if AI doesn’t replace Lean Six Sigma, but finally makes it scalable? The first in this four-part series from NAW Chief Innovation Officer Bart Tessel introduces LSS AI: a disciplined operating model to help...
New Census Bureau data analysis suggests wholesale trade continues to report AI usage below the national average, indicating a more gradual pace of adoption. Meanwhile, the broader findings reflect MDM & NAW’s industry AI research.
We kick off our new “The Hidden Majority” article series with one that focuses on the small- to mid-sized results from the latest Baird-MDM survey combined with our AI research from earlier this year. This...
Featured coverage from The Colorado Sun focused on how distributors are approaching artificial intelligence with practical, operations-driven strategies based on conversations at NAW’s SHIFT Conference.
Distribution always had rich data on new construction — but almost nothing on the market that’s already standing. The replacement and renovation market has been a data desert for decades. That’s starting to change with...
Most distributors aren’t failing at AI — they’re failing at data. This piece unpacks why 95% of GenAI efforts deliver no ROI, how agentic AI is changing workflows, and why a unified data foundation is...
The administration is pushing for a single federal AI standard to replace a growing patchwork of state rules. If enacted, the framework could simplify compliance for distributors and accelerate AI adoption across the sector —...
Unified commerce platforms paired with agentic AI are helping distributors eliminate “phantom margin loss,” optimize fulfillment and unlock real-time decision-making — shifting operations from reactive workflows to autonomous, profit-driven systems that boost growth, efficiency and...
