AI can now turn quotes and orders around in minutes, but speed alone won’t create a competitive advantage. This article explains how distributors can convert newly freed capacity into proactive selling — directing reps toward...
AI agents can quickly inflate costs and amplify risk when every task uses the same model. This article shows how intelligent model routing, firm guardrails and human oversight can help distributors scale AI responsibly while...
Wholesale distributors are sitting on an overlooked asset: the judgment and institutional knowledge of their most experienced employees. This article explains how AI can help companies capture that “tenure capital” before a historic retirement wave...
Developed with the AI Applied Consortium, NAW’s new AI Governance Architecture gives distributors a practical framework for managing AI risks, accountability, transparency and workforce impacts while keeping people at the center of implementation.
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.
