Special pricing agreements are a major margin lever for distributors — yet many leave money unclaimed due to data mismatches, rising complexity and reactive processes. The third and final article in this series outlines common...
This year has started with two strong months of dealmaking, with February tying for the most deals we’ve counted since the start of 2024. Get our breakdown of deals tracked per month over the past...
We take a deep dive into the industrial rubber, fluid power and automation distributor’s “coordinated autonomy” model — a strategy designed to balance shared scale advantages with true local decision-making. Here’s how Singer preserves legacy...
We share our latest survey-driven snapshot of what distributors and manufacturers indicated their digital sales are, plenty of commentary from distributors on the matter and our analysis and context on underlying factors.
When their $1.5 billion combination finalized in early November, it also kicked off a U.S. ERP transition for MRC that has had major problems from the start. We detail and analyze what DNOW has shared...
Many distributors believe they collect 100% of the special pricing agreement profit margin they claim. The real question is different: Are you claiming everything you’re entitled to? The second of this three-part deep dive series...
Our latest update shows a modest downgrade for 2025 annual revenues before we get December’s government data, and a larger downward revision for 2026. Get your product sector-specific forecasts here through 2027.
For many distributors, Special Pricing Agreement management has become an administrative burden to survive, not something to optimize. The first of this three-part article series explores how SPAs represent hidden margin for distributors and a...
One-third of distributors polled in the 4Q25 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution survey say recruiting skilled labor is their biggest workforce challenge this year — and rising wages are forcing some to make cuts. We analyze the...
Years of supply chain disruption haven’t triggered the sourcing pivot many expected. New Baird-MDM survey findings explore why industrial distributors are largely holding steady — and what’s really standing in the way of faster reshoring...
Now is the time for distributors to abandon their “just-in-case” mindset, argues Nelson Valderrama. Today’s (and future) markets and competition require strategic inventory management that optimizes the return on investment in countless SKUs with shifting...
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.
