From supplier negotiations to difficult employee conversations, AI personas could help distributors practice before the stakes are real. This piece explores how simulated counterparts can strengthen training, preserve veteran expertise and support hiring.
Half of distributor respondents in the latest Baird-NAW survey reported a margin hit of at least 25 basis points after pricing and surcharge offsets. Here, we show and analyze how much transportation costs are taking...
Get our rundown of every deal we published during October, along with our updated monthly deal count and breakdown of year-to-date transactions by product category.
About 84% of distributor respondents in the latest Baird/NAW survey report an impact from political uncertainty, while manufacturers more often describe it as major. We break down the figures for distributors and manufacturers and analyze...
Scattered supplier updates can leave purchasing teams chasing information instead of acting on it. This piece explores how distributors can close that visibility gap without replacing or overhauling their ERP.
October brought a stronger upgrade to the industry’s 2026 revenue outlook and broader improvement in 2027 projections. Computers, metals and industrial distribution gained ground, while several consumer categories weakened. Get your much more valuable sector-specific...
Sales growth accelerated and operating profit jumped, even as pricing contributed less. But September missed street forecast and Fastenal’s seasonal benchmark. Here, we break down the quarterly results, monthly metrics and implications for industrial distributors.
Moving flawed data to the cloud or dressing it up with a dashboard doesn’t make it modern. This piece explains why real data modernization starts with clean inputs, clear ownership and common definitions — then...
U.S. wholesale sales accelerated in August, rising 1.8% as 16 of 19 product categories posted monthly gains. Durable goods led the advance — especially for those tied to data centers — while inventory growth slowed considerably,...
MDM got an inside look at Global Industrial’s national trade show, where the MRO distributor’s product breadth offered a window into its growing focus on customer verticals and deeper account relationships.
Surcharges and price increases that were never meant to be permanent may still be sitting in distributors’ price books. It may be time to revisit what still holds up — and what doesn’t.
Get our rundown of every deal we published during September, along with our updated monthly deal count and breakdown of year-to-date transactions by product category.
