We at MDM have rolled out our June 2026 Premium Monthly recap — packaging last month’s Premium content into one convenient blog. 

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This issue includes our feature articles from the month that cover the following:

• Parts 1-2 of our Grainger deep dive that will soon be packaged into an MDM Case Study
• An inspection of the growing pricing power gap between large and small distributors
• AI’s role in Lean Six Sigma
• City Electric Supply’s new services rollout
• Our monthly MDM Forecast that provides an updated annual revenue outlook for 20 different product sectors
• What 3M’s “Ask 3M” AI customer tool means for distributors
• June’s M&A Roundup

See June’s Premium articles below:

June M&A Roundup

Activity was the lightest its been so far in 2026, both in activity and size of deals done. Get our rundown of every deal we published about during June, along with our updated monthly deal count and breakdown of year-to-date transactions by product category.

CES is Adding Industrial Automation to its Services Playbook. Here’s How

City Electric Supply’s new Industrial Automation Solutions launch shows how a distributor can turn customer demand, supplier alignment and internal branch support into a new service platform. With more than 700 branches across North America, learn why and how CES created the new offering.

Ask 3M Launch Raises the AI Service Bar for Distributors

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.

Inside Grainger’s Assortment Engine: Curation, Private Label and the Power of Product Data

Grainger’s product advantage is not just SKU count. It is the company’s ability to curate complexity through merchandising discipline, supplier management, private label, standardization and product data. That’s the focus in the second of this three-part Grainger deep dive.

Lean Six Sigma, Pt. 2: AI Changes Processes. It Doesn’t Eliminate Discipline

This second of our four-part series explores why the most successful AI transformations are built on trust, control and domain expertise, not technology alone.

MDM Forecast: June Update

Our latest update shows a fourth straight considerable upward revision to the broader industry’s 2026 forecast, driven again by oil & gas. Get your much more valuable sector-specific revenue forecasts here.

Grainger’s High-Touch Advantage: How the MRO Leader Turned Customer Problems into a Growth Engine

Grainger’s largest business is no longer just about supplying MRO products. Its High-Touch model is built around helping customers reduce procurement friction, inventory waste, labor strain and operational complexity. We explore that business unit in the first of a three-part deep dive series into the company that has long dominated MDM’s Top Distributors Lists.

Large Distributors are Gaining Pricing Power 6X Faster than You. Here’s the Data

This piece analyzes recent MDM survey data to compare pricing power divergence between large and small distributors. It’s measurable, and most small companies haven’t seen it yet, says author Nelson Valderrama.

With MDM being a part of NAW, NAW members have complimentary access to MDM Premium. If you’re an NAW member, you should activate your Premium subscription here if you haven’t already.

Our other latest reports that are free for Premium members:

• • 2Q26 Forecast Report (3Q coming soon) – Premium access, Store link
  • 1Q26 MarketPulse Report (2Q coming soon) – Premium access, Store link
  • 1Q26 M&A Report (2Q coming soon) – Premium access, Store link
  • Case Study: Singer Industrial – Premium access, Store link
  • Case Study: Ludwig Meiser – Premium access, Store link