One of my favorite topics to analyze in this industry has always been distributor-supplier relations. Everyone loves to tout how distribution is a relationship industry — which is certainly true — but amid its digital transformation, maintaining and growing those relationships has become more challenging than ever, even with all the collaboration tools available today.

It’s why I was compelled to include a “relations” question in the 2Q23 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey conducted in early July of about 500 respondents, mostly distribution executives. That survey included the question, “From your perspective, what is the biggest thing manufacturers could do better at to reduce friction in the distributor-manufacturer relationship?” It received over 300 written responses, which Associate Editor Mark Powell analyzed in our final Premium article of July and extracted 30 thought-provoking anonymous responses from to show. (Read more in the latest edition of MDM Premium Monthly.)

Several distributors suggested manufacturers can do a better job of sharing product and point-of-sale data, which is a topic I explored in a July 5 piece that summarized a case study of the benefits seen by distributor ARG Industrial and manufacturer Midland Industrial from their data-sharing partnership. 

Senior Editor Vesna Brajkovic authored a trio of Premium pieces in July. One distilled results of the 2Q23 Baird-MDM Survey’s polling of respondent expectations for the impact of government programs and reshoring on their businesses in the next 5-10 years; one analyzed the “leveling” demand sentiment shared by MSC Industrial Supply in its late June quarterly earrings call; and one explored The Home Depot’s plans to be a one-stop-shop for complex contractor projects and capture more of that untapped Pro market. 

With artificial intelligence the juiciest topic of discussion at the moment, my July 18 piece examined another poll question in the Baird-MDM 2Q23 survey that asked respondents about how much their company is utilizing AI technology today. It gave us a nice snapshot of what portion of distributors are already involved and how many are taking a more ‘wait and see’ approach. July also included my regular recap of the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest monthly wholesale trade data as well as several other key economic indicators and what their readers mean for distributors.

It’s now crunch time in MDM’s preparations for our SHIFT | The Future of Distribution Conference, which will be held Sept. 18-20 in Denver. We’ve assembled a fantastic lineup of speakers — including numerous distribution executives — who will help us deliver a content program designed to give distributors the best practices, real-world examples and insights needed to succeed across hybrid sales, digital transformation, data analytics and talent. I’d love to see you there!

Click here to download and read the July 2023 edition of MDM’s Premium Monthly.