Innovation in distribution is often framed as a race to adopt new technology — from AI to eCommerce to digital sales tools. But what if that’s the wrong way to think about it?

In this episode of the MDM Podcast, I’m joined by Max Meister, Co-CEO of Germany-based power transmission products distributor Ludwig Meister — a company that has spent more than a decade building one of the industry’s most disciplined and effective innovation models, and the subject of MDM’s latest Case Study feature (free for Premium, also available in MDM Store).

Their approach? Start with execution — not tools.

Instead of leading with customer-facing digital, Ludwig Meister focused first on internal processes, data structure and operational discipline — building the foundation before scaling outward.

In our conversation here, Max shares why so many distributors struggle to turn good ideas into real results, why AI won’t fix poor data, and how sequencing your transformation efforts can make or break long-term success.

MDM and NAW’s SHIFT Conference is rapidly approaching on May 12-14 in Denver, and it’s all about turning concepts and best practice insights into action and processes. There aren’t many distributors that better exemplify our SHIFT content pillars of hybrid sales, digital transformation, data analytics and culture better than Ludwig Meister.

We also preview Max’s upcoming main stage session at SHIFT, where attendees will benchmark their progress across those pillars.

If you’re trying to cut through the noise around digital transformation and focus on what actually works — that’s what our discussion is all about.

Listen to the full episode via the audio player above, and you can find all of our past episodes here.