Featured Blog Archives

MDM’s May Premium Monthly Issue Now Available

Our May issue is packed with articles that cover the margin pressure gap between large and small distributors; a deep dive into Grainger’s impressive 1Q; parts 2 and 3 of Tom Gale’s data analytics series; updates on DNOW’s MRC Global integration and ERP headaches; our monthly MDM Forecast and M&A Roundup; a Safety/PPE Market Profile; and more.

June 5, 2026

Market Analysis

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

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June 4, 2026

Top Distributor Sectors

Here’s Where Distributors Rank on the 2026 Fortune 500

With MDM’s Top Distributors Lists about to publish, see where the largest of them appeared on Fortune’s marquee who’s-who of U.S. companies.

June 3, 2026

ERP

How Epicor Sees AI Moving ERP Toward Business Outcomes

Epicor CMO and SVP of Product Kerrie Jordan joins the MDM Amplify Podcast to discuss ERP’s shift from a system of record to a system of outcomes, the company’s latest agentic AI announcements and what distributors should prioritize as business software enters its next chapter.

June 2, 2026

Mergers & Acquisitions

May M&A Roundup: Ferguson Adds a Half Dozen & Rexel Inks Midwest Boost

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June 1, 2026

Market Analysis

Vendor Costs are Eating Your Margin. Your Bigger Competitors Don’t Have that Problem

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May 28, 2026

Census: AI Adoption Accelerating Across U.S. Businesses, but Use Cases Remain Narrow

New Census Bureau data analysis suggests wholesale trade continues to report AI usage below the national average, indicating a more gradual pace of adoption. Meanwhile, the broader findings reflect MDM & NAW's industry AI research.

May 27, 2026

Warehousing

Before You Automate Your Warehouse, Ask These 3 Questions

Warehouse automation often falls short — not because of technology, but because distributors automate the wrong problems. This piece outlines three critical questions to reduce friction, improve workflow orchestration and ensure automation investments actually deliver efficiency gains.

May 26, 2026

Market Analysis

The Hidden Majority: Your AI Is Writing Emails. Your Competitor’s is Finding Margin

We kick off our new "The Hidden Majority" article series with one that focuses on the small- to mid-sized results from the latest Baird-MDM survey combined with our AI research from earlier this year. This piece explores why pricing and margin optimization remain the industry’s biggest untapped AI opportunity — especially for sub-$100M distributors.

May 24, 2026

Quarterly MDM-Baird Distribution Survey

Research: Competitive Pressure in Distribution Persists, Intensifies Driven by Scale

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May 20, 2026

Economic Trends

MDM Forecast: May Update

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May 19, 2026

Finance

Late Payments: Key Causes, Consequences and How to Close the Gap

Late payments aren’t just a collections issue — they expose deeper breakdowns across distributors’ revenue lifecycle. This contributed article explores the operational causes behind delayed cash flow and how unified data, contract-driven billing and AI can help close the gap.

May 18, 2026

Data & Analytics

Market Analytics, Pt. 3: From Insight to Intervention – Activating the Growth Engine

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May 13, 2026

Expert Perspective

Graybar’s Mazzarella on AI, Advocacy and Distribution’s Human Advantage

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May 12, 2026

Mergers & Acquisitions

QXO Maps Out Post-Deal Playbook as it Integrates Beacon, Kodiak and Adds TopBuild

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May 11, 2026

Sales & Marketing

Podcast: Field Sales is Far From Dead – It’s Evolving

Map My Customers’ JT Rimbey joins the MDM Amplify podcast to discuss the evolving role of field sales in distribution — exploring territory management, account segmentation, CRM adoption and why relationship-driven outside sales remains a critical competitive advantage despite growing digital buying trends and advances in AI-powered sales technology.

May 11, 2026

Market Analysis

Oil & Gas Drives March Jump in March U.S. Wholesale Inventories & Sales

Frontloading on petroleum products ahead of price shocks tied to the Iran war skewed the industry's overall figures, but here, view product vertical-specific figures for monthly and year-over-year sales, inventories and inventory/sales ratios pulled from the Census Bureau's latest wholesale trade report.

May 8, 2026

MDM Blog

MDM’s April Premium Monthly Issue Now Available

Our April issue contains articles that complete our deep dive Stellar Industrial Supply research on the state of pricing power; why manual cost updates are bleeding margin; a Fastenal financials analysis; our monthly MDM Forecast and M&A Roundup; a Wiring products Market Profile; and more.