Featured Blog Archives

MDM Podcast: Jay Platt’s Passion for Learning and Communication

Decades before digital transformation became an imperative, Jay Platt, CEO of BlueVolt and former CEO of Platt Electric, was on a mission to improve how his customers, team members and vendors could access information, whether for training, customer support or building a stronger company culture. He’s still at it.

November 1, 2022

Mergers & Acquisitions

October 2022 M&A Roundup: High-Dollar Deals Mark Busy Month

During the month of October, MDM reported on 28 mergers and acquisitions in the industrial distribution and manufacturing sector. Read about them here.

November 1, 2022

Sales & Marketing

Price Changes and Inventory Shortages Don’t Need to be Difficult Conversations

Barrett Thompson discusses how sellers can maintain positive relationships with customers despite a harsh economic environment.

October 27, 2022

Technology

Automation: Make it Easier for Employees to Say Yes

Mike Hockett previews MDM’s Oct. 26 MDM webcast that will take a deep dive into the what, why and how of automation applications for distributors going forward.

October 24, 2022

Economic Trends

Quicktake: Mindsets for Managing a Slowdown

Tom Gale and Mike Marks look at unique and deeper factors the current market outlook is triggering for distributors — and the underlying longer-term positive trends where near-term opportunity may also exist.

October 21, 2022

Research

MarketPulse: 3Q Growth Moderates as Pricing Impact Weakens

Strong underlying industrial demand continued throughout the quarter, but a slowdown may be ahead. Read more in the 3Q 2022 MarketPulse report.

October 21, 2022

Technology

Enhance Your Customer Journey with Omnichannel Sales and AI

Omnichannel provides a seamless customer journey across channels, so your customers don’t have to bounce from department to department trying to place an order or ask a question.

October 20, 2022

Mergers & Acquisitions

3Q M&A: JanSan, Packaging Deals Lead More Strong Deal Activity

Envoy Solutions, Imperial Dade and BradyIFS contributed to another very busy M&A quarter for distributors and manufacturers in the industrial, commercial and construction markets.

October 20, 2022

Management

MDM Podcast: Scott Teerlinck Says Transparency Has Keyed Crescent’s Transformation

The Crescent Electric Supply leader tells us how employee engagement has kept the distributor pointed at its customer-based North Star.

October 18, 2022

Economic Trends

Quicktake: Mixed Signals, Full Speed Ahead

MDM’s team has been on the fall conference tour. Here, Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks compare notes from conversations at Affiliated Distributors, NetPlus and ISSA's recent summits, as well as MDM’s SHIFT event. They also cover the latest Baird-MDM quarterly MarketPulse survey, with most distributors reporting double-digit growth amid few signs of a slowdown.

October 16, 2022

Technology

Forget the Cool Factor: Technology Success Comes Down to Usability

White Cup's Brian Friedle spoke on the importance of technology and data-driven sales decision-making during MDM's latest webcast. Here's a recap.

October 14, 2022

MDM Blog

Transformation Emerges as Key Theme from MDM’s 3Q Podcasts

In the weeks and months leading up to MDM's SHIFT conference, podcast guests spoke on a variety of topics, with transformative strategies and evolving roles among the most discussed.

October 13, 2022

Leadership

MDM Podcast: Optimas Strengthens Leadership with Dual-CEO Structure

In an exclusive interview, Optimas Solutions dual-CEOs Mike Tuffy and Daniel Harms join the MDM Podcast to discuss how their elevation and newly announced roles provide additional stability to the global fasteners distributor and manufacturer.

October 11, 2022

Data & Analytics

Automate Data Work to Grow eCommerce Revenue

No distributors have unlimited resources, so winners must work smart, not hard, on managing product data, says Eric Hills.

October 7, 2022

Inventory Management

Effective Inventory Management Requires Short and Long-Term Attack Plans

John Gunderson recaps the key points from his recent MDM SHIFT presentation, which covers inventory management strategies for navigating the many ongoing market disruptions.

October 4, 2022

Expert Perspective

MDM’s SHIFT Conference Delivers Change Management in Spades

Whether you attended or not, get a general recap of what happened at MDM's Sept. 25-27 SHIFT conference and the value it provided to the distribution community.

September 30, 2022

Trends Report

Breaking Down Amazon Business’ New eProcurement Report

Amazon Business's second annual Procurement Report shed some light on the state of the distribution industry and where it might be headed.

September 29, 2022

Leadership

Winsupply President on Drones, Innovation, M&A and More

John McKenzie joins the MDM Podcast to discuss the distributor’s new drone delivery program and Innovation Center, as well as the strategy behind its frequent acquisitions. We also dove into how Winsupply’s employee-ownership opportunity pays dividends across the organization.

September 27, 2022

Online Marketing

Social Media Advocacy as a Key Part of Your Talent Acquisition Strategy

Here's how to leverage your employees' social media presence to speed your hiring process.

September 23, 2022

Digital Commerce

The New Reality for Distribution eCommerce

As MDM’s latest webcast discussed, the mere existence of eCommerce is no longer a competitive edge, as customization features are now expected by many B2B buyers.