Featured Blog Archives

AI’s Customer Service Impacts, and How to Choose the Right Tech Partner

In this sponsored MDM Amplify podcast episode, Canals Co-Founder and CTO Erez Arnon joins to unpack what MDM’s latest AI research reveals about customer service as one of distribution’s highest-impact use cases. Just as importantly, Arnon shares practical guidance on how to vet AI vendors in a crowded, hype-filled market, including key red flags and must-have proof points.

April 3, 2026

Pricing

Winning the Race: Why Manual Cost Updates are Costing Distributors Millions

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April 2, 2026

MDM Blog

MDM’s Ludwig Meister Case Study Report Now Available

Ludwig Meister shows how disciplined sequencing — not flashy tech — drives real innovation. Authored by former longtime MDM CEO and Editor Tom Gale, this case study details how the German distributor built a data-driven, AI-enabled operation by prioritizing internal processes, clean data and execution before transforming sales and customer experience.

April 2, 2026

Mergers & Acquisitions

March M&A Roundup: Major Deals Aplenty

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April 1, 2026

The Data Problem Killing Your AI Investment

Most distributors aren’t failing at AI — they’re failing at data. This piece unpacks why 95% of GenAI efforts deliver no ROI, how agentic AI is changing workflows, and why a unified data foundation is becoming the real competitive edge.

March 31, 2026

Leadership

What Our Women in Distribution Honorees Say About Joining – and Thriving – in the Industry

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March 30, 2026

Strategy

Inside Grainger Show: How a 12,000-Person Event Reinforces the Distributor’s Customer-Centric Model

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March 27, 2026

Leadership

Meet NAW’s 2026 Women in Distribution — Pt. 4

MDM concludes its 2026 Women in Distribution series by spotlighting five leaders whose careers reflect the industry’s strength in talent development, customer focus and operational excellence.

March 26, 2026

Leadership

Meet NAW’s 2026 Women in Distribution — Pt. 3

MDM’s 2026 Women in Distribution series continues with five leaders whose careers reflect the industry’s growing global reach, strategic complexity and evolving leadership demands.

March 25, 2026

Leadership

Meet NAW’s 2026 Women in Distribution — Pt. 2

MDM continues its 2026 Women in Distribution series by spotlighting five honorees and leaders making an impact across the industry — from technology leadership to sales growth and organizational transformation.

March 24, 2026

Top Distributor Sectors

LAST CALL: MDM 2026 Top Distributors Submissions are Due March 31

Want your company to be considered and accurately ranked? We need its revenue info by March 31. The easiest way to submit it is via the survey linked in this blog.

March 24, 2026

Leadership

Meet NAW’s 2026 Women in Distribution — Pt. 1

MDM kicks off its 2026 Women in Distribution series by spotlighting five honorees and leaders making an impact across the industry — from supply chain innovation to operational transformation and team development.

March 23, 2026

Economic Trends

MDM Forecast: March Update

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March 23, 2026

Digital Commerce

Unified Commerce and Agentic AI: A New Blueprint for Profitable Growth

Unified commerce platforms paired with agentic AI are helping distributors eliminate “phantom margin loss,” optimize fulfillment and unlock real-time decision-making — shifting operations from reactive workflows to autonomous, profit-driven systems that boost growth, efficiency and customer experience at scale. This piece explores the work being done here and the factors at play that determine success rates.

March 20, 2026

Technology

How Singer Industrial Is Using Technology to Connect – Not Control – its Platform

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March 19, 2026

Leadership

Ludwig Meister, Pt. 3: Making Innovation Stick – Culture, People & Reengineering Sales

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March 17, 2026

Leadership

Presenting NAW’s 2026 Women in Distribution Honorees

Presented by MDM and recognizing a collection of women pivotal to their company's growth, innovation and leadership, see our class of 20 honorees, to be followed by a series of profile articles.

March 13, 2026

Market Analysis

UPS Leaning into B2B Opportunity Amid Amazon Reduction

The strategic shift comes alongside what UPS describes as the largest network reconfiguration in its 118-year history. Here’s the key details and what distributors should watch for.

March 11, 2026

Association/Buying Group News

MDM Named a Regional Finalist in Business Journalism Awards

The American Society of Business Publication Editors’ 2026 Azbee Awards of Excellence recognized MDM as two-time regional finalist for editorial excellence.