Featured Blog Archives

Coordinated Autonomy: How Singer Industrial Scales While Staying Local

Singer Industrial President Pete Haberbosch joins the MDM Podcast to explain how the rubber, fluid power and automation distribution platform’s “coordinated autonomy” model balances scale with local control. This episode explores the company's decentralized operating philosophy, M&A strategy, leadership development and what the company is seeing across its industrial end markets heading into 2026.

February 4, 2026

Research

MDM’s 4Q25 MarketPulse Report is Here, Reflecting Revenue Performance, Pricing & Expectations

Our latest MarketPulse Report shares a wealth of data and analysis from the 4Q25 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey - conducted Jan. 5-12 - that covered respondents' revenue performance, pricing updates and business expectations for 1Q26 and the rest of the year, plus plenty of market-specific commentary.

January 28, 2026

Leadership

Nominations for MDM’s 2026 Women in Distribution are Now Open — Submit by Feb. 25

Help us recognize some deserving women in the distribution industry by nominating them using the form linked here.

January 27, 2026

Inventory Management

Keys to Actively Manage Your Inventory Portfolio for Financial Yield

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January 26, 2026

Tariffs

MDM Amplify: Tariffs as a Structural Cost – Strategies for 2026 and Beyond

Tariffs are no longer episodic shocks — they are structural operating costs for transportation and distribution companies. With margins tight and sourcing uncertainty set to last, the question now is how leaders manage them profitably. In this sponsored MDM Amplify podcast, three Grant Thornton leaders cover how T&D organizations are managing tariff exposure, protecting cash flow and building flexibility under sustained pressure.

January 22, 2026

Top Distributor Sectors

Here’s Which Distributors Made Fortune’s 2026 “Most Admired” List

More than a handful of companies on MDM's Top Distributors Lists garnered the reputation-based honor from Fortune.

January 21, 2026

Economic Trends

MDM Forecast: January Update Offers Our First Look at 2027

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January 20, 2026

Fasteners

Fastenal’s Pricing Impact Expands in Q4 as Sluggish Market Conditions Continue

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January 20, 2026

Economic Trends

Now Available: MDM’s 1Q26 Forecast Report

This comprehensive MDM 1Q26 Forecast Report is a guide to the U.S. wholesale distribution economy, providing a historical, current and future snapshot of numerous key economic indicators in one convenient place along with our exclusive sector-specific forecasts for 19 different product categories.

January 19, 2026

Emerging Markets

Distributors Bet on Data Center Wave, Position for Long-Term Market Growth

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January 16, 2026

Featured Blog

The Silent Cap on Growth: Why B2B Tech Stacks Stop Scaling

MDM's latest whitepaper — in partnership with OroCommerce — provides practical case study examples to show what technology debt looks like in practice and how distributors can unify and consolidate the tools they need to get their commerce foundation under control. Get the synopsis here.

January 15, 2026

Expert Perspective

From Grainger to Growth Platform: E&R Industrial Charts its Independent Future

Divested from Grainger in late 2023, metalworking and industrial supplies distributor E&R Industrial is entering a new chapter marked by independence, modernization and rapid expansion. CEO Joe Stephens stops by the MDM Podcast to tell us about what the company’s next couple years might look like, as well as his broader thoughts on relationship selling, what it means to be tech-enabled and the role of vending today.

January 14, 2026

Expert Perspective

Stop the Strategy Stall: How Distributors can Win in 2026 by Closing the Execution Gap

Distributors often don’t lack strategy — they lack execution. Drawing from industry research and frontline realities, this piece outlines why good ideas stall and how leaders can close the execution gap in 2026 by prioritizing focus, process discipline and consistent action

January 9, 2026

Facilities Maintenance (MRO)

MSC Begins New Chapter Marked by Sales Execution & Efficiency

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January 8, 2026

Inventory Management

Managing Inventory Like a Retirement Portfolio: A Strategic Shift for Distributors

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January 7, 2026

MDM Blog

MDM’s 2026 1st Half Industry Events Preview

See the extensive slate of industry events during the first half of 2026 that are on MDM's radar.

January 6, 2026

MDM Blog

MDM’s December Premium Monthly Issue Now Available

December's issue contains articles that cover Singer Equipment's culture-centric M&A engine; how Stellar Industrial turned documented cost savings into a market-defining value proposition; Crane Group's recent sale to PE and lessons for distributors entering the 2026 M&A cycle; and more.

January 6, 2026

Sales & Marketing

A New Look at Account Management: Where It Creates Value, and Where It Doesn’t

Account managers have long been seen as essential. But in many cases, they’re unintentionally creating friction instead of removing it. This piece opines why the role works for only a small subset of customers — and what a more effective, specialist-driven model looks like.

January 5, 2026

Building Materials/Construction

QXO Nets $1.2B in New Investment to Fuel Growth as Deal Talks Advance

A person familiar with the deal told MDM that QXO is in talks with seven companies with between $1 billion and $20 billion in revenue. Get the details here.