As customers continue to work down inventory levels into 2024, James Dorn and John Gunderson outline action items for optimizing inventory levels in partnership with suppliers to stay nimble and gain share.
Latest In Strategy
We extract key takeaways from a new innovation handbook for distributors and the research that went into it.
Following his three-part article series, we had John Gunderson on the podcast for a deeper dive into Fastenal’s move from a company dependent on a nationwide branch network to one that emphasizes embedded customer service.
Some distributors treat purchasing and procurement roles as administrators tasked with buying what the company needs to function. But you can unlock profits by rethinking purchasing and treating your purchasing manager like a rock star.
Derived from COO Joe Limbaugh’s fireside session at MDM’s 2023 SHIFT Conference, we dive into Motion’s 5-year and ongoing organizational transformation.
John Gunderson puts a bow on 2024 business planning with advice on how to ensure your strategy is more sound than your assumptions.
Mike Hockett provides a look where distribution cybersecurity is at year-end 2023, and why data breaches in this industry are more common than you may assume.
Time for a check-up on the state of the industry as 2023 ends. Mike Marks and Tom Gale review the shifts – seismic and otherwise – that have shaped the competitive landscape across the dimensions of sales channels, digital, data analytics and culture.
Amid a sea change in employer-to-employee power dynamics, distributors have had to be much more strategic with their hiring and retention practices. We gather key takeaways on this front from Alex Chausovsky.
In the last of his three-part detective series, John Gunderson examines the role that Fastenal's investments, product line expansions and digital growth have played to drive a decade-long performance increase.
In part two of his three-part detective series, John Gunderson examines the role Fastenal's sales specialization and realignment programs played to drive a decade-long performance increase.
Distribution-focused private equity firm Shorehill Capital hit its funding target and will will continue to focus on the lower middle market.
When Wesco merged with Anixter in 2020, it took on a margin improvement plan, which may help the company reach its 10% EBITDA margin target.
In the first of a 3-part series, John Gunderson goes detective-mode to examine Fastenal's transformation from a branch count-heavy distributor to one prioritizing integrated supply and self-service.
It’s strategy season, and even optimistic predictions are for flattish 2024 industry growth. Mike Marks & Tom Gale discuss the bottom-line impact in dealing with whatever your big gorilla(s) looks like.
Mike Hockett recounts his fireside chat with Barry Litwin at MDM’s SHIFT conference, where the CEO detailed how the company actioned its many recent initiatives.
James Dorn and Tom Gale outline ways to leverage manufacturer incentives, create strategic tiered suppliers at a product category level and capture every available dollar before year-end.
Mike Marks and Tom Gale discuss data points from the 3Q23 Baird-MDM Survey, what the front lines in distribution are saying about how 4Q is shaping and things firms can do now to outperform in 2024.
Often, too many people are involved in the B2B sales workflow, the right people aren’t, or they don’t have access to needed information. We chat with vSimple’s Katie Duvall on sales communication blind spots.
James Dorn and Tom Gale discuss distributors’ use of data analytics to inform profitability decisions in the year ahead, which figures to involve more strategy as firms can't lean on inflation.
