NAW’s 2026 AI Adoption Index suggests early returns are showing up as time saved, greater throughput and avoided hiring long before they appear as broad job reductions.
Research: Distribution AI’s First Workforce Impact Is Capacity — Not Cuts Read More »
Rising fuel, labor and operating costs are putting added pressure on distributor margins. This article explores how AI-powered route optimization can help distributors cut unnecessary fleet miles, improve delivery efficiency and reduce costs — without sacrificing the reliable service customers expect.
Fuel Costs Put Distributors’ Delivery Miles Under Scrutiny. Here’s How AI is Helping Read More »
Formerly our Premium Monthly report — a PDF often spanning 30-40 pages — our Intelligence Brief provides a consise, synthesized eight-page briefing that extracts the biggest takeaways and themes from the articles published each month. It’s perfect for busy executives. Premium members can get our September Intelligence Brief from the link in this blog or from their Premium Dashboard.
MDM’s September Premium Monthly Intelligence Brief is Here Read More »
Giving commercial teams more pricing authority doesn’t have to mean losing control. This piece explains how distributors can use pricing guardrails, centralized visibility and deterministic controls to balance local market flexibility with financial discipline — an approach that becomes even more important as AI plays a larger role in pricing decisions.
How to Give Commercial Teams Pricing Power (Without Losing Control) Read More »
Emerging technology is becoming more specific, more capable and more fluent in how wholesale distribution operates. Here, NAW’s Dan Schuberth offers his perspective on how the advantage will go to companies that pair it with the accumulated judgment of their people.
As AI Learns Distribution, Distributors Must Teach it Well Read More »
MDM’s latest case study examines how Grainger continues to outgrow the MRO market through a connected operating model built on High-Touch customer solutions, curated assortment, private label, digital commerce, data intelligence and fulfillment scale.
MDM’s Grainger Case Study Report Now Available Read More »
NAW’s fifth annual Innovators Summit brought distributors and technology innovators together in Nashville for targeted meetings and industry discussions. AI was embedded throughout the event, but the conversation increasingly centered on a more disciplined question: Where can technology create measurable business value?
At NAW Innovators Summit, Distribution’s AI Conversation Shifts to Business Value Read More »
A blend of technical education, industry partnerships and applied projects is helping Texas A&M connect students with distribution careers while adapting to employers’ changing expectations. We take a look at what the program looks like today and how it’s evolving.
More quotes doesn’t always mean more sales. This piece details why the biggest leak in your sales pipeline happens before the quote, and how a back-to-basics approach will best position you to get the most value out of CRM, AI and whatever technology comes next.
What to Fix Before Investing in CRM Read More »
AI can now turn quotes and orders around in minutes, but speed alone won’t create a competitive advantage. This article explains how distributors can convert newly freed capacity into proactive selling — directing reps toward the accounts, products and conversations most likely to generate growth.
The Quote Writes Itself Now. But That Won’t Be Your Advantage. Read More »
Our newly-revamped Premium Monthly report — formerly a PDF often spanning 30-40 pages — provides a consise, synthesized eight-page briefing that extracts the biggest takeaways and themes from the articles published each month. It’s perfect for busy executives. Premium members can get our August Intelligence Brief here or from their Premium Dashboard.
MDM’s August Premium Monthly Intelligence Brief is Here Read More »
Every distributor loses deals to money that was never really there. This piece analyzes what happens when a rep does everything right and still can’t book the revenue.
Sales Deals Stall. Here’s How to Tell Which Ones Were Never Funded. Read More »
New NAW survey data show that sub-$100M distributors respond to cost pressure with a single blunt instrument, even as that pressure arrives through at least three different channels at once.
Research: Your Costs Changed in 3 Places During 2Q26. Your Pricing Changed Once. Read More »
With B2B buyer expectations shifting as quickly as the AI technology that supports them, wholesale distributors can no longer rely on outdated sales playbooks to protect margins and drive growth. Modern buyers demand seamless digital options for routine reordering, forcing traditional field representatives to evolve from manual order-takers into high-value consultative partners. Transforming your distribution
5 Steps to Transform Your Distribution Sales Model Read More »
Outside sales reps spend hours each week reconstructing customer visits in CRM systems built around reporting rather than field work. This piece examines the hidden data-entry tax — and where rep-approved AI could help close the gap between what happens on the road and what makes it into the pipeline.
Outside Sales is Still Retyping the Day Read More »
Five years goes fast — and chasing revenue won’t maximize your exit. This piece lays out a profit-first playbook to boost valuation, eliminate margin leaks and build the predictable performance buyers demand in today’s distribution M&A market.
5 Years from Exit? Here’s Where to Focus Now Read More »
This this Q&A piece, Ducker Carlisle’s Amy Marzonie and Chris Fisher explain how consolidators are using inventory turns, delivery performance and cost-to-serve to assess distributor scalability — and why operational discipline alone won’t maximize growth or valuation.
The KPIs Raising the Bar for Mid-Market Distributors Read More »
We’ve revamped our Premium Monthly report — formerly a PDF often spanning 30-40 pages — into a consise, synthesized six-page briefing that extracts the biggest takeaways and themes from the articles published each month. It’s perfect for busy executives. Get our July and June briefs here.
MDM’s July Premium Monthly Intelligence Brief is Here Read More »
ADI Global Distribution’s launch as an independent public company and Ferguson’s elevation to the S&P 500 delivered a rare double milestone for wholesale distribution — and a timely reminder of the industry’s scale, resilience and economic importance.
ADI’s NYSE Debut, Ferguson’s S&P 500 Entry Give Distribution a Week to Celebrate Read More »
Wholesale distributors are sitting on an overlooked asset: the judgment and institutional knowledge of their most experienced employees. This article explains how AI can help companies capture that “tenure capital” before a historic retirement wave carries it out the door for good.
Tenure Capital: The Asset Distribution Companies Don’t Know They’re Losing Read More »
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