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ECONOMIC OUTLOOK REPORTS
This comprehensive NAW 3Q26 Forecast 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. Its economic indicator data is updated through July 17.
This comprehensive MDM 2Q26 Forecast 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. Its economic indicator data is updated through May 15.
Premium Monthly
Our new-look Intelligence Brief synthesizes all of our monthly Premium articles into a six-page report that distills key takeaways from that content — a perfect quick read for busy executives.
Our new-look Intelligence Brief synthesizes all of our monthly Premium articles into a six-page report that distills key takeaways from that content — a perfect quick read for busy executives.
Market Insight Reports
NAW’s 2Q26 MarketPulse Report consists of the quarterly results, analysis and commentary from the latest Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey — conducted early July — that explored revenue performance, pricing and business expectations for the current quarter and rest-of-year. It includes a wealth of market-specific data and commentary from survey respondents.
See our updated monthly deal counts; a year-to-date breakdown of M&A activity by product category; the latest EBITDA trading multiples for 27 publicly traded industrial distributors; our latest M&A-led Premium article; and our detailed recap of dealmaking activity during April-June, which saw decelerated but still healthy activity.
Case Studies
This MDM Case Study examines how Stellar Industrial Supply built a differentiated growth model around documented customer savings, service-first selling and digital execution — turning measurable value creation into a durable platform for customer loyalty, expansion and operational excellence.
How has Singer Industrial grown into a 55-plus-company platform while preserving local leadership and culture? This MDM Case Study explores the industrial rubber, fluid power and automation distributor’s coordinated autonomy model, acquisition strategy and technology investments that are helping drive scale, efficiency and long-term growth.
Premium Articles
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This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
This category can only be viewed by members. To view this category, sign up by purchasing MDM Premium Subscription (monthly) or MDM Premium Subscription (annual).
Shedding outdated technology is not only improving productivity and efficiency for the California-based company, but also allows for controlled scale and growth, with improved data accuracy and elevated customer satisfaction levels.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
The Irving, Texas-based distributor is taking its e-commerce capabilities to the next level with an investment in master data management to overcome limitations of legacy systems, and continuing to invest heavily in technology and talent in order to provide customers with a best-in-class online experience.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
April orders declined 16.5% from March.
Just as important as technology and perhaps more so for distributors are building the right business processes and organizational structures to make sure you are creating the best value for your customers. Thats the core emerging theme of our Digital Distributor Summit in June, and why we felt so strongly about the timing for this event.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Transitioning ownership of a family business is the most important business decision you will make. No challenge has as much potential to amplify the stresses, or conversely, highlight the special advantages of operating a family business.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Allied Electronics & Automations industry-leading focus on digital marketing as a core business strategy is driving omnichannel sales success for the award-winning distributor. The efforts earned Allied an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
The wholesale HVAC distributors website now features an enhanced online catalog and improved search functionality, and the company invested in text ordering capabilities to improve mobile functions and shorten wait time. The efforts earned Charles D. Jones an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
MDM is kicking off our inaugural class of 2019 Digital Innovator Award winners with profiles from Ludwig Meister and Hisco.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
About seven years ago, Hisco, a leading specialty distributor based in Houston, set out to better understand the companys profit drivers through a data-based analysis. Developing a successful system has taken years of cultural change and realigning team members thought processes around what makes a profitable customer, but the real driver, says President & CEO Bob Dill, continues to be turning the data used to anchor the initiative into real action. Hiscos relentless pursuit of actionable data makes the nearly 50-year-old employee-owned institution one of MDMs 2019 Digital Innovator Award winners.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Eighty-percent of business owners want to retire in the next 10 years, according to a Business Enterprise Institute survey. Unfortunately, most of those business owners have not actually created a concrete, written plan for their exit strategy.The lack of an exit plan can be problematic. It takes much longer than many distribution owners may expect to prepare their company for a transition. Whether you are planning to sell the business to a third party, pass ownership to the next generation or explore other options, preparing for a transition can take between five and seven years.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Since 2010, Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, has conducted quarterly surveys of distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the industry. This quarter’s survey polled approximately 500 industry leaders to determine the latest indicators on revenue and pricing based on first-quarter 2019 results and distributor and manufacturer expectations for second-quarter and full-year 2019.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Not surprisingly, our quarterly Baird cover story confirms both leading indicators as well as what were hearing anecdotally from distribution executives. The first quarter showed signs of weakness compared to the previous quarter for most distributors, but still good growth overall, and a continued optimistic outlook.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Three ways distributors can leverage the power of e-commerce.
Profit was up 7.8% during the quarter.
Sales over the first six months were up 1.9% over the same period in 2018.
As President of Kelly & Hayes, a 73-year-old commercial and industrial electrical supply house, Christian Brockey knows firsthand the challenge of selling materials that have been sitting on the shelf for years. Often, we say that we have six months of good purchasing and 73 years of mistakes in our warehouse, Brockey says. Meeting that challenge led Brockey to found DistributorStock.com, an e-commerce marketplace to help independent distributors nationwide list shelf stock for sale online. MDM spoke with Brockey to hear his vision for the website, now in Beta, and how he sees it helping to move distributors stale inventory.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
According to data from the eighth-annual MDM distribution e-commerce survey conducted with Real Results Marketing, more than half of manufacturers who responded to the 2019 MDM-Real Results Marketing State of E-Commerce survey said they are using e-commerce to sell to end-users.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Three key changes that are forcing distributors to reexamine sales coverage models
Earnings for the fourth quarter decreased 15.4%.
Shedding outdated technology is not only improving productivity and efficiency for the California-based company, but also allows for controlled scale and growth, with improved data accuracy and elevated customer satisfaction levels.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
The Irving, Texas-based distributor is taking its e-commerce capabilities to the next level with an investment in master data management to overcome limitations of legacy systems, and continuing to invest heavily in technology and talent in order to provide customers with a best-in-class online experience.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
April orders declined 16.5% from March.
Just as important as technology and perhaps more so for distributors are building the right business processes and organizational structures to make sure you are creating the best value for your customers. Thats the core emerging theme of our Digital Distributor Summit in June, and why we felt so strongly about the timing for this event.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Transitioning ownership of a family business is the most important business decision you will make. No challenge has as much potential to amplify the stresses, or conversely, highlight the special advantages of operating a family business.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Allied Electronics & Automations industry-leading focus on digital marketing as a core business strategy is driving omnichannel sales success for the award-winning distributor. The efforts earned Allied an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
The wholesale HVAC distributors website now features an enhanced online catalog and improved search functionality, and the company invested in text ordering capabilities to improve mobile functions and shorten wait time. The efforts earned Charles D. Jones an MDM 2019 Digital Innovator award.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
MDM is kicking off our inaugural class of 2019 Digital Innovator Award winners with profiles from Ludwig Meister and Hisco.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
About seven years ago, Hisco, a leading specialty distributor based in Houston, set out to better understand the companys profit drivers through a data-based analysis. Developing a successful system has taken years of cultural change and realigning team members thought processes around what makes a profitable customer, but the real driver, says President & CEO Bob Dill, continues to be turning the data used to anchor the initiative into real action. Hiscos relentless pursuit of actionable data makes the nearly 50-year-old employee-owned institution one of MDMs 2019 Digital Innovator Award winners.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Eighty-percent of business owners want to retire in the next 10 years, according to a Business Enterprise Institute survey. Unfortunately, most of those business owners have not actually created a concrete, written plan for their exit strategy.The lack of an exit plan can be problematic. It takes much longer than many distribution owners may expect to prepare their company for a transition. Whether you are planning to sell the business to a third party, pass ownership to the next generation or explore other options, preparing for a transition can take between five and seven years.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Since 2010, Robert W. Baird & Co., in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, has conducted quarterly surveys of distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the industry. This quarter’s survey polled approximately 500 industry leaders to determine the latest indicators on revenue and pricing based on first-quarter 2019 results and distributor and manufacturer expectations for second-quarter and full-year 2019.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Not surprisingly, our quarterly Baird cover story confirms both leading indicators as well as what were hearing anecdotally from distribution executives. The first quarter showed signs of weakness compared to the previous quarter for most distributors, but still good growth overall, and a continued optimistic outlook.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Three ways distributors can leverage the power of e-commerce.
Profit was up 7.8% during the quarter.
Sales over the first six months were up 1.9% over the same period in 2018.
As President of Kelly & Hayes, a 73-year-old commercial and industrial electrical supply house, Christian Brockey knows firsthand the challenge of selling materials that have been sitting on the shelf for years. Often, we say that we have six months of good purchasing and 73 years of mistakes in our warehouse, Brockey says. Meeting that challenge led Brockey to found DistributorStock.com, an e-commerce marketplace to help independent distributors nationwide list shelf stock for sale online. MDM spoke with Brockey to hear his vision for the website, now in Beta, and how he sees it helping to move distributors stale inventory.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
According to data from the eighth-annual MDM distribution e-commerce survey conducted with Real Results Marketing, more than half of manufacturers who responded to the 2019 MDM-Real Results Marketing State of E-Commerce survey said they are using e-commerce to sell to end-users.
Subscribers should log-in below to read this article.
Three key changes that are forcing distributors to reexamine sales coverage models
Earnings for the fourth quarter decreased 15.4%.
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