Lead time accuracy has become one of the most critical and overlooked challenges facing distributors today. While organizations have heavily invested in demand forecasting, supply-side uncertainty driven by tariffs, market volatility and ongoing disruption has made it increasingly difficult to predict when inventory will actually arrive. Traditional, static lead time assumptions can no longer keep pace.

In Before You Automate: Why Lead Time Accuracy Is the Foundation of Smarter Purchasing, NAW MDM, together with GAINS, explores how modern lead time prediction is transforming purchasing into a more precise, data-driven capability. By leveraging machine learning and multi-dimensional supply chain signals, distributors can improve timing accuracy, reduce inventory risk and build a stronger foundation for automation.

What You’ll Learn:

• What it takes to get lead times right and why that capability matters more than ever
• What becomes possible when distributors build purchasing decisions on a stronger foundation.
• The hidden risks created by inaccurate or outdated lead time assumptions
• Why traditional ERP-based lead time models fall short in today’s environment
• How modern predictive models use broader data signals to improve accuracy

Without accurate lead time insight, purchasing decisions are built on uncertainty — leading to excess inventory, stockouts and inefficient use of capital. Fill out the form to access the full whitepaper.

This whitepaper sponsored by: