Premium Monthly: July Content Highlighted by Distributor-Supplier Relations - Modern Distribution Management

Premium Monthly: July Content Highlighted by Distributor-Supplier Relations

Amid growing digital transformation in the industry, maintaining and improving relationships has become more challenging than ever.
How 4 Distributors are Building Supply Chain Resilience

One of my favorite topics to analyze in this industry has always been distributor-supplier relations. Everyone loves to tout how distribution is a relationship industry — which is certainly true — but amid its digital transformation, maintaining and growing those relationships has become more challenging than ever, even with all the collaboration tools available today.

It’s why I was compelled to include a “relations” question in the 2Q23 Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey conducted in early July of about 500 respondents, mostly distribution executives. That survey included the question, “From your perspective, what is the biggest thing manufacturers could do better at to reduce friction in the distributor-manufacturer relationship?” It received over 300 written responses, which Associate Editor Mark Powell analyzed in our final Premium article of July and extracted 30 thought-provoking anonymous responses from to show. (Read more in the latest edition of MDM Premium Monthly.)

Several distributors suggested manufacturers can do a better job of sharing product and point-of-sale data, which is a topic I explored in a July 5 piece that summarized a case study of the benefits seen by distributor ARG Industrial and manufacturer Midland Industrial from their data-sharing partnership. 

Senior Editor Vesna Brajkovic authored a trio of Premium pieces in July. One distilled results of the 2Q23 Baird-MDM Survey’s polling of respondent expectations for the impact of government programs and reshoring on their businesses in the next 5-10 years; one analyzed the “leveling” demand sentiment shared by MSC Industrial Supply in its late June quarterly earrings call; and one explored The Home Depot’s plans to be a one-stop-shop for complex contractor projects and capture more of that untapped Pro market. 

With artificial intelligence the juiciest topic of discussion at the moment, my July 18 piece examined another poll question in the Baird-MDM 2Q23 survey that asked respondents about how much their company is utilizing AI technology today. It gave us a nice snapshot of what portion of distributors are already involved and how many are taking a more ‘wait and see’ approach. July also included my regular recap of the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest monthly wholesale trade data as well as several other key economic indicators and what their readers mean for distributors.

It’s now crunch time in MDM’s preparations for our SHIFT | The Future of Distribution Conference, which will be held Sept. 18-20 in Denver. We’ve assembled a fantastic lineup of speakers — including numerous distribution executives — who will help us deliver a content program designed to give distributors the best practices, real-world examples and insights needed to succeed across hybrid sales, digital transformation, data analytics and talent. I’d love to see you there!

Click here to download and read the July 2023 edition of MDM’s Premium Monthly.

Related Posts

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!