Home Depot has evolved its sourcing logic to route orders to the optimal store based on distance, inventory availability and speed of delivery — an approach the company calls “ship from best location.”

The Federal Reserve said total industrial production increased 0.7% in April following a revised 0.3% decline in March. Manufacturing output rose 0.6%, while utilities production increased 1.9%. Mining output slipped 0.1%.

Professional contractor demand remained a more stable part of the business, supported by Home Depot’s continued expansion into specialty trade distribution through SRS Distribution.

According to the complaint, Ace used its software and analytics platforms to exchange pricing, transaction, and sales information among thousands of stores nationwide.

The company described the move as the next phase of its distribution strategy following the Juniper acquisition, which combined two large distributor networks and created an opportunity to streamline operations globally

The leadership changes have come as foodservice distributors serving schools and institutional customers continue navigating higher operating costs, evolving nutrition requirements and ongoing supply chain pressures tied to federally funded meal programs.

The strategy is expected to focus on acquiring and combining automation distributors and related businesses into a larger specialty distribution company.

Chris Kelley most recently served as president of USABlueBook, a specialty distribution business within HD Supply.