Industry Insights
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Holston Gases Acquires Athens Gas and Welding, Expands Georgia Footprint
Athens Gas and Welding, based in northeast Georgia, supplies industrial gases and welding products.
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MSC Resets Sales Model, Builds AI-Driven Growth Pipeline
A key element of MSC’s forward strategy is deeper supplier collaboration, supported by data and AI.
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Home Depot Appoints Former Ford AI Executive Fran Bell as CTO
Home Depot CEO Ted Decker said Bell’s experience in data and AI will support efforts to improve customer experience and streamline operations.
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F.W. Webb Launches Mobile App for Ordering, Pricing, and Inventory Access
F.W. Webb said the tool is intended to streamline ordering and reduce reliance on phone or in-person transactions at branch locations.
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Ryerson Reshapes Leadership Team as It Integrates Olympic Steel
The leadership changes formalize responsibilities across finance, technology, legal and operations as Ryerson works to standardize processes and coordinate execution across the merged organization.
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TD SYNNEX Growth Accelerates as AI, Hyperscale Demand Fuel Distribution and Hyve
TD SYNNEX is expanding its use of digital tools and artificial intelligence across its distribution operations.
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MSC Industrial Reports Higher Q2 Sales and Earnings
For the first six months of fiscal 2026, net sales increased 3.5% to $1.88 billion from $1.82 billion in the prior-year period.
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QXO Completes $2.25 Billion Kodiak Deal, Expands into Lumber Distribution
The transaction positions QXO to scale in a fragmented sector where consolidation has accelerated, particularly across lumber and building materials (LBM).
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Profit Creates Freedom: The Path to a Better Valuation for Distributors
Profitability is the most important metric for any distributor.
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Network Distribution Completes Alliance With PDA, Begins Integration
Company executives said the organizations share a similar operating model built on local distribution supported by centralized resources.
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Sysco-Restaurant Depot Deal Puts AI, Data Strategy at Center of Omnichannel Expansion
AI is more likely to support sales productivity and customer insight over time than to serve as a central pillar of the transaction at closing.
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Know Before You Act
How a governed operational knowledge layer and agent health metrics help distributors control agentic AI.
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The Supplier Portal Trap: Why Distributors Should Stop Waiting and Start Enriching
AI-powered enrichment tools can take that raw material and transform it into structured product content.
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Home Depot Expands Pro Digital Platform With AI, Project Management Tools
At the center of the update is an artificial intelligence-powered material list builder that interprets project requirements and generates order lists in seconds, allowing contractors to estimate and bid jobs more quickly.
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Critical Skills for Front-Line Leaders in Distribution, Part 10: Basic Technology Proficiency
A better leader is not the loudest leader. A better leader is the one who can connect the dots.
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You Need Someone to Talk To
The ideas will come. Accountability will keep you moving between conversations.
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Sonepar Reports $37.9 Billion in Sales as AI Expands Across Supply Chain
Sonepar’s AI investments come as it scales its digital commerce platform.
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Trump AI Policy Calls for National Standard and Faster Industry Adoption
A single federal standard would reduce the need to navigate differing state rules governing AI use.
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From Data to Decision: Kerrie Jordan on AI’s Real Role in Distribution
An interview with Kerrie Jordan, CMO and SVP Product, Epicor Most distributors have more data than they know what to do with. The problem isn’t access to information — it’s […]
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Proton.ai Launches Integrated Software Platform for Distributors
Proton.ai said the system is designed to replace standalone tools that often require manual data transfers and ongoing integrations.