News
All the latest reporting and analysis from Distribution Strategy Group.
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Medline Nears 5 Million Square Feet of California Capacity in Fire Recovery
The expansion follows a June 11 fire that destroyed Medline’s 1 million-square-foot distribution center in Tracy, California, which served healthcare providers throughout Northern California.
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Industrial Freight Shows Signs of Recovery, Giving Distributors a More Stable Shipping Environment
Carrier executives say the improving freight mix reflects stronger manufacturing activity rather than a broad recovery across the economy.
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The Retiring Rep Problem: How to Transition Accounts Without Losing Them
Distribution leaders have worried about the silver tsunami for years, usually in the context of ownership transitions and the labor force in the warehouse and on the counter. It applies just as much to the sales force, and the numbers say it’s not a distant problem.
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Pet Products Distributor Announces Planned CEO Transition
Effective July 27, the Easton, Pennsylvania-based distributor will appoint President Nick Christensen as CEO. Blaine Phillips, who has led the company for much of the past four decades, will become executive chairman.
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City Electric Supply Expands Industrial Automation Business with Siemens Partnership
The agreement strengthens CES’s Industrial Automation Solutions (IAS) division, which provides automation engineering, control systems, and technical support through the distributor’s network of more than 750 branches.
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FreightCar America Expands Rail Parts Distribution with Southern Parts Acquisition
The acquisition adds Southern Parts & Equipment’s customer relationships, product expertise, and sourcing capabilities to FreightCar America’s existing aftermarket business.
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OSHA Cites FleetPride for 19 Safety Violations After Worker Dies at Texas Facility
The case involves one of the nation’s largest distributors of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts, where technicians routinely inspect and repair equipment that requires entry into tankers, trailers, and other confined spaces
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Motion Sees Industrial Recovery Gain Momentum as More End Markets Return to Growth
Motion’s core maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) business, which represents about 80% of sales, grew approximately 7% and improved sequentially from the first quarter.
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Lantern Raises $7 Million to Expand AI Forecasting Platform for Wholesale Distributors
The funding comes as venture capital firms continue to back software companies focused on wholesale distribution, a sector that has drawn increasing attention as distributors invest in AI to improve inventory productivity, reduce working capital, and offset labor shortages.
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Proton.ai Launches AI Platform to Automate Order and Quote Entry for Distributors
The software is designed to interpret customer requests, identify products, recommend substitute items when products are unavailable, generate draft quotes and prepare customer emails using customer-specific pricing and catalog data. Sales representatives review and approve every quote before it is delivered to a customer.