Industry News

Additional articles of interest may be found in our Industry News Archives.

Distribution Trends: Strategies for Surviving a Slowdown - " I don’t know if we are in a recession, but the evidence of a slowdown is inescapable at this point. But don’t give up hope – there are many opportunities out there, as shown by the advice from NAW Executive Summit attendees...  I had the privilege of facilitating a panel of top-notch executives. You can view their PowerPoint slides online..."  Source: Dr. Adam Fein's Weblog (2/5/2008)

Wholesale Distribution in the Economy - "I want to start off 2008 with a key point from my recent Wholesale Distribution Economic Outlook presentation: Distribution as a whole is still a stable and substantial part of the U.S. economy."  Source: Dr. Adam Fein's Weblog (1/7/2008)

NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow Predictions for 2008 -  Source NAW SmartBrief 12/13/2007

Forecast: Brace for economic changes in 2008 - With analysts predicting an economic slowdown in 2008 and possibly even a recession, the wholesale distribution industry is girding itself. One distributor offered up this strategy: "We have been working to shore up and clean up our infrastructure as well as work with some of our slower/lower performing branches. We are also working very hard to ensure that our value proposition is what the market is actually looking for. In leaner years a distributor has to be the one to bring the most value to the market in order to be successful." Others are taking such measures as seeking new manufacturers to represent and products to sell; reevaluating their work force needs; and crafting long-term strategic plans. Source: Modern Distribution Management (12/1/2007)

Value-added services add to the bottom line -With attempts at price increases not working for most wholesaler-distributors, a better approach is to develop value-added products and services that target unique segments with specific offers. That means educating yourself on the nature of your market niches and targeting markets from the high-end to the low-end, instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach. W-Ds need to stop giving away value-added services as perks and start utilizing them as chargeable benefits, the authors of this article advise. Source:  Modern Distribution Management (7/25/2007)

Automating the Mundane - Innovation in wholesale distribution doesn’t always require industry-leading strategy shifts. Sometimes, success just requires ongoing, incremental improvement to get better every day in every way...  Productivity is fundamental to profit growth in wholesale distribution because employee compensation costs—salaries, commissions, and benefits—represent 60% to 70% of total operating expenses.  Source: Distribution Trends, Dr. Adam Fein (April 16, 2007)

Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain is the eighth edition in the acclaimed wholesale distribution trends series from NAW/DREF. This all-new report provides wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers, suppliers, and their customers with strategic insights into the key business and economic trends affecting the wholesale distribution supply chain through 2012. The report also describes innovative strategies and tactics that wholesaler-distributors can use in response to these trends.  (Available early March, 2007)

Three Heads Are Better Than One - Dead inventory kills your profitability in two ways.  Not only does it tie up capital, but it also costs you money in handling.  Since we know that new items cause dead stock, we should use caution and scrutiny when adding new items to our inventory.  Source: Progressive Distributor (01/2007)

Inventory Stratification - Distribution firms have faced increasing pressure to reduce costs in their supply chain while simultaneously increasing inventory availability.  Source:  Dr. Barry Lawrence, Progressive Distributor (11/2006)

Fast Methods for Warehouse Optimization - When reviewing operational efficiencies and potential cost-savings initiatives, there is no greater savings potential than the areas of inventory control and warehouse management.  Source:  Progressive Distributor (11/2006)

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