Inflation accelerated in September, with prices increasing 0.4% from the previous month and 3.4% from a year earlier, according to the Commerce Department's personal consumption expenditures price index -- the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.3% from August and 3.7% annually, marking the slowest annual rate since May 2021.

Orders for durable goods increased by a robust 4.7% in September, helped by a 12.7% rise in transportation equipment orders, according to Commerce Department data. Overall, the data paints a healthy picture of the state of American manufacturing, with new orders registering healthy gains after consecutive monthly falls in July and August.

Grainger's third-quarter net sales were up 6.7% from a year ago, coming in at $4.21 billion, and gross profit was up 9.1% to $1.7 billion. The Chicago-based distributor saw continued strength in US demand for industrial maintenance and repair equipment, and gross profit margins matched the previous quarter at 39.3%.

Industrial gases giant Linde again raised its full-year earnings guidance for a third time amid high demand for clean energy as countries invest more in hydrogen to cut emissions. Third-quarter sales fell 7% to $8.2 billion, but CEO Sanjiv Lamba said the company is expected "to continue giving between 20 to 50 basis points of margin expansion every year."

Investing in new automation is considered necessary for just 45.6% of warehouse and logistics executives in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Nordics and just over 36% say they are not currently using a form of the technology, according to ProGlove research. The primary barrier to entry is automation expertise, followed by warehouse integration difficulties, internal resistance, support and maintenance challenges and lack of time to train staff.

SAP's Empowering Women in Supply Chain group, spearheaded by Darcy MacClaren, is focused on mentorship, work-life balance and confidence-building initiatives to improve gender diversity in supply chain roles. Despite these efforts, there remains a significant retention issue for women who reach middle-management positions in the sector.

US ad sales increased 0.1% year-over-year for September following a 1.2% gain in August and 6.2% gain in July, per Guideline's US Ad Market Tracker. Digital's share of spending dropped from 69% in August to 65% in September, while traditional media's share rose from 31% to 35%.

Team leaders are most effective when they have the skills needed to assign clear roles, establish goals, are open to new ideas, solve the right problems and celebrate their team's success, writes author and leadership expert Paul B. Thornton. "The challenge here is to stay focused on being efficient, but not at the expense of being effective," Thornton writes.

NAW's Billion Dollar Executive Roundtable event November 8-9 in Dallas offers an opportunity to join other wholesaler-distributor executives in discussions about topics that matter to you and your company. Attendees will hear from leaders in the industry and expand their networking circles. Learn more about this invitation-only event here.

Get ready to supercharge your organization at the Innovators Summit in Austin, TX, from November 14 to 16! Join us to connect with tech innovators, explore emerging trends, and harness cutting-edge technologies that will propel your organization to new heights of growth and transformation.

Experience three days of excellent networking opportunities, cutting-edge content, and educational programming for leaders in the wholesale-distribution industry at NAW's Exective Summit Jan. 30 - Feb. 1. Hear from world-class speakers and explore issues critical to the industry. Be prepared for what's next and learn new strategies to get there first. View agenda and registration information here.