General Motors and the United Auto Workers came to terms on a tentative agreement Monday to end a strike that started Sept. 15. GM followed fellow automakers Ford Motor and Stellantis in reaching an agreement on similar terms with the UAW, including higher wages and bringing back cost-of-living adjustments.

St. Louis-based waterworks and industrial supplies distributor Core & Main announced plans to acquire the assets of Enviroscape ECM and its affiliated companies, which provide geosynthetics and erosion control products in Ohio. Core & Main CEO Steve LeClair said the deal offers additional capacity and expands the firm's reach and capabilities in geosynthetics. The Enviroscape acquisition is Core & Main's fifth of the year.

Applied Industrial Technologies reported increased sales and higher earnings in the first quarter of its new fiscal year, attributing sales growth to acquisitions and foreign currency translations. Sales grew by 3.1% to nearly $1.1 billion and net income increased by 21.3% to nearly $94 million.

Avient is taking a three-pronged approach to sustainability that prioritizes opportunities to reduce, renew and preserve materials, said executive Benoit Flammang during Fakuma 2023. "A lot of it comes down to regulations and to the will of the brand owner to drive sustainability," said Flammang.

Unifor, the union representing St. Lawrence Seaway workers in eastern Canada, and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp ended a week-long strike that shut down a key North American trade route linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and disrupted roughly $25 million in daily economic activity. Details of the deal were not disclosed, but the engineers, maintenance and other workers covered under the agreement were expected to return to work today.

Industrial third-quarter revenue growth came in at minus 0.5%, far from the 3.2% growth reported in Q1 and 140 basis points below expectations but better than the minus 0.8% seen in Q2, while the full-year sales forecast also improved, according to the Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey. Some distributors say pricing is continuing to moderate, margin is eroding due to competition and consumer price shopping, and backlog levels are returning to normal.

Forrester's 2024 predictions for business-to-business marketers include 70% of B2B buyers becoming annoyed due to the use of generative AI fueling poor quality, badly personalized content. In addition, millennial buyers will want earlier discussions with product experts and 50% of B2B companies will increase their investments in partner ecosystem technology.

Andrew Hutchinson highlights 34 shifts marketers can expect to see from Facebook, Instagram and Threads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), with most looking to new AI-powered tools and features. Other predictions include Threads will likely gain "legitimate challenger" status to X ; the launch of more AR-try on activations and 3D object creation on Pinterest; and direct messaging ad formats for Snapchat.

Corporate bond yields are increasing amid investor concern about firms' outstanding debt and ability to refinance. Higher borrowing costs could force companies to decide where to cut back and could eventually lead to cuts in research and development or labor. However, Janney Montgomery Scott's Guy LeBas said many companies loaded up on debt in recent years while interest rates were low, and the corporate debt to corporate earnings ratio remains healthy.

Consumers have remained resilient despite the Federal Reserve's interest-rate hikes, and how they respond over the coming months could influence the central bank's thinking as it continues to fight inflation. The Fed will hold its monthly policy meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, and is expected to hold rates steady.

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.