US manufacturing employment reached a seven-month low as the sector continues to face challenges, according to the Institute for Supply Management's latest Purchasing Managers' Index, which dropped to 47.8 to mark the 16th straight month of contraction. Signs of optimism and rebound were present in the February report, including a third consecutive decline in customer inventories and increased sales, and eight manufacturing industries reported growth in the month, including apparel, primary metals and chemical products.

A new study by a trio of leading economists determined supply chain bottlenecks following the post-pandemic reopening of the global economy were the main driver of worldwide inflation. An analysis of trade data from 52 countries found that as supply chains improved, especially those involving China, prices for US imports began to fall sharply, highlighting the role of foreign suppliers in US price stability and the likely minimal role played by a strong US dollar.

Wholesale hardware distributor United Hardware and building materials buying cooperative Do it Best announced a planned merger following unanimous board approval from both firms. The business combination is expected to serve the DIY and independent entrepreneur sectors. Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed, and United Hardware shareholder approval is still needed to finalize the deal.

Advances in AI are bringing humanoid robots capable of complex or physically demanding tasks closer to reality, which could transform industries like manufacturing and logistics. Companies backed by tech heavyweights like Amazon, Nvidia and OpenAI are working on robots designed for warehouse work, potentially replacing jobs deemed dangerous or where recruiting human workers has proved challenging.

Automatic storage and retrieval systems are a boon for warehouse efficiency, but fire-safety standards have not yet addressed complex retrieval systems and the diverse products and packaging in warehouses today, writes Stephen Tamburello, a project manager with Telgian Engineering & Consulting. Fire protection specialists can evaluate all the hazards related to ASRS and develop protection systems, and some ASRS manufacturers and users are conducting large-scale fire tests to create performance-based design solutions, Tamburello writes.

Business-to-business decision-makers trust thought leadership content more than marketing messaging, and 75% say such content has led them to look into products and services they hadn't previously considered, according to an annual report by Edelman and LinkedIn. In addition, 70% of B2B buyers have reconsidered current vendors due to thought leadership content and 55% say the most important criteria for high-quality content is strong research and data.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's "Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure" rule, spotlighted after a ransomware gang reported a victim company to the SEC for not disclosing a breach, mandates publicly traded companies to report significant cybersecurity incidents, detailing the incident's nature, scope, timing, and impact. Additionally, the rule requires these companies to periodically disclose their strategies for managing cybersecurity risks, including leadership involvement.

Interested in membership with NAW? Reach out and let us know how we can help you.