Transportation was the outlier with a 0.7% gain in February as overall nonresidential construction spending declined by 1% from the previous month, according to the US Census Bureau. However, the February total of $1.03 billion for nonresidential construction put in place was nonetheless up a seasonally adjusted 14% from a year before.

MRO distributor Vallen finalized its deal with Wesco International to acquire Wesco Integrated Supply, which includes most of Wesco's industrial maintenance, repair and operations integrated supply business in Europe and North America. The $350 million deal will create a combined company that provides "innovative and sustainable solutions" and "technical product knowledge," said Vallen North America CEO Chuck Delph.

The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in ahead of market predictions in March to reach 50.3 after a reading of 47.8 in February. The increase marked the first expansion registered by the manufacturing gauge since September 2022. The pick-up in activity came due to strong demand, increased output and a favorable cost base, said ISM's Timothy Fiore..

MSC Industrial Supply Co., an MRO and metalworking distributor, has acquired Schmitz Manufacturing Research and Technology's intellectual property technology assets. "With SMRT's IP assets, we will strive to create and deploy technology for the US machining industry that will drive down our customers' manufacturing costs, create capacity through speed improvements and generate greater levels of productivity on the shop floor," says Jamie Goettler, MSC's senior director for metalworking business development.

Migrating Enterprise Resource Planning and Warehouse Management System functions to the cloud can improve operational flexibility and data security for both manufacturers and distributors, says industry expert Will Quinn. Companies adopting cloud models benefit from streamlined costs, scalability to match company needs and built-in disaster recovery to ensure smooth operation if a crisis hits.

The bridge collapse in Baltimore has caused rerouting to ports in New York, New Jersey and Virginia, with ports as south as Georgia willing to handle additional ships. In addition, trucks are still moving in and out of the Baltimore port although some road detours are in place, according to DAT Freight & Analytics.

Business-to-business marketers can tap into the emotions of prospects by creating a sonic identity, which should reflect the brand's personality, sound unique and evoke meaning, writes Michael Boumendil, president and chief creative officer of Sixième Son. "A sonic identity is not a jingle; it is a distinct ecosystem of sounds that represent your brand's values, personality, and aspirations," Boumendil writes.

While some economists doubt AI's ability to boost company productivity significantly, many companies are moving ahead. Companies are using AI to speed up responses to customer questions, enable product design and give feedback when inventory is low.

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Join us on May 22 at 1 pm ET for the next webinar in our "How-to with NAW" series. Each episode is a micro-revolution for your distribution business, delivering practical takeaways and actionable steps you can implement immediately.