The Institute for Supply Management reported a second consecutive month of contraction in May for the manufacturing sector, with the Purchasing Managers Index falling to 48.7 from 49.2 a month earlier. The May reading marks the industry's 18th contraction in 19 months, attributed to softening demand and slowing investment despite increased production and employment.

Motion and Control Enterprises, an industrial and fluid power distributor, is expanding its reach into the Mid-Atlantic by acquiring industrial distributor Ives Equipment. "By combining our resources and expertise, this acquisition expands our growing flow control footprint and positions the combined business to provide an even more comprehensive suite of highly engineered solutions," says MCE Chair and CEO Charles Hale. Ives will continue to operate under its current name and the leadership of President Terry Ives.

Online sales worldwide are on track to hit $6.8 trillion in 2028, up from $4.4 trillion last year, according to a Forrester report. Slightly more than three-quarters of all global sales will still happen offline, the report says, highlighting the importance of retailers continuing to grow their omnichannel efforts.

Distributors pushing for sales growth need to understand its limitations, ensure it does not lead to profit loss and consider how interconnected sales and expense growth are, writes Al Bates, principal of the Distribution Performance Project. One way to ensure that profit and sales go up in tandem is to have an ambitious marketing sales forecast to motivate the sales team and a separate, modest financial sales forecast that expense planning is based on, Bates writes.

The FDA plans to reorganize its food division starting this fall, in an effort to better oversee the food supply chain and agricultural products. A new model called the Human Foods Program will be created. The decision comes on the heels of the 2022 baby formula shortage that raised questions about the agency's response capabilities.

Taking a systematic approach to the supply chain, finding gaps in data and reviewing visibility tools are steps companies should take to incorporate sustainability into procurement, writes Adam Spurdle of Communisis. Data gathering and analysis about environmental and social effects of business choices are essential for efficient operations and reducing carbon emissions, Spurdle writes.

Business-to-business marketers must evolve strategies from a focus on marketing qualified leads and attribution to truly engaging audiences via educational content, nurturing and transparency, writes Abdul Rastagar, head of marketing at Lexitas Pharma Services. Offer ungated content that addresses industry challenges, cultivate employee advocacy, tap experts for podcasts and livestreams, and prioritize brand building, Rastagar advises.

Saying, "I don't know," as a leader isn't a sign of weakness; instead, it shows that you know your team can often be smarter than you and have ideas and solutions you may not have yet considered, writes columnist Jason Aten. "As a leader, even though it can seem unsatisfying to not have an answer for everything, making bad decisions just because you want to look like you know everything is the one thing you should never do," Aten notes.

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