Private sector employment in the US rose by 150,000 last month, signaling a moderating labor market, ADP reported Wednesday. While leisure and hospitality saw an increase of 63,000 jobs, other sectors shed roles or recorded slow growth. Meanwhile, salaries rose at an annualized rate of 4.9%, marking the slowest pace since summer 2021.

Motion & Control Enterprises, an industrial and fluid power distributor, has acquired electric motor distributor Romanoff Industries, MCE's fifth acquisition of fiscal 2024. Romanoff, which has locations in Ohio and Nevada, will continue to operate under its name and leadership, and the deal will enable it to tap in to MCE's resources and further expand in the electric motor market.

Projections regarding shipping demand for the rest of 2024 are fairly cloudy due to a variety of converging factors, including diversion of vessels in the Red Sea and ports speeding up orders due to anxiety about regulatory and labor issues. Judah Levine of Freightos says the most likely scenario will be softening demand and a peak spot rate of around $10,000 per 40-foot container, while also noting a potential worst case scenario characterized by sustained demand and congestion and a "best case" marked by an end to problems in the Red Sea along with container prices returning to prepandemic levels.

Taking a disciplined approach to keeping supply decisions transparent is one way to avoid missteps such as unplanned inventory, writes Paul Lord of Gartner, who urges a focus on root causes. Lord also recommends focusing on prioritized rebalancing that incorporates principles of "define, measure, analyze, improve and control" strategies.

Using 2D barcodes and RFID gives deeper insight into inventory data and improves omnichannel visibility, with Walmart being a leading example as it has sped up cycle counts and seen other benefits from RFID, writes JW Franz of Barcoding. Franz provides a five-step plan for integrating the two technologies, including assembling a cross-functional team and investing in training.

Arketi Group's Karsten Burgstahler explains how business-to-business marketers can use the SCORE test to ensure brand messaging resonates with audiences. Burgstahler delves into the details surrounding SCORE's five measures -- surprising, contextual, original, realistic and enduring.

Half of 2024 is in the rearview mirror, but that doesn't mean you can put your go-to-market models in cruise control or bird-dog the road in front of you at the expense of the road ahead, executive coach Dave Coffaro writes. Reassess with an eye toward what's different, advises Coffaro, because the "faster the pace of evolution in operating conditions, the sooner business models can become obsolete."

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