Sonepar has agreed to acquire Ladder and Intereng, two authorized distributors for Rockwell Automation in Brazil, to strengthen its presence in industrial automation and other value-added sectors in the Brazilian market. The acquired companies operate in over 10 strategic regions and will be integrated into Sonepar's ecosystem to provide specialized solutions in automation and IT.

After a sharp downturn earlier this year tied to tariff concerns, the US economy is showing signs of resilience. Consumer sentiment and retail sales have rebounded, and the stock market is hitting record highs. While some economists still expect slower growth ahead, fears of an immediate recession have eased. "We've been surprised again and again by consumers," said Jonathan Millar, senior US economist at Barclays.

Winsupply is expanding in Central Texas through Winsupply Marble Falls, a new subsidiary in Marble Falls, Texas, to serve the plumbing, water treatment, PVF, septic and rainwater harvesting sectors. President Jeremy Hansch is leading the branch, which includes a warehouse and storefront. "Anytime we can find the right people who are entrepreneurs with the right relationships in a Texas market, we want to talk to them," says Roger Lewis, area leader for Winsupply.

AI is transforming the cold-chain logistics sector by enhancing efficiency and safety in cold warehouses. Lineage Logistics uses AI-driven algorithms to optimize pallet placement and predict truck arrivals, while Americold invests in predictive analytics to manage warehousing capacity and Unilever leverages AI to forecast ice cream demand, improving inventory management and sales. However, data-sharing remains a challenge, limiting AI's full potential in the cold chain.

AI-powered maps are transforming transportation and logistics by providing real-time, machine-readable data that enables autonomous systems to make decisions. Unlike static maps, these intelligent maps continuously update with inputs such as traffic, weather and road conditions, allowing for predictive modeling and context awareness.

B2B marketing leaders must use storytelling to communicate their value effectively, writes Forrester Executive Partner Mavis Liew. Liew offers a five-step approach: defining a story's business purpose, understanding the audience, building a narrative, choosing the appropriate delivery format and anticipating questions. 

Many companies increasingly use AI as a key driver behind recent layoffs, targeting content, operations, customer service and human resources roles. Despite strong financial performance, firms are quietly implementing automation and AI-powered tools that eliminate jobs, often without explicitly attributing cuts to AI. Experts note that most organizations use ambiguous language to avoid linking layoffs to technological displacement, and workforce restructuring is likely to accelerate as AI capabilities expand.

In today’s digitally driven supply chain, distributors are under pressure to deliver rich, accurate and differentiated product experiences -- faster and across more channels than ever before. But most organizations struggle to get the basics of product data right, let alone scale it for AI-driven automation, personalization or enrichment. In this webcast, an expert panel will dive into the core challenges facing B2B distributors when it comes to organizing, governing and scaling product information. They'll also explore the foundational elements required to make product data AI-ready. Join MDM to learn how to turn complex product data into a competitive advantage.

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