At the beginning of the pandemic, Sysco expedited an initiative to more evenly distribute delivery volume throughout the week, and the improvement is one example of changes likely to remain in place even after the pandemic is over. Increased investments in technology are also shaping the future for private carriers, with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits using an improved texting system to communicate with drivers and McLane using data gleaned from logging systems to restructure its delivery network.

Managers at Tech Data have noted an uptick in infrastructure projects that the distributor hopes will drive demand closer to normal levels. "People have deployed well to get out into the environment in an emergency situation but now having to re-review their infrastructure and their security that enables that to really work in the long term," Tech Data's David Watts said.

A manufacturing facility worth $40 million has been opened by Thermo Fisher Scientific in Lenexa, Kan. The plant will be manufacturing viral transport media but will expand to meet demand for COVID-19 testing products.

Many leaders embarking on a digital transformation target front-end and consumer-facing experiences first, but Max Meister of Ludwig Meister chose to focus behind the scenes first to streamline processes and enhance the supply chain. Meister reports the company enabled automation in inventory management, purchasing and logistics to improve operations.

Many business-to-business service companies adopted digital and analytics solutions to cope with the coronavirus crisis, but the technology can continue to assist sales, delivery and support post-pandemic. Technologies such as virtual reality, machine learning and data tools have the ability to help companies grow revenue by as much as 30%, McKinsey's Guy Benjamin, Markus Forsgren and Nicolas Guzman write.

Distributors should free up customer service representatives to focus on the personal interactions that humanize the customer experience, writes Ray Grady, president of business software company Conexiom. Automating labor-intensive tasks such as order processing can get back as much as a third of their day, he writes.

While consumer marketing has used behavioral sciences to better understand target audiences and patterns, business-to-business marketing could benefit from behavioral sciences to help explore business biases, writes Rory Sutherland. To boost innovation and growth, B2B companies can use an injection of marketing mentality, with new psychological forms of differentiation, to assist internal decisions and challenge current boardroom mindsets.

Ninety-three percent of corporate communicators use email and 58% are using the media more often amid the pandemic, according to The State of Corporate Communications study conducted by PoliteMail. Only 42% take time to measure their top one or two channels, the survey found.

Being accountable to yourself as a leader and holding others accountable are key components to creating calm and visionary leadership during a time of crisis, writes Vince Molinaro. "You will also need to bring a sense of urgency, courage and resilience in how you lead every single day," he writes.

Adopting the military's red teaming strategy can help organizations create contingency plans when either obstacles or opportunities come up, writes retired US Army Col. Sean Hannah. He outlines three conditions needed to make the process effective and seven steps to transform planning into action.

Distributors: NAW is working with Distribution Strategy Group to get input from distributors' customers on a range of disruptive technologies: AI, 3D Printing, blockchain and more. Here is how you can help: Please send a brief survey to your customers -- we want input directly from purchasing professionals and other business buyers. We need to complete this research as quickly as possible, so please email your customers ASAP. You may access the NAW survey link here, and we've also included some text you can use to communicate with your customers. Thank you!

Designed for C-suite executives, these virtual roundtables provide actionable strategies that will help put your COVID-19 recovery plan in place! Companies belonging to this community are from distribution firms between $100 million and up to a billion in annual sales. You'll engage in robust conversations with your peers and hear from industry experts on topics to help your business transition to the new normal -- all in the comfort of your own office/home! Register today.

Register now for NAW's September 24 live webinar, "How Distributor Customers Will Use Technologies From Their Suppliers and Who Is Winning." Leading technology companies are offering customers new ways of ordering. Retailers and distributors are using AI-enabled business intelligence to understand customer needs better and are applying autonomous vehicles, including drones, for deliveries. Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will delve into how important all of this is to customers and whether distributors need to build technological capabilities to remain competitive.