Ferguson Enterprises has reduced equipment and workers at its distribution center in Denver by adopting an AutoStore system with 35 robots. The distributor is also introducing an AutoStore system at its Phoenix warehouse.

Ransomware attacks are increasing in frequency, and companies need to safeguard industrial control systems and operational technology both to protect themselves and to avoid regulatory scrutiny, experts say. Grant Geyer of Claroty recommends organizations adopt the "three lines of defense" model, run real-time security exercises and understand where to focus safeguards.

Business-to-business advertising spend in the US is forecast to reach $26 billion this year and more than $30 billion by 2023 -- at which point digital will account for around half of all investment, according to eMarketer. In addition, more than half of B2B digital ad investment will focus on mobile for the first time, and eMarketer's Jillian Ryan calls the shift to digital "an exciting, permanent transformation," noting B2B marketers "are really trying to just push the bounds on what's possible with their digital advertising."

Business-to-business email newsletters have experienced a resurgence during the pandemic as prospects seek valuable, educational content, writes ZeroBounce's Liviu Tanase. Tanase describes how to create content relevant to your particular audience and how to write copy that humanizes your brand.

Distributors that want to attract top employees amid the many pandemic-fueled changes in the workplace should devote attention to company branding, social recruiting and candidate experience, writes Bharani Nagarathnam of Texas A&M University's industrial distribution program. "Remember that you're not just competing with other distributors for applicants; you're also competing with retailers, consulting companies and the gig-economy for top-tier talent," Nagarathnam writes.

When employees stop looking at workplaces as "family," employers have to rethink work, and this lengthy analysis offers four possibilities. For example, employers could treat work as work and cordon off purpose as a personal endeavor -- or, ideally, focus on purpose in pursuit of co-creation, with "workers having influence and decision rights over what the organization stands for, what outcomes it wants to achieve, and what actions it takes to pursue those outcomes."

Approval workflows can keep projects moving by establishing processes, rules and expectations that can reduce mistakes and allow everyone to be clear on responsibilities, writes Jotform executive Chad Reid. This article outlines many of the steps that strong workflow processes incorporate.

According to Benj Cohen, entrepreneur of artificial intelligence technology and third-generation distributor "The pandemic brought with it a rise in digital B2B purchasing. Boundaries were broken down and expectations were removed as businesses began making purchases like consumers: quickly and conveniently from their home computers." Read his post.

The country is opening up and so are NAW's offerings! Our NAW-Texas A&M Certificate in Distribution Professional Management classes will launch on campus at Texas A&M University starting this fall. Learn more.

Rate tier changes and new fee increases are the biggest in a decade to costs U.S. businesses pay to accept credit cards. Understanding the fees your business pays has never been more important. Learn how in the B2B A/R Update "Card Brands Make Good on Interchange Fee Increases for B2B Card-Not-Present Transactions."