Industrial distributors such as Fastenal, MSC Industrial Supply, Grainger and Genuine Parts' Motion unit expect supply chain difficulties and inflation to continue next year, but they also intend to grow through acquisitions and by adding products and employees, per an Industrial Distribution survey of the Big 50 List. Smaller percentages of respondents plan to add physical locations or expand their supplier roster.

Truck drivers have been slow to take advantage of 24-hour port operations in California, with one operator saying the requirements for returning containers and chassis during each visit are often impossible to meet. Mario Cordero, the Port of Long Beach's executive director, says activity should increase at 24-hour ports after other parts of the supply chain adopt the same schedule, but it will take some time.

Artificial intelligence software can increase distribution center efficiency by optimizing in-warehouse travel, facilitating dynamic slotting and orchestrating workflows for people and machines such as robots, writes Ken Ramoutar, chief marketing officer at Lucas Systems. AI also provides necessary data processing for workforce planning and performance management, Ramoutar writes.

Potential buyers are always asking themselves if they should engage with salespeople, whether they have time to consider a new solution and if they're confident enough to make a smart purchasing decision, writes Colleen Francis. "Proactively address those three crucial questions and you'll indeed be on your way towards attracting and retaining more customers," Francis writes.

Business-to-business marketers can achieve "brand salience" through campaigns lasting between four to six months that focus on customers with persistent messaging aligned with sales goals, writes Kathy Floam-Greenspan, president of Pomerantz Marketing. "[P]rovide interesting, insightful and usable content that's memorable and worth [buyers'] time and intellectual investment," Floam-Greenspan advises.

The use of third-party cookies in advertising was flawed from the beginning and the industry must now move toward a system that's transparent and offers consumers a quality value exchange for their personal data, writes DISQO's Kevin Whitcher. "Now is our chance to innovate and create a future in which consumers believe advertising solutions are honest and fair," Whitcher writes.

Empower leaders in your organization by emphasizing a collaborative atmosphere where the group agrees on values, purpose and vision, write Bob Vanourek and Gregg Vanourek. "People in the organization, regardless of title, then have a license to lead, as long as they uphold the organization's shared values," they write.

The NAW Executive Summit is back in-person January 25 - 27, 2022 and it will be bigger and better than ever before! Learn more about the NAW 2022 Executive Summit.