Grainger's Zoro online marketplace has built partnerships in which distributors handle physical distribution and often provide Zoro with items that aren't carried by platforms such as Amazon Business, says Zoro President Kevin Weadick. "We don't have any inventory or warehousing, so we're not looking to compete with [distributors]," Weadick says.
Former Jon-Don CEO Cesar Lanuza has become president and CEO of Lawson Products following Michael DeCata's retirement. DeCata will continue as a board member through May 1.
Modern Distribution Management (tiered subscription model)
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Fueling innovation by land, sea and air Formula 1 race cars, cargo ships and jets have all benefited from Krystal Wrigley's pioneering research. Our Fuels Technology Chief has worked on a variety of transport sectors in her 16 years with ExxonMobil. Hear what she has to say about the future of lower-emission fuels and her experience working at the intersection of business and technology. Read our newsletter.
Autonomous trucking has attracted interest from major logistics companies, but they remain cautious about the technology and on betting on specific providers. "Your cost has to either be lower than what today's costs are, or there is a clear line of sight to be lower," says Cheng Lu, former CEO of TuSimple, which has piloted trucks on highways without human drivers.
David Brock suggests that meeting with buyer groups to discuss their views and corporate goals could be more beneficial than the older method of meeting with individuals. Brock notes that finding a common goal with the group lends itself to them reaching a consensus of buying decisions down the line.
Consumption of business-to-business content rose more than 9% year over year in 2021, with IT professionals comprising 28% of the total audience consuming content and CEOs at 10.7%, according to a NetLine Corp. report. Wednesday is the most popular day for reviewing content, e-books are the most popular format and "cheat-sheet" consumption increased 56% year over year.
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Workplace collaboration has many pitfalls that are driven by emotions, such as worrying about status, wanting to control things or being too eager to help, writes Babson College professor Rob Cross. "Before jumping into a new project, make sure that your plans aren't driven by an emotional, knee-jerk reaction based on fear or social comparison," Cross writes.
Accountability can be a scary word when organizations don't offer enough autonomy, resources, development opportunities or rewards to make it worthwhile, writes Marlene Chism. "When a leader is responsible for results, the system must work for them, not against them," Chism writes.
How to offer fast and reliable delivery Consumers want their goods — fast. And when that order arrives, they expect it to be right. Join Pivotree and Fluent Commerce as they discuss 5 key success factors for fast retail delivery. Watch the webinar.
NAW is convening distribution CEOs of companies with annual sales between $10 million and $80 million for a virtual peer exchange on Tuesday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m. ET. The meeting will feature a presentation from Dr. Terry Wu, a nationally acclaimed neuroscientist who has earned prominence for applying neuroscience to help top executives increase their leadership effectiveness. CEOs will also have the opportunity to bring top-of-mind business challenges to the meeting and receive peer advice, feedback, and support to take back to their executive teams. Registration is limited to a small audience -- sign up today!
