Grainger CEO: Tech is vital for e-commerce, operations | US Foods combats labor shortage with job transformation | SpartanNash shareholders reelect company-backed board members
Grainger is using technology to improve the customer experience by streamlining product pages and providing easy-to-understand product information on its e-commerce platform, CEO D.G. Macpherson said at the EnvisionB2B conference. The distributor is also making fulfillment and delivery more efficient at its distribution centers and having its product, business and technology teams improve digital offerings, Macpherson said.
US Foods is addressing the shortage of workers not only by raising pay and providing signing and retention bonuses, but by rethinking the nature of some jobs, working to attract women and younger people, and providing a clear pathway for warehouse workers to move up to higher-level positions, according to a Harvard Business School case study. The foodservice distributor might also expand its CHEF'STORE concept, which has become popular with restaurants experiencing supply chain disruptions.
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Warehouse robotics should "focus on leveraging the strengths of people and the strengths of robots," namely by having robots handle repetitive tasks and letting human workers handle those that require more advanced thought and can be done in shorter periods, writes Lior Elazary, co-founder and CEO of inVia Robotics. This type of approach to robotics can also promote social interaction among human workers, Elazary writes.
Road freight has been hard-hit by rising fuel prices, and some fuel-heavy cargo ships are slowing their speeds to lessen consumption, writes Teigan Margetts of Red Hero Group. Jet fuel also costs more right now, leaving trains as the most viable option for many companies, Margetts writes.
How 179-year-old Stanley Black & Decker is embracing digital transformation To Stanley Black & Decker, digitalizing the company means more than simply launching an e-commerce website. It means rethinking how they conduct business and how to engage with customers. Learn how they are staying ahead of this always-on connected modern world. Download the case study.
A new dashboard for LinkedIn's Business Manager feature gives companies a central location for handling marketing for people, Pages and accounts. It accompanies the introduction of the B2B Edge consultancy, streamlined tools for ad amplification, new application programming interfaces and a data validation option for customer relationship management.
Incentive programs for distribution salespeople will work best if they have specific goals and offer tangible, noncash rewards, writes Nichole Gunn, chief marketing officer at Incentive Solutions. Gunn also recommends collecting sales data from the program to gain better insights, as well as offering frequent incentivized training that is fun and convenient.
Leaders who communicate clearly, are available to their teams and keep their own emotions and reactions in check will build a company people want to work for, writes Steve Farber. "When you infuse transparency and fairness into everything you do and say, you will be creating a company culture where empathy thrives, collaboration is fostered and there is mutual trust and understanding among your team," Farber writes.
Committed innovators are finding success by boldly developing new business models and moving quickly into new areas while embracing technology and constant testing of ideas, according to McKinsey research. "It's no surprise that committed innovators generate twice as much of their revenues from new products and services," the researchers conclude.
