Apollo Global increases Tech Data bid to $6B | Amazon's presence in Baltimore includes procurement contracts | Use data, surveys to decide whether to relocate distribution centers
Apollo Global Management has increased its bid for Tech Data to $6 billion, including debt, following a competing offer from Berkshire Hathaway. Tech Data has until Dec. 9 to examine counteroffers.
Baltimore is a small but significant shipping hub for Amazon, and the company's presence in the Baltimore metropolitan area extends to its Marketplace sellers, Whole Foods, Amazon Studios filming locations and Amazon Business purchasing contracts with the city and Johns Hopkins University. The company's broader economic impact is mixed, depending on how tax incentives, Amazon's effects on other retail and other factors are considered.
Distributors must consider factors such as proximity to freight partners and customer location, as well as potential cost reductions, when deciding whether to relocate distribution facilities, writes Gordon White. Analytics can help distributors determine how capacity constraints are affecting a location's performance and how local metropolitan areas are changing, while subjective data gleaned through customer surveys can be valuable when considering the effect that a move will have on buyers, says ADI President Rob Aarnes.
The digital supply chain market will grow from $32 billion now to $75 billion by 2030, according to a LogisticsIQ report. The use of autonomous mobile robots in warehouses will increase, while delivery robots and drones will become prominent in last-mile delivery activities, the report predicts.
What's on tap in manufacturing and distribution in 2020? Join experts from Netsuite and Deloitte as they talk about 2020 trends and technologies that will drive business, how to respond to a growing demand for price transparency, why now is the time to invest in updating back-office systems and more. Register for the webinar on Thursday, December 5th at 2 PM EST.
Email is the preferred communication channel for business-to-business buyers -- selected by 45% of US prospects -- and the least favorite method is phone calls, per a report from Episerver. B2B marketers cite paid search, website and email as the most effective ways of reaching prospects and the top two priorities for investment in 2020 are business intelligence/web analytics and email marketing systems.
Data can be useful to sales managers when used correctly, but managers are often bombarded with too much information and wind up focusing on data that's irrelevant or misleading, writes David Brock. Sales managers must be able to "dig below the numbers" to find out why things are happening and adjust strategies accordingly, Brock writes.
As businesses like Amazon and Walmart introduce streamlined services for e-commerce fulfillment and distribution, customer expectations are evolving in-kind. But without equal funding, how can small and mid-sized companies optimize their supply chains to remain competitive? For a growing number of firms, the answer is on-demand warehousing.
For small businesses dealing with high shipment volumes or complex products, having to fulfill every new order in-house can quickly become overwhelming. But given their limited resources, how can small businesses grow more efficient without depleting their budget or overwhelming their staff? The answer might just be on-demand warehousing.
Meetings can become more effective by being purposeful about the length, who is invited and creating an agenda around questions instead of tasks, says University of North Carolina at Charlotte management professor Steven Rogelberg. Leaders should check in after meetings for feedback on what went well and what can be improved, he says.
Charisma is something people can improve by clearly communicating their vision and developing surgency, defined as a high but not excessive level of "cheerfulness, responsiveness, spontaneity, and sociability," writes Theodore Kinni. He discusses a study that claims to have created training to improve managers' charisma.
Called the "Master class in innovation for distributors," "Innovate to Dominate: The 12th Edition in the Facing the Forces of Change Series" has arrived. A roadmap for innovation, it helps distributors connect the dots between the forces of change and how distributors can change their business to capture opportunities -- and defend their business when necessary. The best innovations are about getting ahead instead of catching up. Order your copies to read over the holidays.
This study brings together best practices from leading distributors and their suppliers that were developed through a consortium on Optimizing Channel Compensation. The resulting Channel Alignment Framework is the first-of-its-kind map that seeks to build optimal manufacturer-distributor channels. Distributors need to read this book and buy it for their manufacturer partners. Then they need to sit down with those suppliers and properly plan effective processes to get the supplier market access while meeting distributor investment needs.
Real companies are finding real solutions and practical steps to attracting and keeping their best employees with "Optimizing Human Capital Development." You've got to have the right arsenal to keep your top performers and build your competitive advantage. Grounded in research and a data-driven approach with 18 leading distributors, this study includes 25 sets of talent best practices, 16 action steps and 62 real-world distributor examples. Read the table of contents and introduction.
