Advance Auto Parts was able to quickly fill vacancies at its distribution facilities by using a gig worker app, and the workers hired that way were more likely to show up and stay on the job than full-time and part-time employees, according to Nick Orefice, the company's human resources manager for supply chain. Advance Auto Parts is also recruiting people with disabilities, those with a criminal record and refugees, because "we need everybody that comes in, and that makes us think outside the box," Orefice said.

KeHE Distributors will hold a grand opening for its largest-ever distribution center in Dallas on Wednesday. The facility is nearly 1 million square feet and features robotics and automated systems for improving selection accuracy, as well as an improved batch pick setup that shrinks energy use and reduces emissions.

United Natural Foods is implementing Symbotic robotics and software at five distribution centers through 2026 as part of its overall push to increase automation. The company said the artificial intelligence-driven technology could be expanded to more centers.

Data literacy has become an essential skill for all employees, but data phobia still persists. To ease fears, organizations should first enable staffers to understand the data they are looking at before introducing data tools, ensure that data training incorporates data sets that are relevant to a wide range of employees and make sure that leaders exhibit data literacy by showing teams how they apply company data.

Distributors can improve customer relationships, increase revenue and sales, ease employee stress and reduce errors by adopting sales order automation tools, according to companies that offer these solutions. "To really get sales automation right, your CRM, e-commerce, customer service portals, ERP and other systems that impact customer experience all need to be built on the same platform," said Laralyn Ellsworth, principal outbound product manager for NetSuite CRM at Oracle.

You'll know your team members are no longer engaged in their work when they stop offering new ideas, miss meetings and deadlines and turn in subpar work, writes Jenny Han. "It often takes the effort of the whole team to resolve the issues that are causing poor work performance, so be sure to listen to your team members' perspectives and be open to their ideas," Han writes.

Leading organizations through a significant change requires a clear outcome, the ability to map out strategic actions and communication about why this new evolution is necessary, writes Karen Ball. "As you commit to building change capability in your organization, or restart a misguided effort, planning is an essential first step to ensuring that your strategy clearly aligns with your goals and unique needs," Ball writes.

The NAW Large Company Roundtables are an exclusive community of thought leaders from Large Company distribution enterprises who congregate to network with noncompeting peers in multiple lines of trade on key issues. The companies invited into this community are from distribution firms with annual sales between $100 million and $999 million. Register today!