Univar Solutions to go private in $8.1B deal with Apollo | Sonepar subsidiary QED opens Colo. operations facility | Houston to welcome 6 new Gordon Food Service locations
Apollo Global Management is paying $8.1 billion to take Univar Solutions private. The deal would allow the Illinois-based specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor to continue operating under its own name and is expected to close in the second half of this year pending shareholder approval.
Quality Electrical Distribution, a subsidiary of Sonepar, has opened a 12,500-square-foot operations facility with commercial and residential products in Monument, Colo., its 13th such warehouse. The company will also assemble up to 1,200-amp panels from the warehouse through its panel expedite program.
Supply chain-related technology investments have met expectations for only 17% of executives, which they primarily attribute to ongoing implementation, according to a PwC survey. Cloud technology and the internet of things are the most predominant new technologies, while artificial intelligence and machine learning are poised to gain favor in the future, according to the report.
Some 77% of business-to-business decision-makers expect immediate responses and 74% expect personalized experiences, per Forrester's 2022 Buyers' Journey Survey. Buyers make more than 50% of their purchases via digital transactions and Forrester notes, "Organizations that lack a digital sales strategy may fail to meet the needs of their customers."
Melissa Furze, global director of customer science at LinkedIn, discusses the importance of emotional data-driven storytelling and category entry points in business-to-business marketing. "CEPs help marketers bring clarity and focus to their messaging strategy in a way that optimizes the memorability of their brand," Furze explains.
Distributors looking to increase profit and cultivate a productive and loyal workforce will first need to provide them with fulfilling and meaningful jobs, writes Kyle Uebelhor of Alexander Group. "The manufacturing and distribution team of the future ensures that every worker, in every role, feels thoroughly equipped, supported, trained and motivated to sell, creating happier customers and supporting accelerated revenue growth," Uebelhor writes.
Involve employees in the creation and implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives to strengthen employee engagement and buy-in, advises Yellow Tree Marketing's Kevin Kaminyar. "[A]s employees work more closely with members of different departments, the strength of the CSR program will carry over into normal day-to-day operations," Kaminyar writes.
Join the best and brightest emerging leaders from across the wholesale distribution industry for a unique course at The Ohio State University! The course will take place from May 22-26, 2023. View the agenda and register.
