Distribution Industry News
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Distributors Build an AI Workforce as Hiring Moves into Core Operations
Distributors spent much of the initial generative AI boom testing tools, launching pilots and determining where the technology might fit. The next phase requires people who can connect those tools to actual distribution processes.
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Mountainland Supply Deploys AI to Cut Dead Stock Across 42 Branches
In Mountainland’s case, AI is being applied directly to inventory decisions that affect working capital, product availability, and profitability.
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Descartes Adds AI Warehouse Technology With $120 Million Extensiv Deal
AI increasingly is being incorporated into the systems companies already use to manage inventory, warehouses, transportation, and fulfillment, putting a premium on technology platforms with access to large volumes of operational data.
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Your Best People Are Retiring, But Your Best New Hire Is AI
The distributors, wholesalers and merchants that frame AI this way are already pulling ahead. The ones still running AI primarily as an IT project risk losing twice: first the people, then the knowledge they take with them.
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Crescent Electric Names Chief Supply Chain Officer
Kristee Mitchell, who joined Crescent in 2023, moved into the newly expanded role Aug. 31 after most recently serving as vice president of supply chain fulfillment.
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NetPlus Distributors Raise 2026 Sales Outlook as Purchasing Growth Holds at 20%
84% expect 2026 sales to increase at least 3%, up 7 percentage points from the previous quarterly survey. 45% expect growth of at least 8%.
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U.S. Adds 162,000 Jobs as Manufacturing Hiring Accelerates
For distributors, the August report points to continued demand across important industrial end markets without a corresponding surge in distributor hiring.
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Winsupply Adds Ohio Facility as 1.6 Million Square Foot Distribution Expansion Advances
The acquisition comes as Winsupply advances a broader distribution expansion announced in March. The company plans to add 1.6 million square feet of capacity over two years through projects in Ohio, Oklahoma and Georgia.
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Wholesale Trade Demand Strengthens as Costs and Inventories Rise
Wholesale trade was among the industries reporting growth in new orders, providing a direct indication that demand strengthened across the distribution sector during the month.
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Lowe’s Reshuffles Executive Team as It Pushes Pro, AI Growth
Lowe’s has been building out its Pro capabilities with expanded product access, digital quoting and purchasing tools, job-lot quantities, and direct-to-jobsite delivery.