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MSC Industrial Nearly Doubled Daily In-Person Customer Contacts With About 170 Fewer Field Reps
MSC Industrial redesigned its sales territories and nearly doubled daily in-person customer contacts in its fourth quarter, with about 170 fewer field reps than a year earlier. It is pulling in-person coverage back from small accounts.
Editor’s picks
A 21-Store Caterpillar Dealer Opens a Separate Store for Small Contractors
Source: Equipment World
Topics
Buyer behavior · AI & search · Channel & distribution · Pricing · Trade shows & brand · Budgets & benchmarks · Leadership
The week at the table · Video
Five stories from the week, in about a minute.
Marta, our AI journalist, walks through October 19–23: Fastenal’s largest customer sites, Hirose Electric Americas’ Mark Kojak on tariffs, Wajax’s two presidents, four leaders on labelling AI-made marketing and 15 CMOs on their priorities for 2027.
Marta is an AI avatar.
Latest
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Legrand Told Cablofil’s Expansion as a Story About People, Processes and Plants. tED Named It One of Four PR Winners.
Legrand used third-party industry media to tell the story of its Cablofil expansion through its people, processes and plants. tED Magazine names it one of four 2026 Best of the Best winners for corporate public relations.
Source: tED MagazineRead →: Legrand Told Cablofil’s Expansion as a Story About People, Processes and Plants. tED Named It One of Four PR Winners. -
21% of Event Attendees Have Used AI to Find Events. 55% Check the Exhibitor List Before They Go.
Freeman’s latest Trends Report says one in five attendees and a quarter of exhibitors have used AI to find professional events. Exhibitors go mainly for brand awareness (70%) and new leads (64%); only 16% say events explain their ROI well.
Source: Trade Show ExecutiveRead →: 21% of Event Attendees Have Used AI to Find Events. 55% Check the Exhibitor List Before They Go. -
Lion Plumbing Supply Marked 70 Years With Its First South Florida Trade Show: 54 Vendors, More Than 150 Guests
Lion Plumbing Supply, a one-location Miami wholesaler, marked its 70th year with its first trade show for the South Florida market: 54 vendors and more than 150 contractors, customers and guests.
Source: The WholesalerRead →: Lion Plumbing Supply Marked 70 Years With Its First South Florida Trade Show: 54 Vendors, More Than 150 Guests -
Two-Thirds of B2B Providers Will Lose Deals Because Buyers Cannot Verify Their Claims, Forrester Predicts
Forrester’s 2027 predictions say B2B buyers will hand more of the buying process to AI agents, then double their human contacts to check what the agents told them. Two-thirds of providers will lose deals because buyers cannot verify their claims.
Source: ForresterRead →: Two-Thirds of B2B Providers Will Lose Deals Because Buyers Cannot Verify Their Claims, Forrester Predicts -
Harley-Davidson Took Its New Brand to Employees First, Then Dealers, Then Riders
Harley-Davidson has built its new global brand platform on one word: Ride. It took the platform to its own people first, then to its dealers, and only then to consumers.
Source: Chief MarketerRead →: Harley-Davidson Took Its New Brand to Employees First, Then Dealers, Then Riders -
Fastenal Says AI Can Cut Quoting at Some Branches From Five or Six Days to About 15 Minutes
Fastenal says AI can cut sourcing and quoting at some of its branches from five or six days to about 15 minutes. Its CEO gave it as a branch example, not a company average.
Source: Distribution Strategy GroupRead →: Fastenal Says AI Can Cut Quoting at Some Branches From Five or Six Days to About 15 Minutes
Channel & distribution
Distributors, dealers and how industrial companies go to market.
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MSC Industrial Nearly Doubled Daily In-Person Customer Contacts With About 170 Fewer Field Reps
MSC Industrial redesigned its sales territories and nearly doubled daily in-person customer contacts in its fourth quarter, with about 170 fewer field reps than a year earlier. It is pulling…
Source: Distribution Strategy GroupRead →: MSC Industrial Nearly Doubled Daily In-Person Customer Contacts With About 170 Fewer Field Reps -
Prysmian Puts Its Prysmian, Encore Wire and Atkore Lines Under One Rep Network: 19 Agencies, 21 Territories
Prysmian will take the Prysmian, Encore Wire and Atkore lines to U.S. industrial and construction customers through one rep network: 19 agencies covering 21 territories. Electrical Wholesaling reports the network,…
Source: Electrical WholesalingRead →: Prysmian Puts Its Prysmian, Encore Wire and Atkore Lines Under One Rep Network: 19 Agencies, 21 Territories -
Wajax Puts Its 104 Branches Under Two Presidents, Each With a Category-Focused Sales Vice President
Wajax will put its 104 branches under two presidents, one for industrial products and repair services and one for equipment, parts and service, each with a category-focused sales vice president.…
Source: Modern Distribution ManagementRead →: Wajax Puts Its 104 Branches Under Two Presidents, Each With a Category-Focused Sales Vice President
Trade shows & brand
Campaigns, rebrands, launches and what companies did with a show.
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Legrand Told Cablofil’s Expansion as a Story About People, Processes and Plants. tED Named It One of Four PR Winners.
Legrand used third-party industry media to tell the story of its Cablofil expansion through its people, processes and plants. tED Magazine names it one of four 2026 Best of the…
Source: tED MagazineRead →: Legrand Told Cablofil’s Expansion as a Story About People, Processes and Plants. tED Named It One of Four PR Winners. -
Lion Plumbing Supply Marked 70 Years With Its First South Florida Trade Show: 54 Vendors, More Than 150 Guests
Lion Plumbing Supply, a one-location Miami wholesaler, marked its 70th year with its first trade show for the South Florida market: 54 vendors and more than 150 contractors, customers and…
Source: The WholesalerRead →: Lion Plumbing Supply Marked 70 Years With Its First South Florida Trade Show: 54 Vendors, More Than 150 Guests -
Harley-Davidson Took Its New Brand to Employees First, Then Dealers, Then Riders
Harley-Davidson has built its new global brand platform on one word: Ride. It took the platform to its own people first, then to its dealers, and only then to consumers.
Source: Chief MarketerRead →: Harley-Davidson Took Its New Brand to Employees First, Then Dealers, Then Riders
AI & search
How industrial companies use AI to sell, and how buyers find suppliers.
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Two-Thirds of B2B Providers Will Lose Deals Because Buyers Cannot Verify Their Claims, Forrester Predicts
Forrester’s 2027 predictions say B2B buyers will hand more of the buying process to AI agents, then double their human contacts to check what the agents told them. Two-thirds of…
Source: ForresterRead →: Two-Thirds of B2B Providers Will Lose Deals Because Buyers Cannot Verify Their Claims, Forrester Predicts -
Fastenal Says AI Can Cut Quoting at Some Branches From Five or Six Days to About 15 Minutes
Fastenal says AI can cut sourcing and quoting at some of its branches from five or six days to about 15 minutes. Its CEO gave it as a branch example,…
Source: Distribution Strategy GroupRead →: Fastenal Says AI Can Cut Quoting at Some Branches From Five or Six Days to About 15 Minutes -
One Question, Four Leaders: Three Would Disclose AI-Made Marketing, One Says the Label Would Erode Trust
Read →: One Question, Four Leaders: Three Would Disclose AI-Made Marketing, One Says the Label Would Erode TrustThe AI label has gone from a policy footnote to an argument about trust. In August, Anthropic began embedding invisible watermarks in what Claude writes, a move tied to new…
The week at the table
The week’s articles in one email, every Friday.
Everything we shared that week, with the numbers and the links. One email a week and nothing else.