On the table now
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Johnson Supply Is Now Johnson HVAC Distribution: A 1953 Distributor Puts What It Sells in Its Name
Johnson HVAC Distribution is the new name of Johnson Supply, an employee-owned distributor founded in 1953. The ACHR NEWS reports that the company has completed a company-wide rebrand and launched a new website.
Editor’s picks
Lonestar Electric Supply Aimed Its Nashville Launch at 644 Contractors. More Than 200 Came to the Opening.
Source: tED Magazine
Eaton Reorganized Marketing Around Its Buyers. An Early Pilot Produced More Than 600 Qualified Leads in Nine Months.
Source: Content Marketing Institute
Sonepar Runs AI Models Across Businesses That Produce 95% of Its Revenue. Two of the First Three Uses Serve Sales.
Source: Distribution Strategy Group
Topics
Buyer behavior · AI & search · Channel & distribution · Pricing · Trade shows & brand · Budgets & benchmarks · Leadership
Latest
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Anthropic Began Watermarking Claude’s Output in August. Marketing Leaders Say the Label Is Not the Problem
Anthropic began embedding invisible watermarks in Claude-created output in August, a move tied to new EU AI Act disclosure rules. Content Marketing Institute’s Jodi Harris reports what six marketing leaders make of it.
Source: Content Marketing InstituteRead →: Anthropic Began Watermarking Claude’s Output in August. Marketing Leaders Say the Label Is Not the Problem -
Granite City Electric Launched One App With Two Programs: One for Customers, One for Its Own Sales Team
Granite City Electric launched its Tap & Go app in April 2025 with two programs: one for contractor customers, one for its own sales team. tED Magazine lists it among six 2026 Best of the Best winners for product launches.
Source: tED MagazineRead →: Granite City Electric Launched One App With Two Programs: One for Customers, One for Its Own Sales Team -
AI Models Score 52% at Best on 100 Industrial Parts Questions, and 12% to 14% Without Web Search
52% is the best score an AI model reached on 100 questions drawn from 14 manufacturers’ catalogs. It got 46 fully right. Modern Distribution Management reports the benchmark, from Reshape Automation, which sells industrial AI technology and wrote and graded…
Source: Modern Distribution ManagementRead →: AI Models Score 52% at Best on 100 Industrial Parts Questions, and 12% to 14% Without Web Search -
Office Depot’s Parent Drops the ODP Name and Puts a 40-Year-Old Brand on Its B2B Distributor
The ODP Group is now Office Depot Group. Its B2B distributor, ODP Business Solutions, becomes Office Depot Business. Digital Commerce 360 reports that the move puts the 40-year-old Office Depot name on both the retail stores and the distribution business.
Source: Digital Commerce 360Read →: Office Depot’s Parent Drops the ODP Name and Puts a 40-Year-Old Brand on Its B2B Distributor -
A 21-Store Caterpillar Dealer Opens a Separate Store for Small Contractors
Foley Equipment, a 21-store Caterpillar dealer covering Kansas and Missouri, has opened its first Cat Compact store, aimed at small and growing businesses. Equipment World reports that the store, connected to Foley’s Wichita branch, opened September 21 and carries small…
Source: Equipment WorldRead →: A 21-Store Caterpillar Dealer Opens a Separate Store for Small Contractors -
80.8% of B2B Marketers Invest in Social Media for Brand Building. Toolstation Goes Where the Tradespeople Are: TikTok and Instagram.
Toolstation, a tool and building supplier, puts its social effort on TikTok and Instagram. That is where the tradespeople are. Marketing Week reports how four B2B brands use social; in its State of Brand in B2B survey, 80.8% of 300…
Source: Marketing WeekRead →: 80.8% of B2B Marketers Invest in Social Media for Brand Building. Toolstation Goes Where the Tradespeople Are: TikTok and Instagram.
Channel & distribution
Distributors, dealers and how industrial companies go to market.
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A 21-Store Caterpillar Dealer Opens a Separate Store for Small Contractors
Foley Equipment, a 21-store Caterpillar dealer covering Kansas and Missouri, has opened its first Cat Compact store, aimed at small and growing businesses. Equipment World reports that the store, connected…
Source: Equipment WorldRead →: A 21-Store Caterpillar Dealer Opens a Separate Store for Small Contractors -
R.S. Hughes Has More Than 40 Distribution Centers and Still Calls Itself a Specialist
R.S. Hughes has annual revenue above half a billion dollars and more than 40 distribution centers. Its president still calls it a specialist. Industrial Distribution profiles the employee-owned distributor of…
Source: Industrial DistributionRead →: R.S. Hughes Has More Than 40 Distribution Centers and Still Calls Itself a Specialist -
52% of Distributors in ASA’s Survey Are Losing Business to Online Competitors. 25% Cite Digital Ordering as a Differentiator.
52% of distributors in the American Supply Association’s latest survey say they are losing business to online competitors. Only 25% name digital ordering tools as a way they stand apart.
Source: American Supply AssociationRead →: 52% of Distributors in ASA’s Survey Are Losing Business to Online Competitors. 25% Cite Digital Ordering as a Differentiator.
Trade shows & brand
Campaigns, rebrands, launches and what companies did with a show.
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Johnson Supply Is Now Johnson HVAC Distribution: A 1953 Distributor Puts What It Sells in Its Name
Johnson HVAC Distribution is the new name of Johnson Supply, an employee-owned distributor founded in 1953. The ACHR NEWS reports that the company has completed a company-wide rebrand and launched…
Source: The ACHR NEWSRead →: Johnson Supply Is Now Johnson HVAC Distribution: A 1953 Distributor Puts What It Sells in Its Name -
Granite City Electric Launched One App With Two Programs: One for Customers, One for Its Own Sales Team
Granite City Electric launched its Tap & Go app in April 2025 with two programs: one for contractor customers, one for its own sales team. tED Magazine lists it among…
Source: tED MagazineRead →: Granite City Electric Launched One App With Two Programs: One for Customers, One for Its Own Sales Team -
Office Depot’s Parent Drops the ODP Name and Puts a 40-Year-Old Brand on Its B2B Distributor
The ODP Group is now Office Depot Group. Its B2B distributor, ODP Business Solutions, becomes Office Depot Business. Digital Commerce 360 reports that the move puts the 40-year-old Office Depot…
Source: Digital Commerce 360Read →: Office Depot’s Parent Drops the ODP Name and Puts a 40-Year-Old Brand on Its B2B Distributor
AI & search
How industrial companies use AI to sell, and how buyers find suppliers.
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Anthropic Began Watermarking Claude’s Output in August. Marketing Leaders Say the Label Is Not the Problem
Anthropic began embedding invisible watermarks in Claude-created output in August, a move tied to new EU AI Act disclosure rules. Content Marketing Institute’s Jodi Harris reports what six marketing leaders…
Source: Content Marketing InstituteRead →: Anthropic Began Watermarking Claude’s Output in August. Marketing Leaders Say the Label Is Not the Problem -
AI Models Score 52% at Best on 100 Industrial Parts Questions, and 12% to 14% Without Web Search
52% is the best score an AI model reached on 100 questions drawn from 14 manufacturers’ catalogs. It got 46 fully right. Modern Distribution Management reports the benchmark, from Reshape…
Source: Modern Distribution ManagementRead →: AI Models Score 52% at Best on 100 Industrial Parts Questions, and 12% to 14% Without Web Search -
Sonepar Runs AI Models Across Businesses That Produce 95% of Its Revenue. Two of the First Three Uses Serve Sales.
Sonepar now runs predictive AI models across businesses that produce 95% of its revenue. Two of the first three uses serve sales: product recommendations drawn from customers’ purchase histories, and…
Source: Distribution Strategy GroupRead →: Sonepar Runs AI Models Across Businesses That Produce 95% of Its Revenue. Two of the First Three Uses Serve Sales.
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.
