Fall is the season to get your Channel business ready for 2026
In looking at the speakers and presenters, and the ISA Fall Summit in Memphis, TN, in early November. I was struck by the fact that 20 of the speakers across the three tracks are from the Industrial channel. All currently working in the channel every day as Manufacturers, Distributors, or Manufacturer Reps.
Spotlight
ISA Member Earnings – Kennametal Q4 2025 Results
MSC Industrial launched their third-quarter earnings report in July and the industrial waters have ben choppy this year, but the size of the overall North American market creates opportunities for growth.
All good things in distribution start when a pick ticket prints in the warehouse
From 2000 to 2025 a lot has changed in the distribution channel – smart phones, instant access to data, end customers who want self-service tools and full-service support, and many other changes (with AI being another fundamental and impactful change).
ISA Member Earnings – MSC Industrial Q3 2025
MSC Industrial launched their third-quarter earnings report in July and the industrial waters have ben choppy this year, but the size of the overall North American market creates opportunities for growth.
Pentagon Pricing Series – A Pricing Reset is the Most High-Risk and High-Reward Activity in B2B Industrial Distribution
As a former pricing leader for three billion-dollar distributors in North America, I can share that a major pricing reset is simultaneously a dangerous activity, yet when done right, the best driver of top-line sales growth in this industry.
Explore
ISA Member Earnings – MSC Industrial Q3 2025
MSC Industrial launched their third-quarter earnings report in July and the industrial waters have ben choppy this year, but the size of the overall North American market creates opportunities for growth.
Pentagon Pricing Series – A Pricing Reset is the Most High-Risk and High-Reward Activity in B2B Industrial Distribution
As a former pricing leader for three billion-dollar distributors in North America, I can share that a major pricing reset is simultaneously a dangerous activity, yet when done right, the best driver of top-line sales growth in this industry.
IST Analysis – Grainger Q2 2025 Earnings Release
Grainger released their Q2 Results on August 1st which provided insight into their pricing actions and continued above market growth in their Endless Assortment business unit.
ISA Member Earnings – Stanley Black & Decker Q2 2025
At Industrial Supply Trends, we pay attention to the earnings and announcements from ISA members. Stanley Black and Decker announced their Q2 Earnings and shared insight on Tariff impacts, and the Stanley Black and Decker strategy to navigate those tariffs.
Durable Goods & CAPEX Issues + Tarriff and Policy Volatility = Uncertainty – IST
As an analyst for the past 20 years, I have relied on key economic indicators as foundational to prepare forecasts for leadership to make informed business decisions. Two of those key foundational indicators were Durable Goods Purchases and Business Capital Investment.
ISA Member Spotlight – L-Boxx Manufacturing Solutions
We had a chance to interview L-Boxx a new ISA member with modular and customizable storage solutions for an ISA spotlight.
ISA Member Spotlight – Cali Air Tools
I had a chance to start a series on large ISA members and wanted to broaden it to a wide range of manufacturers and new members of ISA. I appreciate the feedback that Nicole Foster from Cali Air Tools provided.
Part 3 – Manufacturers and Distributors need to do better than a C+ on their report cards
Last week I was on a fun webcast where Mark Jackmore CEO of Precision, and I were diving into real-world examples of how manufacturers and distributors could use data more effectively to report progress and take meaningful action together to improve their business.
