Tuscaloosa, AL – Virtually
every industry depends on the distribution industry.
Whether they work in the packaging, food service, health care, or cleaning
industry, distributors are needed to ensure products from one organization
reach their target—and ultimately the end customer—in the fastest, most
cost-efficient manner possible.
However, over the next decade, the distribution industry will be reshaped.
Moreover, because of the central role distributors play, many other industries will
be affected as well.
Gretchen Freidrich, marketing manager for AFFLINK, a leading sales and marketing
organization, cites 10 changes the industry can expect in the coming years:
1. Introduction of new
technologies that supplement or replace less-skilled human labor
2. “On the other hand,”
adds Friedrich, “there will be a need for more skilled workers with higher
educations to operate advancing technologies”
3. Short-term and long-term worker
shortages resulting in the need to hire temporary workers and freelancers as
well as to allow staffers to work remotely
4. Regulatory wage-level changes,
such as increases in the minimum wage that may increase operating costs
5. Technology taxes, also known as
“robot taxes,” to cover taxes customarily paid by employers and
employees. “These robot taxes may also be designed to fund training
programs to retrain workers,” says Friedrich.
6. Ability to adjust quickly to extreme
weather events, often the result of climate change
7. Delivery of products through national
distribution partnerships and membership organizations rather than one distributor
tasked with delivering all products to its own customers
8. Much greater focus on sustainability
in business operations
9. Technology-based shifts that
require distributors to change business models quickly
10. Regulatory shifts impacting
the delivery of products across borders
“Interestingly, some studies indicate that workers in the
distribution industry are more aware of these evolving changes than their
employers,” Friedrich adds. “This may mean that some employers are
holding on to old business models that simply may not work much longer.”
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Editors please note: The word “AFFLINK” is always capitalized.
About AFFLINK
Connecting more
than 200 manufacturers of Facility Maintenance, Packaging, Safety, Office and
Industrial Supply solutions with over 300 independent distribution experts,
AFFLINK is, just as its name suggests – that critical link offering clients
innovative products, market expertise, and improved profitability, all of which
is fueled by our leading-edge information technology. For more info, visit: http://www.afflink.com/
Contact Information:
Michael
Wilson, vice president of marketing
AFFLINK, LLC
1400 AFFLINK Place
Tuscaloosa, AL 35406
P: 800.222.5521
Media Contact: Robert Kravitz
Email: robert@alturasolutions.com
Phone: 312-880-8176
