Posted March 3, 2010
NAW and IBM to collaborate on Facing the Forces of Change
The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBV) have announced that the two organizations will collaborate to produce the next Facing the Forces of Change report.
Facing the Forces of Change is the landmark wholesale distribution industry future trends research report that has been updated and published every three years since 1982. The latest version will be available in November of this year.
According to NAW President Dirk Van Dongen, “IBM’s Institute for Business Value will bring great intellectual depth to this ongoing research, and we’re delighted to be partnering with them. Wholesaler-distributors will gain key strategic insights about the direction distribution is headed in the next five years from this new collaboration between our organizations.”
Bill Gilmour, IBM Industry General Manager, Wholesale Distribution and Consumer Products, adds, “Wholesaler-distributors continue to own a critical place in the supply chain of products ranging from fasteners to fresh produce. IBM is excited about extending its relationship with NAW to include the next iteration of Facing the Forces of Change. We very much look forward to working closely with NAW and its membership to develop a sound point of view on the future of the wholesale distribution industry, especially at this pivotal time.”
Through the years, distribution executives and their management teams have used Facing the Forces of Change® to facilitate both short- and long-term strategic planning at their companies. Given the extreme uncertainty that characterizes the current economic environment, this may be the most important of the nine versions of Facing the Forces of Change published to date.
“The Institute for Business Value has conducted dozens of trends research reports,” states IBV’s Guy Blissett. “Many of them have encompassed wholesale distribution as a subcomponent, so we have a good deal of experience with distributors and distribution. We’re excited to shine the Facing the Forces of Change spotlight fully on distribution with the NAW Institute as ourpartner.”
According to the NAW Institute and IBV, a cross-section of wholesale distribution industry executives representing a variety of lines of trade are expected to participate in the Facing the Forces of Change background research, including dozens of in-depth interviews with distributor company personnel. All wholesaler-distributors across the industry are encouraged to participate in the Facing the Forces of Change online survey. To take the survey, go to http://www.ibm.com/services/bcs/benchmarking/survey/ms/ and enter the authorization code: NAW2010.
