The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence and Pembroke Consulting released their flagship industry report titled Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain. The report is available for purchase at www.naw.org/ftf07 or by calling 202.872.0885.

Facing the Forces of Change®: Lead the Way in the Supply Chain draws upon a broad set of data, including in-depth interviews with senior distribution executives, manufacturers, customers, analysts, professors, and association executives. The report also includes survey data on nearly 1,300 wholesale distribution and manufacturing companies.

“The executives running the best wholesale distribution companies recognize that innovation is the cornerstone of their success,” said Pembroke Consulting President Adam J. Fein, Ph.D., who authored the new report. “Our study outlines strategies and tactics that will help executives lead the way in their industry’s supply chain.”

The study examines four key business-to-business trends: private label brands, demand-driven channels, new distribution profit models, and Internet trends for business customers. The new report also includes never-before-published data on industry segmentation, emerging trends affecting the supply chain, sales management, supply chain technology forecasts, and much more.

For the first time in the history of Facing the Forces of Change®, Dr. Fein will also publish a weekly Web log to help executives get the most out of the new report. The Web log will highlight case studies, news stories, and data reports that relate to the new report. The Web log is available here.

“We encourage wholesaler-distributors, manufacturers, and customer firms to read this report and apply it in their businesses,” said Ron Schreibman, Executive Director of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence. “It provides practical insights into key trends impacting the wholesale distribution supply chain and is full of specific action ideas and planning tools that executives can use in their own companies. The new Web log will ensure that the report stays current with industry trends.”

NAW is a federation of more than 100 wholesale distribution line of trade international, national, regional, state, and local associations and thousands of individual firms that collectively total more than 40,000 companies. The role of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence is to sponsor and disseminate research and knowledge in strategic management issues affecting the wholesale distribution industry.

Pembroke Consulting, Inc. provides business and marketing strategy advice to manufacturing, distribution, and technology executives operating in channel-intensive industries.