Supply chain disruptions, demand volatility, and shifting trade policies have made inventory planning one of the most difficult challenges distribution leaders face today. The old models of forecasting and replenishment were built for a more predictable environment, and many distributors are finding that those models no longer hold.

This Technology Leader Panel brings together industry experts to examine how distribution companies are rethinking their approach to inventory planning when certainty is in short supply. Panelists will discuss the tools, strategies, and decision-making frameworks helping distributors protect service levels while managing working capital more effectively in turbulent conditions.

Key Takeaways

• Inventory planning assumptions that worked in stable markets require significant adjustment during periods of sustained uncertainty
• Technology platforms can improve visibility and response time, but process and policy changes must accompany them
• Distributors that invest in scenario planning capabilities are better positioned to absorb unexpected disruptions
• Balancing service level commitments against carrying cost risk requires clearer decision rules and better data
• Cross-functional alignment between sales, operations, and finance is critical to effective inventory strategy

What You'll Learn

• How distribution leaders are adapting their forecasting and replenishment models to account for volatility
• Which technology tools are proving most useful for inventory visibility, scenario modeling, and exception management
• Practical approaches to setting and communicating inventory policies when supply and demand signals are unreliable
• How to build internal alignment around inventory trade-offs when conditions change quickly

Join Us

Register now to join the conversation on April 1 and gain practical strategies for navigating inventory planning when the environment refuses to cooperate. 

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About our sponsor:

About our host:

Ian Heller

Chief Strategy Officer

Ian Heller joined Grainger as a part-time truck unloader in college and left fifteen years later as the VP Marketing. Since then, he's held senior executive positions at four other publicly-held firms, consulted with dozens of distributors, and continues to write and speak extensively on how AI, strategy, channel evolution, and other major trends affect the industry. Ian holds a B.A. in History from Roosevelt University and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.