Embracing Connections and Transparency to Drive Efficiency
At the conference’s Distributor Focus panel, executives will share how improved data sharing, supply chain visibility, and shipping standards can drive operational improvements for the entire industry.
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usiness leaders are known for getting excited about the idea of new technology, but until recently, it seemed to Jason Boomer that few people in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry truly understood everything that goes into powering those advancements. “For a long time, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, integration, and data work felt like back-end plumbing that nobody in the business actually wanted to talk about.”
A better understanding of the potential of connected data, combined with industry initiatives such as the FEDA Future of Distribution Council (FDC), has begun to shift that perspective. Boomer said sales, operations, fi nance, and leadership teams now ask better questions about data, visibility, and how those systems can work together. That change is positioning the industry to more fully embrace the foundational technologies it needs to modernize. “When the whole business cares about this stuff, the technology investments start producing outcomes you can measure instead of just taking up a bullet point on a roadmap,” Boomer said.
Boomer will join Rory Clarke,
president of Avanti Restaurant Solutions, and consultant J Schneider, managing director at the Dorn Group, for the Distributor Focus session at the FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference in September. The session will dive into how the FDC’s work is moving the industry closer to realizing the Supply Chain 2040 vision of a more technologically capable, interconnected, responsive, and resilient supply chain. Attendees will learn how the council and its three subcommittees are
By Ashley Mueller and Tim O’Connor
24 FEDA News & Views
addressing real operational challenges affecting distributors and manufacturers — such as freight damage, packaging expectations, product data accuracy, and transportation visibility — and how potential solutions can enhance the end- customer experience. At the conference, Clarke plans to share some of the ways enterprise platforms have been a game changer for distributors like Avanti, especially in the areas of accounting, purchasing, sales, marketing, and freight management. “The benefi ts are undeniable,” he said. Today’s technology solutions not only help companies increase the speed of work, Clarke added, but also allow them to hire and train more quickly and better understand their data to inform decision making. The value of such organized software platforms is only growing as they serve as the foundation for implementing agentic artifi cial intelligence tools for businesses. “I don’t see this as being optional anymore,” Clarke said. Although technology offers some answers to these persistent challenges, Boomer said they are at their core business problems that require multidisciplinary coordination to solve. “The companies making real progress are the ones bringing operations, IT, sales, and customer service into the same conversation early, instead of treating system work as something that happens in a corner of the IT department,” he said. “I’m looking forward to hearing how the other panelists in the room are approaching that.”
Shipping, Packaging & Handling
Standards (SPHS) Subcommittee One of the operational topics expected to generate signifi cant discussion during the Distributor Focus session is freight damage reduction and packaging consistency in the less-than-truckload
(LTL) shipping environment. LTL is a key part of the distribution channel, with both distributors and manufacturers using carriers to transport equipment between warehouses or to end customers. However, these carriers often lack complete information on the products they are handling, which can lead to mishandling and damage. The Shipping, Packaging & Handling Standards (SPHS) Subcommittee is addressing this issue by developing industry standards that build on existing National Motor Freight Classifi cation (NMFC) requirements, with the fi rst phase of recommendations targeted for September 2026. Conversations within the SPHS group have centered on improving handling procedures and reducing issues that contribute to damage claims, operational ineffi ciencies, and customer frustration throughout the supply chain. Members have also shared examples of operational improvements already producing positive results, such as how a plywood reinforcement trial reduced damage rates by approximately 40% over a six-month period. Alongside packaging discussions, the committee is developing processes to improve delivery documentation, concealed damage inspections, and carrier accountability when properly packaged freight is damaged in transit. While participants recognize that industry standards alone will not eliminate every freight challenge, many view greater consistency and clearer expectations as important milestones toward improving communication and reducing friction throughout the shipping process.
Product Data Standards &
Integration (PDSI) Subcommittee While better packaging standards can help alleviate physical damage, the FDC’s other work is tackling the digital equivalent of dents and deformations. At
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