Erik Gershwind on data strategy
From Using data as your next competitive edge | Erik Gershwind · · Proton AI
“If you go back 10, 20 years and said what is the biggest asset we have? I would have probably said aside from our people, that's number one always. Aside from our people, I would have said to you it's inventory and its distribution centers. Today, data is really at the heart of what a distributor does. And by data, I'm referring to the intersection to me between product, supplier, and customer. There's no other entity like a distributor that has access to the intersection of all those three.”
On , Erik Gershwind, Chief Executive Officer & Director at MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT -CL A, spoke about data strategy during Using data as your next competitive edge | Erik Gershwind on Proton AI.
About Erik Gershwind
Erik Gershwind, Vice Chair of the Board at MSC Industrial, appeared on the podcast "In the Mind of a Distributor" on May 27, 2026. During the conversation, he discussed the role of digital technology in distribution, stating that "digital technology is allowing us to do things that will fundamentally change the game and improve lives for the customer." He emphasized that technology should serve the goal of delighting customers, and described data as a key asset for distributors, noting that "data is really at the heart of what a distributor does" and that it sits at the intersection of product, supplier, and customer. Gershwind also reflected on industry trends, including the impact of Amazon's entry into B2B distribution and the persistent fragmentation of the market. He remarked that the market remains "highly fragmented," with the top 50 distributors holding only 35% of the share, and expressed uncertainty about when consolidation would accelerate. Regarding the future of work, he said that roles will need to evolve as automation advances, with human workers moving "up the food chain" to higher-value tasks.