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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
Jim Truesdell
James Truesdell is Chairman of Brauer Supply Company, a distributor of specialty
fasteners, insulation, air filtration, and air conditioning with headquarters in St. Louis.
Mr. Truesdell is adjunct professor at Saint Louis University and Webster University.
An attorney and frequently published writer, he is the author of “Total Quality
Management: Reports From the Front Lines”.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL CHANGE
THE WAY DISTRIBUTORS WORK
Many years ago, when new computer applications
were starting to pop up regularly, the Executive group at
my distribution company determined that we needed to
have a business plan for our next five years. A number of
our ownership volunteered to give it a try, after which we
would compare results and conclusions. As the writer/
lawyer/experienced business guy I launched into the
project confident that I would come up with something
pretty comprehensive. After all, I had put some pretty
complex business plans together as part of my academic
training. I expected it would take a couple of weeks to do
the job right.
Two days later I was surprised to find in a sealed
envelope in my mailbox a detailed business plan which
had been put together by our “computer guy” on our
executive team. It was about 25 pages long and it had
statistics, spreadsheets, table of contents and some
detailed supporting language. It was clearly much better
than I envisioned I could do over my expected two week
project. How could this be?
Though he didn’t tell me at the time, the “computer
guy” had gotten hold of one of the first pre-packaged
“business plan” software in a box programs. All he
had to do was fill in some blanks answering questions
with names, products, geographic markets, employee
censuses, and data from our financial statements and-
CONTRIBUTOR ARTICLE
-- BINGO!---- out popped a pretty sophisticated five year
business plan. Until I figured out what had happened it
was a bit of a crisis of confidence in my own abilities.
We are set up now to see this scenario play
out across the spectrum of industry as AI (artificial
intelligence) is storming its way into the business
landscape. First generation AI programs have, in the last
year, given us a hint of how office work (whether creative
or repetitive) will be changing in the near future. This
can bring great efficiencies and increased capabilities
to our offices. It will leaven the playing field between
experienced skilled workers and those newcomers who
are able to rapidly master the ins and outs of the new
software. We may become less a society of creators and
more of a society of editors and checkers who review
written or mathematical policies and projections that are
produced by machine. Fearing the loss of human creativity
by those taking “short cuts” some companies are already
banning its use without written management permission
or with specific labeling telling that a report or calculations
are the product of AI. Reportedly, some managers are
laying low and stealthily using the programs to impress a
boss or get a leg ahead of others in races for promotions.
We will probably see this played out even in the small
business enterprises which onstitute most distribution
companies.
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