What happens to wholesale distribution when geopolitical tension, tariff policy, fuel inflation, and artificial intelligence collide at the same time?
In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Steve Levy, VP of Enterprise Architecture at Infor, to unpack how macroeconomic volatility, global supply chain risk, AI governance, and enterprise platform strategy are reshaping the future of distribution. If you lead a distribution or manufacturing business and are wondering how to navigate tariffs, inflation, inventory exposure, and AI adoption responsibly, this conversation connects the dots.
What You’ll Learn
- How geopolitical instability and energy market volatility directly impact diesel pricing, freight costs, and MRO margins
- Whether borrowing against expected tariff refunds is strategic capital leverage, or hidden risk
- How acquisitive distributors may find opportunity during economic uncertainty
- The difference between “running on AWS” and having real enterprise architecture and AI governance
- How AI augmentation, not workforce replacement, could enable distributors to scale revenue without proportional headcount growth
Episode Highlights:
- 03:18 – Why the Strait of Hormuz matters more to distributors than daily pump prices
- 11:42 – Fuel inflation, MRO cost pressure, and the inventory overbuying risk
- 19:55 – Tariff refunds as financial instruments: Should companies borrow against future policy decisions?
- 31:07 – Economic uncertainty and succession planning: Why volatility may accelerate acquisitions
- 44:28 – AI governance vs. AI experimentation: What enterprise leaders must get right
- 58:16 – Automation in credit, cash application, and operational workflows
- 01:12:09 – Are leaders becoming too reliant on AI? The critical thinking question
- 01:26:40 – Multi-model AI validation and the future of enterprise decision-making
Meet the Guest:
Steve Levy is Vice President of Enterprise Architecture at Infor. He works at the intersection of cloud infrastructure, platform extensibility, AI governance, and enterprise system design, helping large distribution and manufacturing organizations modernize responsibly while managing risk.
Tools, Frameworks, and Strategies Mentioned:
- Enterprise Architecture Strategy for Distribution
- AI Governance Councils and Multi-Model Validation
- Cloud Platform Extensibility within Infor ecosystems
- AI Augmentation vs. Workforce Replacement Framework
- Capital Allocation Strategy During Tariff Volatility
Closing Insight:
“Volatility creates pressure, but it also creates opportunity for the prepared.”
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