How Wesco is Revolutionizing Efficiency with AI and Automation

In a world where innovation is vital to survival, companies like Wesco are proving that the strategic implementation of AI and automation can transform industries. Wesco, a Fortune 200 wholesale distribution giant, is a vital supply chain partner to 50,000 suppliers and thousands of customers, including many from the Fortune 100 list. Recently, I sat down with Max Ioffe who leads the Center of Excellence (COE) for Automation at Wesco , to discuss how they're harnessing AI and automation to redefine efficiency, enhance employee productivity, and build a more resilient supply chain.

Empowering Productivity Across the Enterprise

Max and his team focus on empowering individual productivity and delivering efficiency across Wesco's global enterprise. With over 20,000 employees, this massive operation faces the daunting task of managing millions of products across diverse industries. "Our mission," Max explained, "is to be the customer of choice for our suppliers and the supplier of choice for our customers." Achieving this requires a fine balance of scaling operations and embedding automation wherever it can make a meaningful impact.

For Wesco, empowering productivity doesn't mean simply reducing costs or automating tasks; it's about giving employees the tools to work more intelligently. Max described how their COE encourages a culture of innovation by providing accessible automation tools, enabling employees to take proactive approaches to improve workflows.

"If your title is an analyst, you shouldn't be gathering data; you should be analyzing it," Max said. By automating data gathering, Wesco has enabled analysts to start their day fully equipped to make insights, not just organize information.

From Small Wins to Major ROI: Building Momentum in Automation

When launching Wesco's automation initiatives in 2019, Max faced a common challenge: demonstrating ROI. His solution? Align closely with the CFO's perspective on measurable ROI. Together, they created objective, stopwatch-based metrics to quantify productivity gains and process efficiencies.

"We didn't want to build automations that wouldn't return the investment," Max noted. Their ROI strategy emphasized productivity, creating efficiencies, and justifying each automation project with tangible outcomes. Wesco's automation program even makes room for projects with 'soft ROI'—initiatives that might not deliver immediate savings but contribute to employee satisfaction and retention. As Max put it:

"We have enough high-ROI projects to accommodate a few automations just because they're the right thing to do."

Building a Robust Pipeline with Bottom-Up Innovation

For Wesco, having a steady pipeline of automation ideas was essential to keep up with the company's growth. Max's approach has been to tap into ideas from all levels of the organization. Through citizen developer programs and platforms like UiPath's Automation Hub, Max and his team can capture ideas directly from employees who understand pain points in their workflows.

"The combination of top-down direction and bottom-up innovation means we never lack projects," Max said. By cultivating citizen' ambassadors,' Wesco doesn't just teach employees how to identify automation opportunities—they empower them to lead change.

This emphasis on democratized innovation effectively bridges the gap between IT and business functions. Employee-driven ideas enable Wesco to stay agile, and as Max noted, "We have more pipeline than we can implement."

AI-Powered Automation: Moving Beyond RPA to Intelligent Processes

Wesco's automation journey started with Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Still, the company has rapidly evolved toward more intelligent automation solutions that incorporate AI. Wesco is exploring the use of AI for intelligent document processing, email drafting, and data extraction. Such tools can automate even semi-structured processes, making workflows significantly more flexible and responsive.

"AI allows us to move from traditional rule-based automations to intelligent, context-aware processes," Max explained. In practice, AI enhances existing automation, making them smarter and more capable of handling complex, real-world scenarios.

Max also mentioned how Wesco is utilizing AI to integrate data and tasks across multiple platforms, providing a seamless experience for users who may be working with disparate systems.

Navigating Change Management and Promoting Business Acceptance

One of the biggest challenges in implementing enterprise-wide automation is managing change. At Wesco, Max's team has addressed this by changing the narrative from "automation is taking over" to "automation is helping you excel." Through initiatives like town halls and departmental presentations, the COE educates employees on how automation can streamline workflows and eliminate repetitive tasks.

"We don't automate jobs; we automate tasks that people don't enjoy doing," Max clarified. By positioning automation as an ally to employee satisfaction, Wesco has built a culture where automation is seen as an enabler, not a threat.

Max also leverages the enthusiasm of citizen ambassadors to create a bottom-up wave of change management. This approach ensures that employees at all levels of the company feel invested in the automation program's success and see firsthand the positive impact it has on their work.

The Future of Automation at Wesco: AI, Copilot Technologies, and Beyond

Looking forward, Wesco's automation strategy includes expanding the capabilities of AI-driven' copilot' technologies. These tools provide intelligent assistance for routine tasks, helping employees to work more effectively within ERP systems and other enterprise software. Max highlighted UiPath's recent integration with Microsoft Teams as an exciting development, allowing employees to execute automations directly from a familiar interface.

"With the Teams integration, employees don't need to learn a new system—they can just type a command, and the automation takes over. It's user-friendly and accelerates adoption," Max explained.

With UiPath Forward on the horizon, Max expressed excitement about the future advancements in automation. "People say RPA is dead, but I disagree," he said. "RPA has evolved into a powerful orchestration tool, and we're now stitching together more complex, AI-friendly use cases that address the real-world challenges of supply chain management."

AI and Automation as Catalysts for Industry Transformation

Wesco's journey demonstrates the transformative potential of AI and automation within the supply chain. Through a combination of top-down support, bottom-up innovation, and strategic use of AI, Wesco has created a robust automation framework that boosts efficiency and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Max's insights underscore the importance of viewing automation as a holistic strategy beyond process improvements to create meaningful organizational change.

As Max aptly summed up: "By addressing real problems, not just those we can automate, we make automation a tool for positive impact. And that's a mission everyone at Wesco can get behind."