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NetSuite
NetSuite
With an integrated system that includes ERP, financials, commerce, inventory management, HR, PSA, supply chain management, CRM and more – NetSuite enables fast-growing businesses across all industries to work more effectively by a...Read more about NetSuite
Agiliron
Agiliron
Agiliron cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) solution is designed to serve both in-store and mobile businesses as well as online sales channels. The system offers a host of features that work in tandem with the point-of-sale solution,...Read more about Agiliron
Focus X
Focus X
Focus X is an all-inclusive enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that helps you connect every aspect of your business operations. From production to supply chain, customer relationship management to inventory and human resour...Read more about Focus X
Kechie
Kechie
Kechie Distribution Management efficiently manages internal and external resources. Suited for growing businesses, the management tools provide control of replenishment, warehouse management, pick, pack, and ship, procurement, pro...Read more about Kechie
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R4 Enterprise
R4 Enterprise
Royal 4 Enterprise is an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution with built-in modules for distribution, manufacturing, planning, inventory management, reporting and company financials. It serves midsize to large en...Read more about R4 Enterprise
SPS Commerce
SPS Commerce
SPS Commerce Fulfillment is a cloud-based EDI solution, which assists retailers, distributors, grocers and suppliers with electronic document interchange. Key features include order management, status tracking, invoice management ...Read more about SPS Commerce
Epicor for Distribution
Epicor for Distribution
Epicor for Distribution ERP solutions are designed to streamline processes and grow with your business. Key capabilities include inventory management, e-commerce capabilities, advanced analytics/business intelligence, financial m...Read more about Epicor for Distribution
Accolent ERP
Accolent ERP
Accolent ERP is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) and enterprise resource management (ERM) software suite designed for businesses in wholesale distribution, process manufacturing and assembly, and services companies. Accolent ...Read more about Accolent ERP
Infoplus
Infoplus
Infoplus WMS is a web-based warehouse management software solution for small to midsize 3PLs, eCommerce Retailers, and Wholesalers focused on taking control of overall inventory, warehouse operations and shipping. Key featur...Read more about Infoplus
Decision Builder
Decision Builder
Decision Builder ERP is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that serves companies in the manufacturing, distribution and service fields throughout the North American continent. Decision Builder is an integrated sy...Read more about Decision Builder
Versa Cloud ERP
Versa Cloud ERP
Versa is Modern all-in-one Cloud ERP software created for fast growing inventory heavy manufacturing, distribution, and e-commerce businesses moving to the next level. Versa Cloud ERP is ideally suited for for businesses focused...Read more about Versa Cloud ERP
Acctivate Inventory Management
Acctivate Inventory Management
Built for growing product-selling businesses using QuickBooks, Acctivate is a premium inventory management & multi-channel order fulfillment add-on that helps you focus on growth without operational limitations. Solve for QuickBo...Read more about Acctivate Inventory Management
Entree
Entree
NECS entrée is an on-premise ERP solution designed explicitly for food distributors. It offers functionality for inventory management, truck routing, sales management and reporting, and is suitable for both full-line distributors,...Read more about Entree
Epicor Vision
Epicor Vision
Epicor Vision enterprise software is a powerful solution for automotive aftermarket parts distributors ready to deliver superior service to customers while maximizing profits. This comprehensive distribution management solution of...Read more about Epicor Vision
AdvancePro
AdvancePro
AdvancePro offers a cloud-based inventory management solution for a variety of industry verticals to help them manage buying, warehousing, selling and shipping processes. The solution closely visualizes the stock levels at all tim...Read more about AdvancePro
WinWeb
WinWeb
WinWeb is a Cloud based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite for small and midsize businesses in multiple industries including wholesale, retail, and health care. WinWeb’s ERP Suite can be accessed through any web browser and ...Read more about WinWeb
Aquilon ERP
Aquilon ERP
Aquilon Software offers a combined supply chain, manufacturing, distribution, and financial management system that is deployable either on the cloud or on-premise. All modules integrate with each other, allowing users to gain full...Read more about Aquilon ERP
BlueCherry
BlueCherry
BlueCherry is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite featuring modules for omnichannel planning, product lifecycle management (PLM), shop floor control, logistics, e-commerce, finance and electronic data interchange. It is su...Read more about BlueCherry
S2K Enterprise
S2K Enterprise
VAI is an independent software developer and the author of S2K Enterprise, an award winning cloud-based ERP solution utilized by customers operating across the distribution, manufacturing, specialty retail, and service sectors, wi...Read more about S2K Enterprise
AcctVantage ERP
AcctVantage ERP
AcctVantage ERP is a pain-free, on-premise software solution, expertly crafted to cater to the evolving needs of growing businesses in distribution, manufacturing, and online retail. It embodies the essence of a pain-free ERP expe...Read more about AcctVantage ERP
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Buyers Guide
Last Updated: March 16, 2023Inventory management is one of the oldest uses for computer systems and it remains one of the most complex issues. As a result, we track more than 100 different systems. We wrote this buyer’s guide to help buyers shed some light on this market.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Is Distribution Inventory Management Software?
Common Features of a Distribution Inventory Management System
What Is Distribution Inventory Management Software?
Ross Perot said “Inventories can be managed but people must be led.” Both parts of the sentence are important in understanding inventory management software. Distribution inventory management software helps companies buy, track, deliver merchandise and supplies. It tracks the on-hand, allocated and ordered quantities to show actual stock levels. It shows the current value, and provides historical and trend information for planning purposes. Inventory management software helps balance supply levels so that sufficient quantities are on hand to supply customer needs without having too much capital invested or having inventory that goes out of date or spoils.
The inventory system performs other important tasks. The first is that it produces the picking information to fulfill customer orders. Second, it provides receiving information to make sure that orders placed with vendors are completed successfully. Inventory control systems are used for tracking reorder points, managing lot number tracking, generating order advice or even placing orders automatically. Order management systems can integrate with inventory systems to check quantities on hand or lead times for out-of-stock items. Inventory applications also track important inventory value information for accounting purposes.
Common Features of a Distribution Inventory Management System
The five features below are common in most modern distribution inventory management systems:
Front counter operations. This feature helps handle the necessary transactional tasks, such as processing orders, calculating taxes and printing receipts.
Warehouse and inventory management. These features work together to help distributors monitor inventory levels, manage receiving and shipping and determining optimal reordering.
Transportation management. Users can manage the scheduling of shipments and routes to improve logistics and reduce costs.
Customer management (CRM). A CRM in distribution keeps a log of retrievable customer information to improve speed and satisfaction. Users can also produce reports to identify purchasing trends.
Distribution accounting. This feature helps handle all the revenues and expenditures, and offers a general ledger to track all transactions.
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Before evaluating different solutions, you’ll need to determine what type of buyer you are. Over 90 percent of buyers fall into one of these four groups:
Full-suite buyer. These buyers value the seamless integration of data and processes that comes from having one provider for all functions. For example, a top full-suite system for accounting, customer relationship management and inventory management can turn quotes automatically into orders and then generate picking lists, shipping labels and invoices. These buyers favor complete software suites like Oracle, SAP, Sage ERP or Microsoft Dynamics AX.
Multiple warehouse operations buyer. These enterprise buyers run multiple facilities and need to track and balance inventories over a geographical area. The buyers require software that can balance inventory between warehouses while strategically placing it closest to the probable customers. Finally, the software must determine the best choice between drop shipping split orders between warehouses or centrally receiving inventory and then shipping to warehouses.
Departmental buyer. These buyers are distribution specialists for firms that have an internal distribution network. They may only sell to their own outlets, but they must contend with multiple suppliers, inventory issues, competing corporate customers and transportation decisions similar to commercial distributors use.
Small business buyer. These buyers may work for distributors or wholesalers or may have a distribution component as part of their company. They usually have smaller numbers of clients, suppliers and inventory and may include some assembly or production components but still face the same basic issues as large-scale distributors. They may be using dedicated systems or an integrated solution.
Benefits and Potential Issues
Effective inventory management is a critical success factor for distributors. You can expect the following benefits from an inventory management system.
Time savings. Inventory management systems can save time in all aspects of handling inventory. Slotting analysis saves time by having frequently picked items placed where they can be quickly located. Picking systems speed the process to fulfill customer orders. Receiving systems allow for the efficient inflow and processing of inventory.
Capital savings. Inventory management systems can help business reorder stock and supplies at economic reorder amounts.
Integration with accounting systems. Integration with the rest of the accounting system is hugely important. Information shared with the general ledger keeps balance sheets current. Inventory reorders trigger entries in purchase order and accounts receivable. Pick information and shipping information is shared with accounts payable.
There are two key issues with general ledger systems. The first is the cost of implementation and maintenance. The inventory must start from a clean physical inventory, which can be time consuming and labor intensive. Periodic inventories must be conducted to ensure that the physical count agrees with the system count.
The second challenge is discipline. It is very, very easy to grab a piece of stock from a shelf for a customer and “catch up on the paperwork later.” It is easy to do and, as a manager, it is easy to excuse. But it can have a devastating effect on an inventory management system. And when it is part of a integrated system, the errors spread all the way through.
Market Trends to Understand
Inventory systems continue to evolve and are one of the most dynamic parts of ERP and supply chain systems. The following are trends to consider when selecting a system.
Pick to light technology. Pick to light (PTL) is a paperless picking technology. Instead of printing a pick list, arrays of lights on the ceiling and shelving indicate the location of the items to be picked. Digital displays on the shelf give the quantity to pick.
Intelligent inventory tagging. The use of one-dimensional bar coding for equipment and inventory tagging is well established in manufacturing programs. Recent systems use radio frequency identification (RFID), which can be read remotely to check inventory levels and to confirm equipment availability. Other systems use two-dimensional bar codes which contain descriptive information in addition to an identifier like a part number.
Advanced slotting analysis. Advanced slotting analysis uses historical inventory information, picking trends and warehouse shelving layout information to determine the most cost-effective placement of supplies. Slotting analysis can also ensure that dangerous items are not stored together, for example, ammonia next to chlorine, which could violate government regulations, insurance restrictions and common sense.
The Vendor Landscape
Inventory management systems vary greatly; buyers need to understand their scope and scale while evaluating inventory packages.
This type of buyer... | Should evaluate these systems |
Full-suite buyer | SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics |
Multiple warehouse operations | Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Infor |
Departmental buyer | Exact Globe, Geneva, ADS, Oracle, SAP |
Small business buyer | Blue Link, ADS, Infor, Abas |