Timely extra stocks and less-deductible goods
Customers order often, and deliveries are planned according to their work schedule. For limited-use goods, not only the balance is important, but also the validity and storage conditions suitable for a specific customer.
When ordering, it is important to separate the single item, box and pallet, correctly recalculate quantities and adapt the range for a specific customer.
The final price may depend on the customer, contract, quantity, channel, period, supplier's stock and other commercial rules.
Limited-use items are distributed by lot and the remaining disposal time. Usually, goods that expire faster are shipped earlier, depending on the customer's acceptance conditions.
The windows for receiving, booking, assembling and delivering the order are short, so the information must be transmitted without manual intermediate steps.
Even small losses in discounts, write-offs, set-ups, transport or returns multiplied by a large amount of operations significantly affect the result.
The distribution company serves stores or catering locations that require regular assortment replenishment. The convenience of the order helps to maintain the habit of purchase, and proper validity and the delivered goods at the agreed time support the customer's sales. For a range of limited validity, the stock plan must be combined with specific delivery and acceptance requirements.
Product cards, packaging hierarchies, supply conditions, costs, certificates, allergens and other mandatory data are developed.
Sales, seasonality, promotions, minimum stocks, delivery terms and expiration risks are evaluated; purchase orders are formed.
Quantities, quality, batch numbers, expiration dates, temperatures or documents are checked; stocks are entered into ERP and WMS.
Managed customer price lists, discounts, stock periods, credit limits, minimum quantities and delivery rules.
The customer orders via EDI, portal, manager, email or phone; the price, availability, credit and delivery date are checked.
Goods are reserved, selected by lot and validity, complete, inspected, packaged and transport documents prepared.
Orders are grouped according to geography, delivery windows, transport capacity and temperature regime; the result of the delivery is captured.
Generated bills, bills of lading and credit documents, managed discrepancies, returns, tare accounting and claims.
Analysis of order fulfillment, margin, shortfalls, write-downs, customer activity, stock performance and supply reliability.
Information is mainly held in separate files or notes. Employees pass it on and reconcile it manually.
Teams record their work consistently, but sharing information with colleagues still requires considerable manual checking.
Core work is managed in systems. Some information is transferred automatically, but repeated data entry remains.
Systems deliver the required data on time. Employees can see unfinished work and know who is responsible for resolving discrepancies.
The team checks data quality, evaluates results and uses them to improve operations. Automation is applied where its value can be demonstrated.
The customer orders according to the agreed prices and the appropriate range for him, and the distribution team combines the addition with batch validity and delivery schedule. A convenient order and reliable supply helps to maintain the customer's buying habit. Stock and delivery data allows to deal with the reasons for the shortage and write-offs earlier.