For most distribution companies, managing operating expenses has a far bigger impact on the business than simply pouring more revenue into the top of the funnel. In today’s tough times, operating expenses have moved to the center of the boardroom table and the top of the agenda. Learn what the five main value drivers in distribution are, and find out how to avoid seven common distribution and wholesale “sins.”
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Inventory optimization is the area where most enterprise resource planning (ERP) software implementations get the highest and fastest return on investment (ROI). However, many companies implementing an ERP solution don’t add a dedicated inventory optimization module. Learn how inventory optimization can offer companies huge potential to maximize the value of IT investments—and keep inventory levels at the right balance.
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When considering major purchases, most people ask, “Why rent when you can buy?” But with IT systems, the reverse may be true. Software as a service (SaaS) offers many advantages over traditional software, especially in terms of the on-going costs of maintaining and upgrading systems. Learn how passing those burdens on to a SaaS vendor can help your company focus on optimizing efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
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One of the largest expenses for distributors and wholesalers is stock. Many have difficulty finding the perfect balance between ensuring products are available when they’re needed and not holding too much inventory. So, how is it possible to increase profitability while lowering inventory costs? By exploiting an inventory optimization system, businesses increase automation and collaboration—allowing greater profitability.
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Counterfeit medicine is a major threat to the pharmaceutical industry. Seven percent of the medicine worldwide is counterfeit; however, advances in packaging and labeling technologies are coming to the industry’s aid. Pharmaceutical companies are using pilot projects to help labeling implementations throughout the supply chain to increase the availability of safe, licensed medicine and thwart the underground drug market.
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In the relentless search for ever-improving returns on investment and market competitiveness, some of the world’s biggest corporations are applying a model known as the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model to maximize supply chain efficiency. Simply gathering SCOR metrics information is one thing—but how do you actually make this information available to allow optimal decision-making for your business?
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Streamlining your supply chain can boost revenue, reduce costs, and help grow your business. No matter what business you’re in, the days of managing your supply chain from the back office are over. Today’s successful companies understand that lean supply chains maximize revenue and help stimulate growth—and their top executives aren’t afraid to wield their supply chains like weapons.
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Gaps between enterprise resource planning (ERP) functionality and best-of-breed applications are diminishing rapidly. Deciding between the two may thus come down to overall IT strategy. If it is already segmented, it makes sense to add best-of-breed applications for specific operational areas. However, if a more rationalized common operating platform is the strategy, there are compelling arguments for supply chain ERP.
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When selecting integration solutions, the only certainty is that there’s no way of telling what systems and databases will need to be integrated in the future. As your business becomes more dependent on electronic relationships with suppliers, customers, and partners, it becomes harder to impose your own best practices. That’s why you need the flexibility to adapt to any conditions.
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Warehousing processes are critical for the success of a distribution business. These processes are highly visible to your customers, and have a direct impact on their opinion of your company. If you cannot get the goods to your customers in the most efficient way, you risk losing their business. Your warehousing and logistics operations must translate into reliability and service.
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Competition and rapidly developing technology constantly drive new business models. Thus, success can be dependent on how rapidly you can deploy and adapt service processes to accommodate new requirements. To stay ahead of your competitors, you need to be armed with a software package that lets you make decisive decisions and implement procedures to meet the increasing demands of customers.
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Increased global competition, pricing pressure, and the need to rationalize resources have made business and operational measurement vital on all organizational levels. That’s why business intelligence and data warehousing tools are no longer only for the exclusive use of financial controllers. Instead, they are everyday tools across company divisions, giving relevant and efficient information overviews of all areas of responsibility.
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The US Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) addresses the issues of corporate fiscal accountability, accounting standards and practices, and reporting, as well as investor confidence in publicly owned corporations. SOX thus presents challenges to satisfy regulatory requirements, as well as opportunities to improve processes. That's why SOX compliance can be aided by an integrated, automated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.
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Despite intense price competition for its volume products, the electrical products industry remains healthy and dynamic. World-class companies are succeeding by marketing innovative products, scaling up and outsourcing production, expanding into new geographic areas, implementing more efficient business systems, and focusing on ever-closer relationships with suppliers, partners, and customers. This white paper explores the issues of manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors and the current state and future of the industry. Industry specific technological are also discussed.
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The global automotive and wholesale distribution industry moves more than 50 million motor vehicles from factory floor to dealer to customer every year. Companies that operate in this market sector perform a difficult balancing act between the vehicle makers on the one side and the dealers and the consumers on the other. However by leveraging IT strategies, their goals are attainable.
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The pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive, regulated, and in a permanent state of change. Customers demand instant attention, while suppliers require comprehensive leading edge services with regard to their products. Regulatory authorities require that the industry keep up to date with regulations, following them to the letter. Competitors are always inventing new ways to gain market share, while e-business presents new opportunities and challenges. All the while the pressure to reduce prices and to shorten order cycles is high. Pharmaceutical wholesalers comprise the lifeline within the pharmaceutical industry, providing continuity of supply and facilities for storage. They also offer a range of supporting services, such as information technology systems and product withdrawal notifications, which form an essential part of the total healthcare package. These companies and institutions all operate in an environment where speed and efficiency may mean the difference between life and death. However, the industry has a number of specific requirements that are critical for achieving success in the distribution sector.
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The challenges that face the manufacturing industry today are also opportunities. Manufacturing is being revolutionized in its processes, routines, and ways of doing business through the growing emergence of order driven production methods. This shift towards demand driven manufacturing is emerging in tandem with the larger currents caused by globalization. This cross industry brief focuses on the manufacturing industry from the standpoint of a demand driven IT solution and is aimed at manufacturing and distribution businesses. It describes some major market trends and issues, provides an overview of IBS supply chain solution, and offers details on how the IBS solution for demand driven manufacturing can address current needs of the industry.
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Food giants and technology providers work together to improve the efficiency of food processing, and storage and distribution operations, so that food products can be harvested, stored, and moved to the dinner table quickly and at less cost. This vertical brief focuses on specific issues within today's food distribution industry, explaining how IT solutions can help food distributors improve efficiency and reduce overall costs that drive up profits in an extremely competitive, low margin business.
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