SAP Business One For Wholesale Distribution: Run A Connected Warehouse

SAP Business One for wholesale distribution companies – in today’s post we will discuss the 10 key functionalities that SAP Business One brings to small and medium size wholesale distribution businesses. Read on to discover how the SAP ERP software can give you better warehouse, inventory and logistics management capabilities.

As viewed through the eyes of a logistics and warehouse manager, SAP Business One provides all the key tools to run a better wholesale distribution business. Why?

Because as a warehouse, logistics or inventory manager for a wholesale/distribution business you will be juggling multiple priorities:

• Inventory accuracy;
• Pick accuracy;
• Stock levels;
• Purchase planning;
• Delivering on time and in full;
• Managing the dynamics of the operational pressure associated with inventory management …and a lot more!

SAP Business One has an outstanding reputation as one of the world’s best ERP solutions for SME and mid-market distribution companies. If your business is looking to improve inventory accuracy, then you should be considering SAP Business One because of the following 10 reasons.

SAP Business One For Wholesale Distribution

Inventory tracking, smart insights, automated alerts and more. Here is our list of top 10 SAP Business One functionalities for the wholesale distribution business.

#1. Inventory accuracy

SAP Business One provides you and your warehouse staff with multiple tools to assist with inventory accuracy. Think of better purchase planning with MRP (Material Requirements Planning), more accurate picking with paperless warehouse management solutions (Resolv for SAP Business One), stock expiry date reporting and automated stock take recommendations (cycle counting).

#2. Pick accuracy

Many wholesale companies start with the basics (paper-based picking) and then move onto total automation with Resolv warehouse management for SAP Business One as the business grows. Users report substantial pick accuracy improvements and decrease in processing time with SAP Business One.

#3. Streamline stock take

Use ABC analysis and SAP Business One cycle counting to improve stock accuracy. Further improve stock accuracy by having one or two “checkers” when completing cycle counting.

#4. Optimize pick and pack to save time

The SAP Business One pick and pack manager is designed to help optimize the pick and pack process. Prioritise picks based on a number of criteria and ensure a smooth flow of information between sales and warehouse staff.

#5. On time in full delivery

The ultimate goal for a wholesale distribution business is on time, in full delivery. SAP Business One helps you do just that. There are multiple SAP Business One functional elements that help with on time, in full delivery:

• MRP to assist with purchase planning;
• Barcode scanning for better pick accuracy;
• Stocktake options for accurate stock counts;
• Paperless warehouse to avoid receipting and picking mistakes;
• Faster, more accurate reporting for better decision making and automation of every part of the purchasing, sales and inventory process.

#6. Optimal inventory holding

We have discussed multiple tools made available in SAP Business One for better inventory accuracy. The end goal of this inventory accuracy is holding the right inventory levels. This is important to ensure the on time, in full delivery that we discussed earlier. Holding the right levels of inventory is not just about the total inventory holding and the associated value of that inventory. It is also about holding the right inventory levels in each category and within each inventory item. What we want is to ensure that we have enough stock to deliver on time, in full to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction without holding so much stock that we tie up cash. This balancing of customer satisfaction and cash flow requirements requires calculations across thousands of transactions. Think about multiple forecasts, open purchase orders, min/max stock levels, lead times, economic order quantities, minimum order quantities and container optimization. There are thousands of transactions being updated daily. SAP Business One cuts through the noise to simplify the process with MRP and intelligent forecasting. If you want to super-charge your inventory optimization consider Netstock integrated with SAP Business One – an integrated solution for inventory optimization.

#7. Assist with compliance

HACCP, TGA, ISO or similar requirements? SAP Business One can assist with full serial number and batch traceability.

#8. Save money

Resolv container management for SAP Business One will help you manage full container loads and optimization to help reduce shipping costs and to ensure accurate reporting of inbound stock arrival dates, back-orders and expected customer deliveries using available to promise reporting and advanced available to promise – standard features of SAP Business One HANA.

#9. Reduce freight costs

Freight calculations and freight costs can be added into SAP Business One sales orders and deliveries. Alternatively, take your freight management to the next level with least cost routing, multiple courier company barcodes printed from a single printer and freight cost estimates using Interactive Freight Solutions (SmartFreight).

#10. Do more with less

With all of this inventory, warehouse management and purchasing automation available in SAP Business One you and your warehouse team can definitely do more with less, getting the job done better and faster.

For more information on how SAP Business One can help your wholesale distribution business, check our video case studies.

Conclusion

Use SAP Business One to streamline your stock management and run a better wholesale distribution business no matter what vertical market you are in. Some of our clients use the SAP Business One ERP system to better manage their inventory and warehouse, resulting in better business outcomes.

Optimal inventory holding, on-time/in-full delivery, optimised picking and packing and a lot more can be achieved through SAP Business One for wholesale distribution.

For more information on how SAP Business One can help your wholesale distribution business, check our video case studies.

For more information, or to learn how SAP Business One can help your wholesale business increase accuracy and. Decrease processing time, call 1300 045 046 or email info@leveragetech.com.au.