Catalog, inventory, orders, customers, warehouse, finance, and reporting
Workflow
A purchase order is not the same as stock ready to ship
Distributors need to distinguish what was ordered, what arrived, what passed receiving, and what is available for customer orders. Partial receipts, pack-size differences, damaged goods, and unrecorded transfers can all undermine a delivery promise.
Workflow
Follow the goods from supplier to customer
1XA purchasing brings vendor records and purchase orders together. Inventory and WMS connect receiving, putaway, movement, counts, picking, and returns. Order management keeps fulfillment states and exceptions associated with the customer commitment.
- Align supplier identifiers, internal SKUs, and units of measure.
- Record receiving differences before approving the next handoff.
- Connect wholesale account history to orders and service questions.
- Review costs and margin alongside purchasing and fulfillment activity.
Workflow
Make exceptions visible before the customer calls
Choose ownership for incomplete receipts, backorders, short picks, and damaged returns. A useful daily review identifies the affected order, the missing decision, and the person responsible. Focus on clearing the queue rather than producing another report that nobody acts on.
Workflow
Pilot a product family and a warehouse flow
Start with a purchase, a partial receipt, an order, a pick exception, and a return. Validate the physical movement and the record at each step. Compare receipt-to-availability time, unexplained stock differences, and unresolved order exceptions against the baseline before adding more locations or automation.
FAQ
Common Questions
Is WMS different from inventory management?
Inventory management records quantities, locations, and movements. WMS coordinates warehouse execution such as receiving, putaway, picking, and packing. The right starting point depends on whether your immediate problem is stock visibility or work on the floor.
Can manufacturers use this approach?
Manufacturers with distribution and wholesale workflows can evaluate these modules. Production planning, bills of material, shop-floor execution, and specialized traceability need their own scope review.
Next step
Book a distribution workflow demo
Tell us where the work breaks down and which systems you use today. We will focus the walkthrough on that workflow, its exceptions, and a practical first rollout.