Software4Distributors

Monday, November 5, 2012

Advanced Distribution Software Extends Microsoft ERP for Distributors

I.B.I.S., Inc. recently announced the availability of Advanced Distribution Software, a new enterprise software solution designed to meet the ultra-sophisticated needs of today’s distributors. Built on Microsoft Dynamics® AX, Advanced Distribution Software offers seamless integration, real-time information and industry-specific functionality which enable distributors to succeed in a competitive marketplace.

Advanced Distribution Software offers unique extended features, which are available individually or by the bundle: Advanced Revenue Management, Advanced Order Management, Advanced Inventory Management, Advanced Demand Planning, Advanced Fulfillment Management and Advanced Business Intelligence. The software gives users maximum visibility across their internal and external supply chains and allows them to respond quickly and confidently to market changes.

To learn more, visit the Advanced Distribution Software website.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Friday, November 2, 2012

What's Your Company's Cost to Serve?

How does your company’s cost to serve customers compare with other distributors?

1. It’s high because we provide the best service, but our margins compensate us for it.

2. Our cost to serve is lower than our competitors. This is our business strategy.

3. I really don’t know, as we don’t keep track of cost to serve.

This article from the I.B.I.S. blog describes methods you use to can control cost to serve in three critical areas: freight cost, cost of extending credit and selling cost. Is your campany at risk for being dependent on larger accounts for all of its profits? Are you ignoring the opportunity to make smaller orders profitable? Read more...

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Pronto Software Wins Deal with Herschend Family Entertainment

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business intelligence (BI) software provider, Pronto Software, announced today the signing of a new customer contract with Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation (HFE), the largest family-owned theme park company in the United States.

The multi-million dollar deal will see Pronto Software’s Pronto Xi ERP and BI software tool-set replace HFE’s legacy merchandise retail and inventory systems across HFE’s portfolio of entertainment, tourism and hospitality properties, including Silver Dollar City in Missouri and Dollywood in Tennessee.

The fully integrated solution includes financial, distribution, manufacturing, point-of-sale and warehouse management tools with built in business intelligence from IBM Cognos. The solution will help HFE control costs, improve operating efficiencies and profitability, while offering flexibility across multiple sites, staff teams and locations.

The implementation begins immediately and will be carried out through a series of rollouts over the next two years. On completion, HFE will become Pronto’s largest installed client in North America.

Read more on the Pronto website.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Why Is The Distribution Industry Growing Faster Than The Economy?

Revenues for industrial distributors increased 19.1 percent to $353.3 billion in 2011, and revenues are expected to grow 10.1 percent in 2012, according to financials from the Wholesale Distribution Economic Report.

Distributors often suggest issues are created when the manufacturers can sell directly to the customer, but this suggests distributors are actually getting a larger share of the business. Revenues of wholesale distributors grew by 13.2 percent to $4.7 trillion in 2011, with growth expected to grow by 6.8 percent in 2012.

Read more about the growth rates and forecasts on the Advanced Distribution Today blog.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Friday, October 26, 2012

SAP Announces Availability of SAP HANA Cloud, SAP NetWeaver Cloud

SAP today unveiled its plans for SAP HANA Cloud, a next-generation cloud platform based on breakthrough in-memory technology. As part of SAP HANA Cloud, the company also announced the general availability of SAP NetWeaver Cloud, an open standards-based application service.

SAP HANA Cloud will include several key offerings, two of which are the SAP HANA AppServices that aims to allow developers to create next-generation applications using native SAP HANA, Java and other rapid-development services; and SAP HANA DBServices aims to provide database-as-a-service in the cloud.

Read more about SAP HANA Cloud and SAP NetWeaver Cloud on the SAP blog.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How Should Distributors Sell To The Tech-Savvy Customer?

Today’s tech-savvy customers don’t need a salesperson; they need a consultant. The challenge for the sales team is providing the customer with information that can’t be found on the Internet. You’re no longer a salesperson but an expert. You must teach the customer something new about their business. Customers want a salesperson who knows the business and has a deep understanding of their pain points and needs.

Read more on the Advanced Distribution Today blog...

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

Monday, October 22, 2012

NetSuite’s Cloud ERP Assists Non-profits with Fund Accounting

Most nonprofits and NGOs must break down income and expenditures on a program-by-program basis, which means maintaining a distinct ledger for each operating fund. This can make accounting procedures between funds about as similar as balancing the books in Boise and Brazil.

The inherently complex accounting challenges nonprofits face require accounting systems that balance best practices with both power and flexibility. NetSuite.org, NetSuite’s Corporate Citizenship arm, is working to increase the suitability of their market-leading cloud ERP for nonprofit organizations.

NetSuite can offer a fund accounting solution which gives nonprofit organizations superior control over the balance sheet of any number of programs. With this platform, nonprofits can allocate costs on a percentage, hourly or fixed cost basis, with the freedom to configure different rules for each fund.

To read more about the features of NetSuite's Cloud ERP for nonprofits, visit the Cloud NetSuite blog.

The Brown Smith Wallace 2012 Mid-Year Supplements are available. Visit our website to download your copy!

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