Sales and distribution are key areas for the operation of most companies. They are of significant importance, not only for enterprises that are customarily assigned to the trade (stores) or distribution (logistics companies) industries, but also, for example, for manufacturing companies.
It is not without reason that it is said that “it is not an art to produce something, but to sell it”, and following this line of reasoning, to sell and deliver it to the client. We intentionally combine the areas of sale and distribution here, because only after the goods or product have been delivered to the customer, the sales process can be considered fully completed.
Appreciating the importance of these areas, companies are looking for solutions that will be able to meet their expectations as comprehensively as possible, both in terms of supporting the sales process and delivering goods or products to the customer. They turn to ERP systems, which each year expand their capabilities, striving to meet the needs of companies more and more fully. These needs, however, are constantly changing. There are new distribution channels, new ways of communicating with the market, new methods of supply chain management.
The area of sales and distribution is also expanding, and this forces specialization. Currently, no ERP system is able to cover with its native functions all expectations in the field of computerization of the sales and distribution process. In such a situation, the adaptation and integration abilities of a given ERP system become more important. It becomes important that this system, from a solution that aims to cover all areas of the company’s operations, becomes the IT core of the organization. A place where data from many specialized solutions are collected, integrated and processed, dedicated to handling selected elements of the process. These specialized IT solutions are able to better adapt to the growing requirements of companies. The ERP system should, however, focus on servicing central processes and on extensive reporting of data collected from the aforementioned specialist solutions. This approach is an ideal compromise and guarantees success, because with the emergence of new needs in the company, there is no need to replace the existing ERP system with a new, more extensive one. Instead, we implement a specialized solution that meets new needs and integrate this solution with our ERP system.
The solution that meets the above-mentioned expectations is the SAP Business One system. Thanks to its wide functionality, its ability to easily create specialized extensions (addons) and integration possibilities (data bus – Integration Framework), it becomes an ideal proposition for times when the only certain issue is constant change. This applies to all areas of the company’s operations, but in the following we will focus on what the system, along with accompanying solutions, has to offer for the sales and distribution area.
At this point, it is worth mentioning a powerful integration tool with which the SAP Business One system is equipped. I am talking about the Integration Framework for SAP Business One, a solution that connects the SAP Business One system with other applications, services and devices through integration with external data sources of other platforms, such as: ERP systems, databases, files, EDI, websites, etc.
Streamlining and automating the processes of intra-group transactions and such as distribution of master data and financial consolidation