ERP Implementation2 min read
ERP Implementation Team: Roles and Responsibilities
Who you need on an ERP implementation team: sponsor, project lead, key users, data owner, consultants and developers, with realistic time commitments.
Industry · Distribution & Logistics
Wholesale ERP built for margin, speed and credit control
Wholesale margins are thin and won or lost in the details: the right price for each customer, purchase costs that include freight and duty, rebates that actually get claimed, and orders picked and shipped the same day.
- M01Sales
- M02Pricing
- M03Inventory
- M04Purchasing
- M05Accounting
- M06Warehouse / Barcode
Context
ERP in wholesale
Most wholesalers we meet have outgrown a basic accounting package plus spreadsheets for pricing. The ERP's job is to make order entry fast, pricing reliable and margin visible on every line.
01Operational challenges
What usually breaks before the ERP project starts
01
Pricing complexity
Customer-specific prices, volume breaks, contract pricing and promotions maintained in spreadsheets.
02
Hidden landed costs
Freight, duty and handling not allocated to products, so margins look better than they are.
03
Unclaimed rebates
Supplier rebates and volume incentives tracked manually and often missed.
04
Credit exposure
Orders shipped to customers already over their limits or overdue.
02Core flows
How the ERP should handle each part of the business
- Sales flow
- Fast order entry by phone, email or portal with customer-specific prices applied automatically; reorder from history; credit checks block or flag orders.
- Procurement
- Replenishment from demand history and lead times; landed costs allocated on receipt; supplier price lists and rebate agreements tracked.
- Inventory
- Multi-warehouse stock with reservations; units of measure for case, pack and each; lot tracking where required.
- Warehouse
- Wave or batch picking, barcode scanning, packing and route-based dispatch.
- Accounting
- Accurate margin per line using landed cost; rebate accruals; customer credit management and collections.
- CRM
- Account management for trade customers, sales rep territories and visit tracking.
03Industry workflows
Workflows specific to wholesale
01
Price list hierarchy
Contract prices override customer group prices, which override list prices, with effective dates.
02
Landed cost allocation
Freight and duty allocated to receipt lines by value, weight or volume.
03
Rebate tracking
Purchases tracked against supplier agreements with accruals and claims.
04
Credit hold
Orders over limit or with overdue balances held for credit approval.
04 — Reporting
Reports that should come out of the system, not a spreadsheet
- Margin by customer, product and rep using landed cost
- Stock turns and dead stock
- Fill rate and same-day dispatch
- Rebates accrued vs claimed
- Customer aged debt
- Price exception report
05 — Compliance
Compliance considerations
Typically tax, invoicing and data protection obligations, plus product-specific requirements for regulated goods (food, chemicals, alcohol). Lot tracking and supplier documents support product compliance.
Regulatory requirements vary by jurisdiction. We configure the system to support your obligations; confirm specific rules with your auditor or compliance advisor.
06 — Integrations
Systems the ERP needs to talk to
B2B eCommerce portals, EDI with large customers and suppliers, accounting during transition, carriers and route planning tools are common integrations.
07AI opportunities
Where AI is genuinely useful here
Practical uses that sit on top of clean ERP data. None of them replace getting the core transactions right first.
01
Email order capture
Turn emailed orders into draft sales orders matched to customer prices.
02
Price anomaly detection
Flag lines sold below expected margin before invoicing.
03
Reorder suggestions
Prompt customers or reps when a regular order is overdue.
08ERP modules
Modules a typical deployment includes
- M01Sales
- M02Pricing
- M03Inventory
- M04Purchasing
- M05Accounting
- M06Warehouse / Barcode
- M07B2B Portal
- M08CRM
09Roadmap
Implementation roadmap
- 01
Pricing model
Rationalise price lists and rules before configuration.
- 02
Core transactions
Sales, purchasing, inventory and accounting live.
- 03
Warehouse efficiency
Barcode picking and route dispatch.
- 04
Self-service
B2B portal and EDI for key customers.
10Common mistakes
Mistakes we see repeatedly
01
Migrating every price exception
Clean up pricing before migration; many exceptions are obsolete.
02
Ignoring landed costs
Without them, margin reports mislead.
03
Slow order entry
If order entry is slower than before, staff resist the system.
04
No credit discipline
Configure credit holds from day one.
Explore further
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can each customer have its own prices?
Yes, through customer-specific price lists and rules with effective dates and volume breaks.
Can customers order online?
Yes, through a B2B portal showing their own prices, order history and invoices.
How are rebates handled?
Rebate agreements can be tracked with accruals; complex structures may need extension.
Similar industries
Industries with related workflows
DistributionMulti-warehouse distribution ERP: demand planning, replenishment, fulfilment and supplier management.LogisticsERP for logistics providers: job management, shipment costing, carrier billing and customer invoicing.TransportationFleet-based transport ERP: vehicles, drivers, trips, fuel, maintenance and freight billing.
Next step
Margins slipping through pricing gaps?
We will review your pricing, landed costs and order flow.