Packaging distributors sell the materials everyone else ships in: boxes, films, tape, labels, void fill, pallets, and the equipment that applies them.
It looks like a commodity business, but the details are anything but. Customers depend on you not running out, because when their packaging runs out, their production stops. Many items are custom-printed or made to a customer's specification. Products are bulky, so warehouse space and freight decide profit. And many accounts want you to hold stock on their behalf and release it as they need it.
This guide explains what packaging distributors need from an ERP system and the scenarios to test before choosing one. For the full evaluation process, see our distribution ERP software guide.
For a manufacturer or a fulfillment center, running out of boxes or film can stop the line. Packaging distributors win and keep accounts by never letting that happen. That takes replenishment based on each customer's real usage, visibility into what each account consumes, and early warning when supplier lead times stretch. See how to eliminate stock-outs without increasing inventory and our reorder point and min-max guide.
Custom-printed boxes, labels, and bags belong to one customer only. They are ordered from a converter or manufacturer to the customer's specification, often with minimum runs, and stored until the customer needs them. The system has to tie each custom item to its customer, track artwork or specification revisions, and prevent custom stock from being sold to anyone else. See special order management.
Many packaging accounts work on blanket orders or stocking programs: the customer commits to a quantity, the distributor holds it, and the customer releases deliveries over weeks or months. The ERP needs to track the committed quantity, what has been released, what remains, and whether the inventory is owned by the distributor or already billed to the customer. Some accounts go further and ask you to manage replenishment for them. See vendor-managed inventory.
Packaging takes up space and costs a lot to move relative to its value. Warehouse location rules, efficient put-away, and accurate freight cost by order and by customer all matter. Margin on a pallet of corrugated can disappear in delivery cost if no one is watching. See freight and carrier management for distributors.
Resin, paper, and corrugated prices move, and suppliers pass increases through. Distributors need to update costs quickly, see which customer prices and contracts are affected, and price by customer, quantity break, or program. See managing customer-specific pricing.
Real screens from Bizowie, not mockups. Click any screen to enlarge.
Bookings, open orders awaiting fulfillment, and inventory value at a glance.
Every receipt, transfer, build, and quarantine move by SKU, lot, bin, and location.
Purchase orders with approvals, receiving, ASNs, and vendor invoices on one screen.
Customers search items, place orders, and check order and invoice history themselves.
For blanket orders and customer-held stock programs, bring your specific arrangements to a demonstration so we can show you exactly how they would be handled.
“We have seen immediate economic benefit for our business in terms of productivity from our warehouse staff, eliminated processing errors, and better stock control.”
Julius Hart — Managing Director, LensesOnline
Have a question about your own system? Talk to the team that builds Bizowie.
Usage-based replenishment, custom and customer-owned item tracking, blanket orders and scheduled releases, flexible pricing with fast cost updates, efficient warehouse put-away for bulky goods, and freight cost visibility.
A commitment by a customer to buy a total quantity over a period, released in smaller deliveries as needed, often with the distributor holding the stock.
By tracking each account's actual usage, setting reorder points and min/max levels from it, watching supplier lead times, and, for key accounts, managing replenishment on the customer's behalf.
Tell us how your stocking programs and custom items work today. We'll show you how Bizowie would handle them, and if we are not the right fit, we will tell you.
Tell us a little about your operation and we’ll reply with an honest assessment of fit, not a sales pitch.
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(888) 635-2517
2545 Railroad St., Suite 301
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
info@bizowie.com