Entries by Bizowie

Distribution ERP vs. Generic ERP: Why Distributors Need Specialized Systems

The demo looked perfect. The sales team showed how the ERP handled orders, tracked inventory, managed purchasing, and generated reports. The reference customers spoke glowingly about their implementations. The ROI projections were compelling. So you signed the contract, spent eighteen months implementing, and now you’re discovering what generic ERP vendors don’t mention: the system wasn’t […]

Why Distribution Leaders Feel Blind During Their Busiest Periods

It’s the first week of your peak season. Order volumes have tripled. The warehouse is running double shifts. Every delivery truck is on the road. Your biggest customers are placing their largest orders of the year. And you have almost no idea what’s actually happening. Your ERP dashboard shows yesterday’s numbers—which feel like ancient history […]

Why Distribution Teams Spend More Time Fixing Data Than Moving Product

Your warehouse supervisor just spent forty-five minutes tracking down a discrepancy. The system showed 200 units of a popular item in bin location A-15-3. The picker found 47 units. Somewhere between receiving, putaway, and this morning’s pick ticket, 153 units vanished from reality while remaining perfectly visible in your ERP. This isn’t theft. It’s not […]

The Operational Cost of Not Knowing What’s About to Break

Your biggest customer just called. Their order—the one you promised would arrive this morning—hasn’t shown up. You check the shipping system: the order shipped on time, tracking shows delivery attempted, but there’s a note about an address issue. The warehouse shipped to an old address that was never updated after the customer moved their receiving […]

Why Adding Customers Feels Like Adding Problems (And How to Fix It)

You just signed your biggest customer of the year—a regional chain that will represent 12% of annual revenue. The sales team is celebrating. Finance is projecting next quarter’s numbers. And your operations director is quietly calculating how many additional headcount approvals she’ll need to request because this account will overwhelm current capacity. Three months later, […]

The Cost of Firefighting: Why Nothing Improves When Everything Is Urgent

It’s 9:47 AM on a Tuesday. Your warehouse manager bursts into your office because a key customer’s order can’t ship—half the items show available in the system but can’t be located on the floor. Your purchasing manager needs immediate approval for expedited freight on a supplier shipment that’s running late. Customer service is fielding calls […]

Common ERP Migration Mistakes Distributors Make (and How to Avoid Them)

ERP migration represents one of the highest-stakes projects distribution businesses undertake. Done well, it transforms operations, eliminates inefficiencies, and positions the company for growth. Done poorly, it creates chaos, costs spiral out of control, and the business ends up with systems worse than what it replaced. Industry research reveals sobering statistics: approximately 55-75% of ERP […]

When to Replace Your ERP: A Guide for Distributors

The decision to replace an ERP system ranks among the most consequential choices distribution leaders make. Get it right, and the business gains operational efficiency, competitive advantage, and capacity for growth. Get it wrong, and the organization faces disruption, expense, and potentially worse systems than before. This high-stakes decision is complicated by conflicting advice. IT […]

The Hidden Chaos Behind ‘Mostly Working’ Distribution Systems

Executive leadership sees systems that appear functional. Orders get processed. Invoices get sent. Inventory moves through warehouses. Financial reports close monthly. Revenue grows steadily. From the executive perspective, systems are “mostly working.” Meanwhile, operational staff experience daily chaos that leadership never sees. The warehouse manager keeps a spreadsheet tracking which bin locations the ERP gets […]

Beyond Microsoft Dynamics GP and AX: What Distribution Companies Need to Know About the End-of-Life Transition

For thousands of wholesale distributors, Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains) and Dynamics AX have been operational cornerstones for decades. These platforms handled millions of transactions, supported billions in revenue, and enabled businesses to scale from regional operations to multi-state enterprises. Now those distributors face a difficult reality: Microsoft has end-of-lifed both platforms. Dynamics AX support […]