As close-to-cost businesses, Wholesale Distributors depend on business process automation and integration to contain costs, minimize processing errors, reduce time to market and achieve the highest possible levels of business efficiency and performance.
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"The support group is incredibly helpful. They always have the answer to my questions - and even take it one step further and make recommendations on how I can handle processes differently - better." Sean Ketcham |
But business integration is especially challenging for Wholesale Distribution businesses. Large numbers of trading partners, a wide range of electronic document types and interfaces, significant partner interface volatility, shortened replenishment cycles, long, vulnerable supply chains, smaller partners with limited IT and integration capabilities – the list of potential obstacles to success is extensive.
EXTOL’s Design-time Automation™ technology makes it possible for Wholesale Distributors to achieve high levels of process automation and efficiency, even in the face of continuous change:
- Onboard customers, suppliers, and carriers faster – Engage sooner with new trading partners by delivering integration results faster. EXTOL’s Design-time Automation™ technology reduces the effort and cost of customer integration and maintenance, by eliminating many time-consuming, low-level implementation concerns.
- Implement demand-driven replenishment – Integrate VMI, JIT replenishment, and other demand-driven processes, by triggering replenishment from demand signals. EXTOL lets you integrate sales operations, supply management, and other applications non-invasively and in near-real time.
- Reduce processing cycle times for perishables and other short shelf-life items – Streamline time-critical processes by integrating directly with ERP, warehouse management, and other applications. Turn around responses to partners in near-real time.
- Integrate with trading partners on their terms – Connect with retailers, offshore manufacturers, and other trading partners using their preferred protocols and document types. Become easier to do business with by delivering custom connections, with less time and effort than alternatives.
- Comply more easily with key partner requirements – Implement Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, and other B2B processes, including Ship Destination Quantity (SDQ) and other specialized transactions. EXTOL’s Enterprise Adapters, Smart Mapping, and Integration Pattern Repository equip you to comply with unique partner interface requirements.
- Reduce chargebacks and improve your Vendor Scorecard – Integrate partner transactions with internal business processes to reduce errors and latency. EXTOL’s customizable exit points, and automated email notifications enable you to detect and respond to processing exceptions before they become problems.
- Handle large documents and demand peaks – EXTOL technology is proven in high-volume businesses, and is capable of processing product catalogs and other large documents and sustaining high transaction rates.
- Improve visibility and traceability – Gain immediate access to both processing status and document history chains. EXTOL’s integrated dashboard feature and extensive reporting functions give you the ability to keep track of current and past processing activity.
- Onboard less technically sophisticated partners – Automate integration with offshore partners that are not EDI-capable, by exchanging spreadsheets, flat files, and other desktop office suite-compatible documents. EXTOL’s metadata and mapping Accelerators make non-standard data interchange faster and easier.
- Synchronize your product catalog data – Synchronize catalog data with retailers using EDI, Global Data Synchronization, flat files, or third party catalog applications. EXTOL offers multiple ways to extract and automate delivery of the product data your partners need, when they need it.
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Case Briefs
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