ERP for Distribution and Wholesale Businesses Connect inventory, orders and your sales network.
Bring purchasing, multi-warehouse inventory, order fulfilment, invoicing and your field-sales team into one connected flow, from supplier to customer payment.
Step 01 of 06
Purchase Order
Stock ordered from supplier
- Team
- Purchasing
- Comes from
- Start of flow
- Leads to
- Purchase Receipt
Overview
A distributor's margin depends on having the right stock in the right warehouse, turning orders into deliveries quickly, and collecting what customers owe. When purchasing, warehouse records, order desk and accounts each keep their own version of the truth, every one of those steps slows down.
Spiralcode implements ERPNext so that a purchase order, the goods received against it, the stock in each warehouse, the customer's sales order, the delivery and the invoice are linked records. Staff can follow an order from supplier to customer payment without switching systems or re-keying data.
Common challenges
Common operational challenges for distributors and wholesalers
Most of these issues show up as small daily frictions — a phone call to the warehouse, a manual stock check, an invoice raised late — that add up across hundreds of orders.
Recorded stock does not match available stock
The system says an item is in stock, but part of it is already promised to another customer, damaged or sitting in a different warehouse. Orders are confirmed that cannot be fulfilled.
Purchasing and sales handled in disconnected systems
Buyers cannot easily see open customer orders, and the sales team cannot see what is on order from suppliers or when it is expected.
Delays between order, dispatch and invoice
Orders are confirmed in one place, dispatched from a paper slip and invoiced later from another list, so goods leave before they are billed and errors appear at reconciliation.
Difficulty monitoring customer balances
Outstanding amounts and overdue invoices are not visible when a new order comes in, so credit decisions are made without current receivables information.
Limited visibility across warehouses
With stock spread across godowns, branches or vehicles, it is hard to know where an item is available and whether a transfer would fulfil an order faster than a new purchase.
Field-sales activity disconnected from back-office records
Orders collected by sales representatives arrive by phone, message or paper and are re-entered at the office, delaying fulfilment and introducing errors.
Connected workflow
How inventory, orders, dispatch and billing connect
Each document in this flow is created from the one before it, so quantities, prices and customer details carry forward instead of being typed again.
Step 01
Purchase orders are raised to suppliers, either manually or from material requests generated when stock falls below a reorder level.
- Material Request
- Purchase Order
Next: Receive goods and record stock
Step 02
A purchase receipt records what actually arrived against the purchase order, into which warehouse, with batch or serial numbers where tracked.
- Purchase Receipt
- Stock Ledger
Next: Manage inventory across warehouses
Step 03
Stock levels are maintained per warehouse. Transfers between warehouses are recorded as stock entries so each location's balance stays accurate.
- Warehouse
- Stock Entry
Next: Process sales orders
Step 04
Sales orders capture the customer, items, quantities and applicable prices. Available stock and the customer's outstanding balance can be checked before confirming.
- Sales Order
- Price List
- Customer
Next: Prepare deliveries and dispatch records
Step 05
Pick lists guide warehouse staff to the right items and locations. A delivery note records what was dispatched, reduces stock and links back to the sales order.
- Pick List
- Delivery Note
Next: Generate invoices and track payment
Step 06
Sales invoices are created from the sales order or delivery note. Payment entries are matched against invoices, keeping receivables current.
- Sales Invoice
- Payment Entry
Next: Review stock, sales and operational reports
Step 07
Stock balance, pending orders, sales analytics and accounts receivable ageing are all built from the same transactions.
- Reports
ERP capabilities
Distribution ERP capabilities, grouped by business need
These are standard ERPNext capabilities. Pricing, credit and approval rules in particular are configured to match your commercial policies during implementation.
01
Know what stock you have, and where
Accurate, per-location inventory that orders can rely on.
- Multi-warehouse inventory with warehouse-level balances
- Stock transfers between warehouses and branches
- Batch, serial number and expiry tracking where configured
- Reorder levels and automatic material requests
02
Buy against real demand
Purchasing linked to stock levels and supplier history.
- Supplier records, quotations and purchase orders
- Purchase receipts and purchase invoices linked to orders
- Supplier-wise purchase analysis
03
Fulfil customer orders
Move from order to dispatch with fewer manual steps.
- Quotations and sales orders
- Pick lists for warehouse picking
- Delivery notes and dispatch documentation
- Partial deliveries and back-order visibility
04
Apply the right price and credit terms
Commercial rules configured once and applied consistently.
- Multiple price lists for customer groups or territories
- Pricing rules for discounts and scheme-based offers, where configured
- Customer credit limits and payment terms, where configured
05
Bill, collect and report
Accounting that follows the operational records automatically.
- Sales invoices created from orders or deliveries
- Payment entries and accounts receivable ageing
- Sales and purchase tax templates configured for your tax requirements
- Stock, sales and margin reporting
Industry focus
Where Waves fits for field-sales teams
Many distributors depend on sales representatives who visit retailers and collect orders. Spiralcode's own field-sales app, Waves, is designed for that work. The ERP connection should be confirmed for your setup rather than assumed.
Documented Waves features
What Waves provides
- Smart-tag quick ordering for representatives in the field
- Customer ledger with outstanding balances and payment history
- Multiple price lists and offer management
- Offline order capture that syncs when back online
- Admin view of representatives' activity, orders and routes
Confirmed during scoping
How it connects to ERP
- Waves is designed to work alongside ERP-led operations, including ERPNext
- Which records flow between Waves and your ERP — such as orders, customers, items, prices and balances — is defined for each implementation
- If you use a different ERP or accounting system, integration feasibility is assessed separately
We do not assume a ready-made integration for your environment. During scoping we confirm which data moves between Waves and your ERP, in which direction, and how often.
Implementation
Our implementation approach for distributors
Distribution implementations depend heavily on getting item, warehouse, customer and pricing data right. We spend time on data and commercial rules before configuring transactions.
- 1
Map the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay flow
We document how orders arrive, how stock is allocated and dispatched, how invoices are raised and how purchasing is triggered.
- 2
Clean and structure master data
Items, units of measure, warehouses, customers, suppliers and price lists are reviewed and standardised before migration.
- 3
Configure pricing, credit and approvals
Price lists, discount rules, credit limits and any approval steps are configured and tested against real order scenarios.
- 4
Train, go live and support
Order desk, warehouse, purchasing and accounts teams are trained on their part of the flow, with support after go-live.
What we assess before scoping
These answers shape the scope, the configuration and any integration or custom work.
- Number of warehouses, branches and stock locations
- Order channels: office, phone, field sales or online
- Pricing structure, schemes and customer-specific rates
- Credit control rules and approval requirements
- Batch, serial or expiry tracking needs
- Delivery and dispatch process, including own vehicles or transporters
- Existing systems, including field-sales tools, that need to connect
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. ERPNext maintains stock balances per warehouse, records transfers between warehouses and lets you see availability across locations. Warehouses can be organised in a hierarchy, for example by branch.
Yes. Purchasing and sales use the same item and stock records. Reorder levels can generate material requests, and sales orders can be used to raise purchase orders for items that need to be bought in, so buyers work from actual demand.
Yes. A sales order can be converted into a pick list, a delivery note and a sales invoice, with quantities and prices carried forward. Each document links back to the original order, so partial deliveries and unbilled dispatches are visible.
Spiralcode's Waves app supports field order capture, customer ledgers, price lists and offline working, and is designed to work alongside ERP-led operations including ERPNext. Exactly which data flows between Waves and your ERP is confirmed during scoping for your setup.
ERPNext supports multiple price lists, pricing rules for discounts and schemes, and credit limits with payment terms per customer or customer group. We map your commercial policies during implementation and configure them; unusual rules may need additional configuration or development.
Start with a conversation
Connect your warehouses, orders and sales team
Share how orders, stock and dispatch work in your business today. We will explain how ERPNext, and where relevant Waves, could connect those steps.
Or call +91 8590041414