Distribution Plus
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
Many distribution businesses face challenges managing landed costs, maintaining product quality and coordinating efficient warehouse and dispatch operations while ensuring accurate, real-time visibility across the supply chain.
Extend Distribution Capability in Dynamics 365 Business Central
Distribution Plus enhances Business Central with advanced capabilities for landed cost management, quality control and shipment coordination—improving accuracy, traceability and operational visibility across purchasing, warehousing and dispatch.
The result is better cost control, improved product quality and more efficient, reliable distribution operations.
Address Key Distribution Challenges with Greater Control and Visibility
Landed Cost ManagementChallenge: Incomplete visibility of freight, duties and additional costs leads to inaccurate product costing and margin uncertainty. Outcome: Accurately allocate all landed costs to inventory, improving margin visibility, pricing decisions and financial control. Inbound Quality ControlChallenge: Inconsistent or manual quality checks can result in defective goods entering inventory and impacting downstream operations. Outcome: Implement structured quality processes to ensure only compliant products are received, improving traceability and reducing rework. Warehouse Visibility and Inventory AccuracyChallenge: Limited real-time visibility of stock movements can lead to discrepancies, inefficiencies and fulfilment delays. Outcome: Improve inventory accuracy and warehouse visibility through integrated processes and real-time data capture. |
Shipment Planning and Dispatch ControlChallenge: Manual shipment planning and limited visibility of dispatch activities can lead to delays, errors and inefficient delivery processes. Outcome: Streamline shipment planning, optimise loading and improve dispatch accuracy with greater visibility across outbound activities. Supply Chain CoordinationChallenge: Disconnected processes across purchasing, warehousing and dispatch reduce efficiency and increase operational risk. Outcome: Align supply chain processes to improve coordination, reduce delays and support more efficient operations. Cost Control and Service PerformanceChallenge: Poor visibility of costs and delivery performance impacts profitability and customer satisfaction. Outcome: Gain clear insight into costs and service performance, enabling better decision-making and improved customer outcomes. |
Landed Cost Management
Accurately managing the true cost of goods is critical for distribution businesses operating across global supply chains. Standard ERP functionality often lacks the flexibility required to incorporate freight, duties, insurance and other indirect costs into product costing in a structured and timely manner.
This enhancement enables the allocation of all additional costs associated with procurement directly to inventory, ensuring a complete and accurate landed cost is reflected within the ERP system.
Key Capabilities
- Allocation of freight, duties, insurance and ancillary costs to inventory
- Support for multi-line purchase orders and consolidated shipments
- Flexible cost distribution methods based on weight, volume or value
- Tracking of expected versus actual costs for improved financial control
- Visibility of total landed cost prior to final invoice reconciliation
Business Impact
- Improved margin accuracy and pricing decisions
- Greater control over procurement and import-related costs
- Enhanced financial visibility across the supply chain
- Reduced manual effort and reliance on external calculations
This capability extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to provide a more complete and accurate view of product costs across the entire procurement lifecycle.
Quality Management
Maintaining consistent product quality across inbound, internal and outbound processes is critical for distribution businesses. Without structured quality controls, organisations risk introducing defective goods into inventory, increasing returns, rework and customer dissatisfaction.
This enhancement introduces controlled, traceable quality processes within the ERP environment, enabling businesses to define when and how quality checks are performed across the supply chain.
Key Capabilities
- Quality inspections on inbound goods, production processes and outbound shipments
- Configurable quality rules and checkpoints at key transaction stages
- Capture of inspection results, defects and non-conformance data
- Integration of quality processes directly within inventory and warehouse workflows
- Full audit trails to support traceability and compliance requirements
Business Impact
- Improved product quality and reduced risk of defective goods reaching customers
- Greater traceability across suppliers, inventory and distribution processes
- Reduced returns, rework and associated operational costs
- Stronger compliance with internal and external quality standards
This capability extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to provide structured quality control and traceability across the entire distribution lifecycle.
Shipment and Dispatch Management
Efficient shipment planning and dispatch execution are critical to meeting customer expectations and maintaining operational efficiency. Many distribution businesses rely on manual coordination or disconnected processes, resulting in delays, errors and limited visibility across outbound logistics.
This enhancement provides structured control over shipment planning, loading and dispatch processes, enabling teams to manage outbound activities more efficiently within the ERP environment.
Key Capabilities
- Centralised shipment planning and consolidation of sales orders
- Optimised loading and dispatch sequencing based on routes and capacity
- Management of shipment status and progress across the dispatch lifecycle
- Flexible workflows to support different delivery methods and operational requirements
- Improved visibility of outbound logistics within warehouse operations
Business Impact
- Faster and more accurate order fulfilment
- Reduced dispatch errors and improved delivery reliability
- Better utilisation of transport capacity and warehouse resources
- Improved customer service through greater delivery visibility
This capability extends Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central to improve shipment coordination, dispatch accuracy and visibility across outbound distribution operations.
