The success of a business is typically determined by its profitability. The more profitable the business, the more successful it is and the more likely it is to grow. There are a number of ways for businesses to improve profitability, but for distributors, the single best way is to reduce their inventory levels and eliminate inventory that is not profitable. The distributor who can minimize the amount of inventory that it carries realizes a great deal more profit than one that maintains excessive levels.

But it's not enough to simply slash inventory levels. You must carry the least amount of inventory possible to maintain the optimum level of customer service, understand the requirements of your customers, and purchase the correct amount of inventory to satisfy that demand. Any inventory above that amount is wasteful.

XBS Advanced Distribution is designed with this important concept in mind. Its usage-based procurement functionality is based upon the very popular Gordon Graham model of inventory management. With this powerful functionality, you can make important purchasing decisions based on what your customers are actually buying, not what you think they are buying. It also assists you in making decisions about when you should purchase inventory and what quantities are optimal.

For many distributors, the most powerful way to differentiate themselves from their competitors is by providing a higher level of customer service than anyone else. The distributor that can fill orders quickly and reliably will attract and keep good customers.

This means:

XBS Advanced Distribution offers a full suite of functionality to improve the service you provide. From the time your customers place orders to the time they receive them, XBS Advanced Distribution assures the best customer service possible.

With features like item-cross reference and item substitutions, you can offer quick advice to your customers when they place an order. The non-stock processing feature allows you to expand your offerings beyond what you can physically store in your warehouse to meet the changing demands of your customers. The usage-based procurement functionality assures that inventory is available in adequate quantities when a customer orders it. The picking and shipping feature assures accurate fulfillment and timely receipt. And the returns management functionality provides a simple, straightforward way of entering and tracking returned inventory to provide the most convenient manner of handling returned inventory.

As distribution companies grow, so does the complexity of managing operations in the warehouse. Inventories get larger and the number of products carried increases, often resulting in the need for additional warehouse locations and additional resources to manage inventory.

As growth continues, many distributors experience excessive labor costs for picking and putting away inventory, conducting cycle counts, and replenishing forward picking locations. Inventory inaccuracy also becomes a problem if you are not able to accurately track inventory in larger warehouses or across multiple locations.

With its full set of logistics functionality, XBS Advanced Distribution can help you optimize your warehouse operations today and well into the future. By providing complete directed picking features, XBS Advanced Distribution offers sound advice to warehouse personnel on where inventory can be found and how it should be picked. And the directed put-away feature advises where and how inventory should be placed in the warehouse.

Whether you are a small distributor with a single location using fixed bins or a large distributor with multiple locations using floating bins, XBS Advanced Distribution can handle your needs for fast, accurate decision making.

With its support of radio frequency hand-held bar coding devices, XBS Advanced Distribution allows you to easily automate operations in the warehouse. Activities such as picking, packing, containerization, and cycle counting become far less time-consuming and less labor-intensive. The accuracy of the information in your system is also drastically improved because errors in data entry by warehouse personnel are eliminated.

For many busy distributors, attempting to integrate a distribution system with an accounting and business management system takes time, costs money, and offers no guarantee of success. So, why bother when a truly integrated system already exists?

XBS Advanced Distribution is fully integrated with all functionality in XBS Financials, XBS's popular accounting and business management solution. This level of integration is crucial if a distribution solution is to be deployed across an entire organization covering operational, financial, and administrative areas.

XBS Advanced Distribution is a fully integrated solution with an easy-to- use graphical user interface that has earned the Designed for UNIX/Linux. 

For maximum flexibility, XBS Advanced Distribution offers its functionality in small sets of features called "granules". This approach allows you to choose precisely the functionality you need without paying for features you don't. As your business grows and your needs change, you can purchase additional granules easily. As with all XBS solutions, XBS Advanced Distribution is easy to tailor to your own working practices. With our comprehensive set of design tools, you can modify forms, data tables, reports, and even the business rules within the application to accommodate your company's practices.

XBS Advanced Distribution is designed to adapt as your future distribution needs grow and change. XBS Advanced Distribution represents the best technology to suit today's and tomorrow's ever-increasing demands.

Whether you are a small distributor with a single location using fixed bins or a large distributor with multiple locations using floating bins, XBS Advanced Distribution can handle your needs for fast, accurate decision making.