Wholesale distributors operate in a high-pressure environment with tight margins, fast-moving stock, and rising customer expectations. Managing thousands of products across multiple suppliers and locations requires more than spreadsheets and manual work.
Infor M3 is a cloud-based ERP system designed for complex distributors. It brings automation, visibility, and control to every stage of the supply chain—from sourcing and inventory to pricing and customer service. Here’s how it helps solve the toughest problems in wholesale distribution.
What Infor M3 Delivers
- Faster, automated supplier sourcing
- Real-time category and pricing updates
- Margin control across large product ranges
- Smarter purchasing decisions based on forecasts
- Clear insights to lift service levels and cut costs
Key Challenges in Wholesale Distribution
The wholesale distribution industry is complex and constantly evolving. It remains labour-intensive, yet companies manage thousands of stock items. Many still rely on fragmented systems, spreadsheets, and staff knowledge to move goods from supplier to customer.
Margins are often razor thin. A single decision—seemingly minor—can make the difference between profit and loss. While other industries have modernised with integrated technology and on-demand systems, distribution has often lagged behind due to its unique operating models and sector specialisation.
But this is changing. Distributors are consolidating, expanding their product ranges, and selling to broader customer bases. Rapid product turnover, shorter lifecycles, and constant updates in specifications have made category management a daily headache. To stay competitive, distributors need technology that can streamline decision-making and reduce costly errors.
Automate Supplier Sourcing and Quoting
Supplier sourcing is traditionally manual and slow. Agreements can take months, involving reams of paperwork and constant back-and-forth. Infor M3 simplifies this with automated workflows that cut the process down to weeks.
The software sends digital quote requests to suppliers, receives and compares offers, and even manages negotiation and final agreement. It includes analytics tools to compare price, discount, margin, and lead time across suppliers. Once a decision is made, the system handles purchase orders automatically.
M3 also consolidates purchasing across branches to maximise buying power. It reduces inefficiencies where individual locations source the same product separately. Local branches can still fulfil local needs while benefiting from group-level procurement.
Simplify Category Management with Live Data
Distributors often stock tens of thousands of physical items and list over 100,000 catalogue items. Fast access to current stock levels and product data is essential for serving customers efficiently.
Infor M3 automates the import and validation of product updates from suppliers. Price changes, descriptions, discounts, and specifications are uploaded, reviewed, and approved (or rejected) by product managers. Once accepted, updates flow through to the system instantly.
This replaces slow, manual processes and reduces errors that can lead to lost sales or margin loss. PDF specs and product images are automatically linked and published on websites or catalogues.
M3 also improves supplier invoice control using a management-by-exception approach. Accurate invoices are paid automatically. Discrepancies are flagged for follow-up, saving hours of manual checks.
Track Margins and Control Spend in Real Time
With tens of thousands of SKUs and hundreds of suppliers, tracking performance using spreadsheets is unworkable. Even a small price change can erode profit if not carefully managed.
Infor M3 brings clarity. It compares supplier quotes, margins, lead times, and admin costs in a single view. It also runs cost/benefit scenarios to test small adjustments in selling price, volume discounts, or sourcing changes.
This level of visibility helps protect margins and improve decisions on a daily, weekly, or monthly cycle. It also allows managers to respond faster to cost pressures or supplier shifts.
Smarter Purchasing and Inventory Planning
Transport and warehousing costs form a large part of total item cost. Infor M3 analyses the trade-offs between bulk ordering (with lower unit prices and higher storage cost) and smaller, more frequent purchases (with higher delivery costs but lower warehousing needs).
It models scenarios using known sales forecasts and current constraints to optimise procurement schedules. This improves cash flow and unlocks savings that manual planning often misses.
Once orders are placed, the system tracks delivery confirmations and automatically updates customers if promised dates shift. It even monitors warehouse dispatch times and estimates delivery arrival at the customer’s location.
Infor M3: End-to-End ERP for Distributors
How well are your suppliers performing? Are they meeting service agreements? Are you getting the best terms? And are you delivering on your own customer promises?
Infor M3 gives distributors the tools to answer these questions confidently. It unites departments with a single source of truth and delivers real-time data that supports smarter decisions.
The platform enhances productivity, reduces operational costs, and helps preserve margins in a demanding, competitive environment. For wholesale distributors looking to modernise and scale effectively, M3 isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.