TA L K I N G P O I N T
TRANSFORMING DISTRIBUTION
Khaled AlShami, Director, Solution Consulting, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Infor, gives us an overview on how modern cloud ERP systems can transform distribution.
The competitive landscape in the distribution industry is fiercer than ever before. Rapidly changing customer demands, global supply chain disruption, and a shifting labour market are adding to the pressure on distributors, while accelerated digitalization is forcing them to re-evaluate their business to compete. According to Deloitte, “distributors now have the opportunity to generate incremental value via effectively leveraging digital assets and applying information, analytics, and insights to critical business decisions and stakeholder interactions.� To get ahead, leading distributors are investing in digital technologies to empower produc-
18 | LOGISTICS NEWS ME | JULY 2020
tivity across their operations, workforce, and customer experience. While a modern, cloud-based system will offer a continuous flow of new technologies and industry-specific capabilities, many distributors are still limited by legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Many find themselves grappling with significant ERP modifications, making them feel locked into their old system. Others are overwhelmed by the thought of disrupting their daily operations by adopting a new system and choose not to act at all. In both cases, the gap between these distributors and their more tech-forward competitors is widen-
ing every day. Here are three key reasons why a modern, cloud-based ERP system can make distributors more agile, efficient, and better able to serve changing customer needs. 1. HIGHLIGHT CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY Perhaps the most significant success factor for distributors today is developing innovative services beyond the typical distributor-customer relationship. Distributors should look for a modern ERP system that not only supports these types of services, but also incorporates the use of tech-
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