In distribution, margin lives in the warehouse, the PO and the truck — not the GL.
South African distributors and wholesalers operate on thin margins, complex supplier terms and customers who expect retailer-grade service. Before recommending any platform, we make sure we understand how stock, suppliers, warehouses and logistics actually flow through your business — and where margin is quietly leaking out.
What actually goes wrong inside Distribution & Wholesale operations.
Before we recommend any platform, we make sure the team understands the day-to-day pressures your distribution & wholesale leaders are working under.
Inventory accuracy across warehouses
Stock balances that don't agree between systems, warehouses and physical counts — driving stock-outs, over-orders and write-offs.
Procurement without leverage
Buying spread across branches and brands, with rebates, settlement discounts and supplier terms left on the table.
Pricing, discounts and rebates
Complex customer pricing, volume breaks, promotions and supplier rebates managed in spreadsheets — and applied inconsistently.
Warehouse operations and pick accuracy
Receiving, putaway, picking, packing and dispatch run on paper or fragmented tools — with the picking errors and returns that follow.
Logistics and last-mile visibility
Limited visibility into outbound loads, third-party logistics, proof of delivery and returns — and the impact on working capital.
Customer service under pressure
Sales and customer service teams without a single view of stock availability, customer terms, open orders and credit position.
What the board, the auditor and the regulator are asking for.
- › Gross margin by SKU / customer / channel
- › Inventory days and stock turn
- › OTIF (outbound and inbound)
- › Pick accuracy and returns rate
- › Working capital tied up in stock
True landed cost
Freight, duty, clearing and handling allocated to the SKU — so margin by product, customer and channel is real, not an estimate.
Stock and working capital control
Inventory days, slow-mover and dead-stock reporting that finance and operations actually use to release cash.
Supplier performance and rebates
OTIF from suppliers, claim management and rebate accruals tracked in the system — not chased at year-end.
Customer profitability
Gross profit by customer, channel and rep — after rebates, settlement discounts and cost-to-serve.
Outcomes our Distribution & Wholesale clients have realised.
How Lorge engages with Distribution & Wholesale clients.
Walk the warehouse first
We start with receiving, putaway, picking and dispatch — quantifying the cost of today's friction before we touch a system.
Design for margin and cash
Costing, pricing, rebates and inventory policies configured around how the business actually defends margin and releases working capital.
Stay through optimisation
We remain accountable through stabilisation, category reviews and continuous improvement — for years, not just go-live.
Where Sage fits - selected based on the outcome, not the brand.
Primary recommendation for distribution and wholesale. Multi-warehouse inventory, lot/serial traceability, advanced procurement, pricing and logistics in one ERP.
Mid-market fit for established distributors with single or low-complexity multi-site operations and integrated finance and inventory needs.
Continuous tuning of costing, pricing, rebates and stock controls as ranges, suppliers and customers change.
Get a tailored assessment for your distribution & wholesale operation.
Lorge has supported South African distributors and wholesalers for over 40 years as a Sage Platinum Business Partner — across FMCG, industrial, technical and consumer goods.