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Foodservice equipment distributors (FES) face growing operational complexity—from fragmented systems to supply chain challenges and tight margins.
During our recent webinar, Smart Growth for Foodservice Equipment Distributors, panelists from Velosio, Restaurant Equipment Market (REM), and Red Dog Advisors shared how modern ERP platforms like NetSuite are helping distributors simplify operations, improve visibility, and drive smart growth.
Panelists included:
Here’s a summary of the key insights from the session.
1. Quoting and Sales Friction
Distributors often juggle multiple disconnected systems—QuickBooks, Auto Quotes, Sage MAS—leading to duplicated work and human error. Alex described their experience:
“Whenever we create a quote in Auto Quotes for a product we hadn’t sold before, it wasn’t set up in QuickBooks. We had to manually copy each line—model number, description, prices—and then salespeople had to double-check everything. It slowed down sales and created friction.”
– Alex Lu, President, REM
Manual processes like this consume valuable sales time and hinder growth.
2. Supply Chain Visibility
Fragmented communication with vendors and warehouses leads to delays and inefficiencies. Alex explained:
Our warehouse was paper driven. Salespeople had to call or text to figure out when an item would arrive. That wasn’t scalable and made it hard to manage projects.”
Penny noted this challenge is common across the industry:
“Sales teams often don’t know what the warehouse is doing, when products are out of stock, or expected arrival dates. They spend hours calling and emailing to get updates.”
3. Profitability and Real-Time Insights
Tracking project and order profitability across multiple systems is complex. Alex shared:
“For special orders, if a salesperson negotiated a discount or extra points, we had to manually tie that back to see the overall margin. It was complex and prone to error.”
Jeff Andrews added:
“Without accurate, real-time reporting, leaders can’t quickly identify which products or projects are profitable. This limits strategic decision-making.”
1. Streamlined Quoting with Integrated Systems
NetSuite integration reduces manual entry and errors. Alex explained:
“Now we just click a button, and the entire project imports from Auto Quotes into NetSuite. Profitability, vendor info, and accessories all map automatically.”
This streamlines the quoting process, speeds up sales, and allows sales teams to focus on customer engagement rather than paperwork.
2. Full Ecosystem Visibility
Modern ERPs consolidate inventory, e-commerce, POS, warehouse management, and vendor communications.
“By bringing all systems together, you have master data. Everyone sees the same customer info, inventory status, & orders. It reduces manual work & ensures consistency across departments.”
– Penny Compton, Sr. Consultant, Velosio
Real-time notifications further improve operational transparency, keeping everyone informed without constant follow-ups.
3. Real-Time Profitability and Reporting
NetSuite enables visibility into margins at the item, order, and project level. Alex highlighted:
“For stock items, we can see sales, cost, and margin instantly. For orders, we can see overall profitability, including special discounts or markups. No more guesswork.”
Jeff Andrews added:
“Multi-entity consolidation and automated reporting give finance teams a single source of truth, reducing errors and freeing up time for strategic initiatives.”
ERP success is as much about people as technology. Alex reflected:
“Any ERP implementation will be a lot of work. I’d do more user acceptance testing with managers. Getting the team engaged with hands-on testing is key.”
Penny added:
“Acknowledging the learning curve helps morale. Staff won’t be at full speed on day one, but repeated hands-on experience accelerates adoption.”
Both panelists and Jeff emphasized future opportunities:
Alex summed it up:
“Over the last five years, we’ve integrated more systems into NetSuite. Next, I’m excited to explore AI integration, delivery tracking, and custom payment processing to reduce costs.”
– Alex Lu, President, REM
For FES distributors, adopting a modern ERP like NetSuite isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic move toward operational efficiency, smarter growth, and a competitive edge in an increasingly complex market.
Missed the live session? You can watch the full discussion and demos on-demand: Smart Growth for Foodservice Equipment Distributors
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