1. All distributors have one thing in common, they ship from warehouses.
  2. Although “Wholesale Trade” its own SIC, targeting verticals like electronics, fasteners or healthcare better defines the customer.
  3. Most manufacturers have distribution warehouses but do not consider themselves to be in the distribution business.
  4. Successful distributors see themselves in the service business. The warehouse is their service center.
  5. Many distributors are afraid of taking on new business that the warehouse cannot accurately fulfill.
  6. At least half of small to medium sized (SMB) distributors do not scan bar codes.
  7. The use of bar coding in the warehouse yields a better internal rate of return than most investments
  8. A “bar coding” project in the warehouse can return on investment in less than 6 months
  9. Inventory loss is deducted from net revenue. An inventory loss of $10,000 can require as much as $300,000 in additional sales to recover.
  10. What does an error cost? A 2% error rate can mean 4000 miss-shipped orders per year for a company that ships 1000 orders per day