ERP software solution
for the technical trade sector

Enter technical specifications centrally to find the right product more quickly. Variants, Global Item Trade Numbers (GTINs) and freely definable parameters ensure consistent descriptions of goods on quotations and orders. In the electrical wholesale sector, for example, filtering for screws by thread, head shape or coating takes just a few seconds.

Complex items can be configured using a set of rules; you can correctly compile your lists of materials and prices in just a few clicks, significantly reducing the number of queries and incorrect configurations. In the case of air pressure systems, for example, you can create rules such as “Compressor X only to be used with filter Y”, so that only technically correct combinations are allowed.

Graduated pricing, campaign pricing and hierarchical discounts are controlled in a transparent way. Your staff can view the component parts of a quotation at any time, so they can reliably evaluate the margin. That means you can take decisions more rapidly and close more sales. You can also calculate prices individually for a sales document, based on the current cost prices of components and other factors in distribution, warehouse or production.

Long-running orders can now be scheduled, giving you an overview of minimum quantities, call-off dates and delivery weeks at all times – even your partial deliveries are clearly displayed. Block and call-off logics reduce deadline risks and improve communication with customers and suppliers. At any given time, you can see an overview of quantities already called off and remaining quantities from both block and call-off orders.

Stocks at each warehouse location, variants and reservations are clearly displayed. Realistic delivery dates are calculated as soon as the order is created. Based on the proposed delivery date, orders for delivery can be converted into a goods outward transaction – by warehouse management, for example. To guarantee that orders are processed promptly, you can automate order approval and the creation of a goods outward transaction for a specific distribution channel.

Planning worksheets calculate the restocking that is needed at any given moment, taking current stocks and needs into account. Detailed information on stocks and documents (purchasing and sales), balance, ranges, minimum order quantities and values and planning parameters helps you verify restocking decisions correctly.

From order to goods inward: with our Inbound Cargo Management expansion app, you can continually keep an eye on your goods being transported by sea. Containers, stocks in transit and estimated times of departure and arrival (ETD/ETA) can be viewed centrally in unitop. You can assign the relevant costs per container and include them in the final costing. You can monitor the status, including the updated ETD/ETA, at any time within the system and enter arriving quantities directly under goods inward. Here’s a typical scenario: you are monitoring a delivery from China; delivery delays at sea have caused the estimated goods inward date to be put back, which then registers the delivery dates as delayed. Once the goods have arrived, the quantities and costs will be entered correctly in unitop.

With our unitop WMS add-on, WMS, MDC and VAS are on hand. Your teams can take care of commissioning and packing on the go; the warehouse management system (WMS) controls routings and storage locations. Additional services such as repacking or customer-specific labelling are stored as process steps in their own right. You can also select the suitable commissioning strategies, such as MOP (Multi-Order Picking), SOP (Single Order Picking) or One-Pick, for your processes.

Whether this involves a working process in production or an individual finishing step on an item from the warehouse: the entire process can be displayed and controlled in unitop, even in cases involving specific version requirements. You commission the partner company, provide the necessary components and enter the components and the service once the task has been completed. Here’s a typical scenario: you could be having additional corrosion protection applied to screws, before the product is sent to the customer. Or maybe you are arranging neutral packaging with customer-specific labelling and are invoicing that service separately.

Test schedules, managing measuring equipment and goods inward and production testing make sure quality is reproducible. A test form optimised for use with a scanner makes testing the defined random samples easier. Depending on the test results, follow-up steps are initiated, such as transferring the goods to separate storage locations. You can traceably document results and releases in the integrated DMS. This simplifies any audits in the future and can measurably reduce the number of complaints you receive.

Service items, contracts, deadlines and history are available centrally. Technicians can come on site and see which components were fitted and when maintenance works are due. Series and batch certificates simplify decision-making. Service cases, whether accompanied by an upfront cost estimate or not, can be booked in for technicians. Technicians can then edit these using a worksheet and billing can then take place.

From the acceptance and approval through to readmission into the warehouse, credit note or exchange: returns are created in the system, checked and then completed. Complaint scenarios can help you classify complaint cases and initiate appropriate follow-up steps. Your documents, images and test records can be stored in the integrated DMS as required.

In unitop, the customer bonus, refunds and commission rates for sales representatives are rules-based (e.g. annual bonuses determined by according to turnover levels). Periodic billing is transparent and auditable. Partners and sales and distribution receive documents that are easy to follow, making reconciliation easier.

You can use the integrated AI basics add-on for purposes such as automatically analysing incoming emails. The solution recognises the type of message (such as a call-off, despatch advice or complaint) and will suggest follow-on actions or propose wordings for outgoing communications – such as changes to master data, service cases or new quotations and orders. All campaigns, documents and incoming and outgoing communications are logged within the event and incident management system. That way, your team can allocate incoming mail more rapidly and process it directly in unitop, without changing applications. Billing takes place according to use.