As distribution activity expands beyond traditional order-to-delivery workflows, ERP fit for complex distribution operations becomes increasingly important. Products move through orders, inventory, pricing, and delivery as part of broader, industry-driven operations. In some cases, distribution is the primary function. In others, it supports service, project work, fabrication, rentals, or equipment-based models. Either way, distribution activity plays a meaningful role in how the business operates day to day.
For years, FACTS has provided a stable and familiar foundation for these environments. Teams know the workflows, rely on deeply embedded processes, and see the system perform as designed.
What has changed is not the reliability of FACTS, but the complexity of the operation around it.
The biggest shift for many organizations running Infor FACTS isn’t a sudden failure of the system. It’s the steady increase in operational complexity around it.
Operational complexity has increased steadily over time. Order volume has grown, transaction velocity is higher, and pricing and inventory management now span more locations, channels, and customer commitments. For many organizations, distribution activity also operates alongside service, project work, fabrication, rentals, or equipment-based models within the same environment.
These changes introduce variability that didn’t exist when many ERP implementations were first designed. Orders change after release, deliveries split or delay, customer requirements evolve mid-cycle, and finance, operations, and customer-facing teams must respond quickly with little margin for error.
FACTS continues to do exactly what it was designed to do. The challenge is that the business now operates with a level of motion and interdependence that legacy ERP assumptions didn’t anticipate. As that gap widens, teams begin to feel friction. This happens because the system no longer aligns with how work actually flows today, not because processes are broken.
For many organizations, this is the moment when cloud-based platforms like Infor CloudSuite Distribution enter the conversation, not as a replacement for what worked, but as an evolution designed for how operations now run.
To accommodate this variability, teams adapt the system around them. Teams add customizations to handle operational outliers. Additionally, they introduce manual steps to bridge process gaps. Teams also export data to spreadsheets or secondary tools to gain visibility the core ERP no longer provides.
Over time, these adaptations create friction. Visibility begins to lag behind operational reality, processes become more difficult to maintain, and even small changes require greater effort and coordination. The system continues to function, but it becomes less effective at supporting timely, confident decision-making as complexity increases.
As organizations reassess ERP fit, understanding how modern, distribution-specific cloud platforms are designed becomes an important first step. Cloud-based platforms like Infor CloudSuite Distribution reflect that evolution. Built for distribution-intensive and hybrid operating models, CloudSuite Distribution handles variability and interconnected workflows.
Instead of forcing operations into rigid process paths, the platform aligns to how work actually flows across orders, inventory, pricing, service, and delivery. For many FACTS users, this marks a natural next chapter. It restores alignment between ERP design and modern operational reality without a disruptive reset.
As organizations reassess ERP fit, understanding how modern, distribution-specific cloud platforms are designed becomes an important first step. Infor outlines its approach to supporting complex, distribution-driven operations in a short resource. The resource explains how CloudSuite Distribution reduces friction, improves visibility, and supports growth as operational complexity increases.
For teams considering what comes after FACTS, this provides a practical way to explore what has changed and what a more aligned ERP foundation can look like.
As your business grows, so do the complexities of tax compliance. Trust Aktion and Avalara to develop a winning game plan. Avalara tax compliance solutions are the go-to for distributors who need to ace their tax compliance game.
Get ready for 2025 now – register for this webinar featuring the tax experts from Avalara and the distribution industry business technology experts from Aktion Associates.
Margins are thin. Expectations are high. And one pricing mistake can wipe out the profit on an entire order.
For distributors juggling contract pricing, tiered discounts, and rebate programs, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks, especially when you’re relying on spreadsheets or legacy ERP systems not built for this level of complexity. If your team is spending more time fixing errors than optimizing margins, it’s time to rethink your pricing infrastructure.
In this blog, we’ll break down what’s driving today’s pricing chaos and how Infor CloudSuite Distribution helps you bring control, visibility, and profitability back to the process.
Today’s distribution landscape demands precision. Inflation, rising customer expectations, and tighter margins have made it harder to maintain profitability, especially when pricing and vendor programs are managed through manual workarounds.
Distributors are feeling the squeeze in the form of credit memos, inconsistent pricing, and lost rebate dollars. Yet they’re still expected to deliver accurate, flexible pricing across contracts, customer types, product categories, and timelines. Many also manage complex rebate programs with manufacturer-specific rules and cutoffs. But when those moving parts live in spreadsheets, custom reports, or bolt-on tools, risk creeps in, and as we’ve seen in our blog on disconnected systems, the cost of inefficiency adds up fast.
Disjointed systems lead to:
For distributors looking to scale, these aren’t just minor annoyances; they’re margin killers.
Pricing problems often start small: a one-off override, a missing rebate code, a manual price entry error. But over time, these small errors compound into significant operational and financial pain.
Manual processes create room for mistakes at every step: Sales reps may use outdated pricing, finance teams might struggle to track rebate accruals, and operations end up buried in credit memos, corrections, and back-and-forth emails just to keep things afloat.
But it’s not just time lost. It’s trust lost. Customers notice when pricing isn’t consistent. Suppliers get frustrated by missed rebate deadlines. And leadership is left guessing about true profitability because reporting can’t keep up with the complexity.
According to a 2024 distributor survey, 87% of distributors say rebates are critical to profitability, but only 43% track what they’ve earned from each manufacturer. That gap reflects just how easy it is for money to slip through the cracks and how urgently better systems are needed.
If your pricing system relies on manual fixes and crossed fingers, you’re putting both revenue and relationships at risk.
Infor CloudSuite Distribution was built for this kind of complexity, not as an add-on or workaround, but as a core capability. It gives distributors the tools to manage pricing and rebates with confidence, accuracy, and transparency.
Here’s how it makes a difference:
When pricing isn’t a guessing game, everyone benefits: your customers, your suppliers, and your bottom line.
If your team is constantly chasing pricing corrections or struggling to manage rebate programs manually, it’s time for a change. Infor CloudSuite Distribution gives distributors the tools to simplify complexity, protect margins, and operate with confidence.
Webinar Description
Whether you have a single warehouse or a large multi-national distribution network, Infor has solutions to fit your needs. As business gains in complexity, your organization can grow into the solution that addresses your challenges that increase your ability to offer and perform essential value-added services. Hosted by Rob Dallas, this webinar will address why more building material distributors choose Infor CloudSuite Distribution ERP to run their business. At the conclusion of his presentation and demo of CloudSuite, Rob will be available to answer questions.
When speed and accuracy are critical to customer satisfaction, businesses rely on their warehouses to keep the supply chain moving. Infor® WMS combines warehouse fulfillment with embedded labor management and 3D visual analysis to give unprecedented visibility into inventory, orders, equipment, and people.
As your business grows, so do the complexities of tax compliance. Trust Aktion and Avalara to develop a winning game plan. Avalara tax compliance solutions are the go-to for distributors who need to ace their tax compliance game.
Get ready for 2025 now – register for this webinar featuring the tax experts from Avalara and the distribution industry business technology experts from Aktion Associates.
Whether you have a single warehouse or a large multi-national distribution network, Infor has solutions to fit your needs. As business gains in complexity, your organization can grow into the solution that addresses your challenges that increase your ability to offer and perform essential value-added services.
Hosted by Rob Dallas, this webinar will address why more building material distributors choose Infor CloudSuite Distribution ERP to run their business. At the conclusion of his presentation and demo of CloudSuite, Rob will be available to answer questions.
When speed and accuracy are critical to customer satisfaction, businesses rely on their warehouses to keep the supply chain moving. Infor® WMS combines warehouse fulfillment with embedded labor management and 3D visual analysis to give unprecedented visibility into inventory, orders, equipment, and people.
Webinar Description
Whether you have a single warehouse or a large multi-national distribution network, Infor has solutions to fit your needs. As business gains in complexity, your organization can grow into the solution that addresses your challenges that increase your ability to offer and perform essential value-added services. Hosted by Rob Dallas, this webinar will address why more building material distributors choose Infor CloudSuite Distribution ERP to run their business. At the conclusion of his presentation and demo of CloudSuite, Rob will be available to answer questions.
As your business grows, so do the complexities of tax compliance. Trust Aktion and Avalara to develop a winning game plan. Avalara tax compliance solutions are the go-to for distributors who need to ace their tax compliance game.
Get ready for 2025 now – register for this webinar featuring the tax experts from Avalara and the distribution industry business technology experts from Aktion Associates.
