Minder Distribution
 The distribution system consists of an array of close to 1000 programs that are tightly integrated with each other. They are grouped together to provide comprehensive functions for sales and order entry, debtors, purchasing, pricing, stock control, management reports and inquiries, quotations, job costing, bill of materials, sub assemblies and rep calls and prospects.

 Range of Products
 Emphasis is placed is laid on providing facilities suitable for the types of products involved. Obviously the selling, storing and stock control requirements for building products is different than that for food or liquor. C&G have extensive experience in handling a wide range of merchandise. For example the problems associated with sheet products (e.g.. High pressure laminates), pack products, (e.g.. Timber), kit products (ie. goods built up from sub-assemblies), carton products with "inners" and "outers" (eg. Food) and liquor have been addressed. The system currently handles all these products in various sites around Australia.

 Efficient Order Entry
 The focus of the distribution system is on making the selling of product as efficient and profitable as possible. Order entry is the centrepiece of this philosophy. It allows direct entry of phone orders by giving the sale clerk complete access to powerful search facilities to quickly find a product. Availability information is immediately available. This allows the sales clerk to answer queries and take orders directly from the customers resulting in greater productivity for staff and better service for the customer. For sheet products it allows you to split sheets and create a picking slip or invoice with exact cutting instructions for the warehouse. For timber products it allows you sell packs or split or cut the timber into standard lengths. This minimise wastage or 'off-cuts' for these products considerably.

Also available is a fully featured "external" order entry system. This is a version of our order system specifically designed to be used by anyone – it can be accessed via a dial-up modem connection or over the Internet, allowing you to reach customers anywhere in Australia or even world-wide. It has a range of features to assist with allowing for the different types of order requirements your customers may have.

For certain industries it is common for a customer to place an order for goods for delivery 'sometime in the future'. This can be due to the nature of the projects e.g. in construction it could 1 month, 3 months or even 12 months away before the goods are required. Minder allows for this with a sophisticated stock control feature we call Future Orders. This allows you to enter an order today for delivery at some future date. This order will stay on the system and then at a pre stated point before the order is likely to come due it will start requesting stock to be ordered in to fill the order. The order dates and 'pre booking' date can be modified at any time. This allows you to only carry items in stock when you need them rather than having to hold goods for long periods and lose sales on those items in the interim.

 Simple Comprehensive Pricing
 A comprehensive pricing module provides a complement to order entry. This allows customers to given individual prices on products in a variety of different ways. Contract, promotional, quantity breaks, cost plus, and negotiated group as well as discounts can be applied for a customer or a range of products. In addition a mixture of pricing can be employed with customer price for a specific item determined by a pricing hierarchy. The sales clerk does not need to be responsible or aware of these arrangements in order to give a customer their correct price.

 Full Sales Information
 A further feature of Minder is that all cost and price information for each product information provides the necessary data for an array of standard sales analysis tools. For example these can take the form of a month by month profile of sales for the current year with the value, quantity and profit on screen with last years figures for easy comparison. Breakdowns of sales from high level consolidated product groups to smaller product group then finally product level is available. Similar detail is available for breakdowns by customers and sales reps.

 Easy Quotations
 Quotations can be entered for a product or group of products (as many as you like). If it is accepted it can then be directly converted to a contract or pulled straight to into order entry (or both) with just a few keystrokes. This eliminates double entry and speeding the quote - sales - delivery life cycle resulting in more turnover for less work.

 Accurate Stock Control
 An important part of any distribution business is to keep track of stock. Minder offers a number of tools to assist with this task. All stock transactions are recorded and tracked in real time, stock on hand is always updated immediately, and via processes like daily stock take sheets, automatic stock take process, optimum stock, and reorder quantities stock on hand can be kept exceedingly accurate and up to date.

Another area often of concern to companies is keeping track of customer backorders. Minder allows complete tracking of a customer's order from the time of order entry onwards. Backorders are tracked with automatic notification via suggested orders and backorder reports for the purchasing staff. Unlike many distribution systems, in Minder customer orders are always linked to purchase orders so that at good inwards time staff are notified when goods are received, and that goods are to be allocated to specific customers. In addition, all non-stock item purchase orders must be linked to a specific customer order before they can be generated.

The system has the ability to print picking slips which can be modified before invoicing or alternatively will allow direct invoicing. Running invoices are supported, as are unpriced and priced despatch notes for delivery. Also the system can allow direct delivery invoice for times where goods are despatched direct form your supplier to your customer.

 Many other features

 Minder incorporates full support for businesses that sell goods on the behalf of others on consignment. Sales on both own and principals paper are supported with tools to track relevant discounts and commissions automatically. Consignment sales can even be mixed with normal sales.

•  Full budgeting facilities are built in allowing reps or sales managers up to the minute information on figures achieved each day.
   
•  Full debtor control is implemented with a choice of either brought forward or open item accounts or a mix of both. There are a number of tools available to ensure you process payments and implement credit controls easily, efficiently, and above all accurately. Customers can be put on stop automatically if required, or the relevant credit officer can override it when needed.