Distributor ERP
A custom ERP platform for chemical, paint, adhesive, and lubricant distributors — batch and expiry tracking, blending and production orders, automated reorder-point procurement, tiered dealer pricing with credit limits, double-entry accounting that posts itself, and an internal AI chatbot that answers stock questions from live data. Already running in production for an industrial oils distributor. Scoped and built for your operation, not configured out of a box.
What it is
Distributor ERP is a custom-built enterprise resource planning platform for businesses that buy, blend, store, and sell drummed and packaged goods — chemicals, paints and coatings, adhesives, and lubricants. It handles batch and expiry tracking, blending and production orders, multi-warehouse stock, dealer pricing tiers, credit control, and double-entry accounting in one system. It is already running in production for an industrial lubricants and oils distributor.
- Batch and lot tracking with expiry dates and QC hold alerts on every drum and pack
- Blending and production orders that convert raw materials into finished goods and consume stock correctly
- Multi-warehouse inventory with stock transfers and a full movement audit trail
- Reorder-point automation that watches live stock and generates draft purchase orders on its own
- Customer groups with tiered dealer pricing, credit limits, and automatic credit holds
- Double-entry bookkeeping that posts journal entries for every order, payment, credit note, and bill
- Returns and RMA handling wired to credit notes and restocking
- Dispatch, in-house driver assignment, and multi-carrier shipping labels with tracking
- An internal AI chatbot staff can ask about stock and inventory, answering from live ERP data
Why distributors move off off-the-shelf ERP
Generic ERP assumes you sell discrete units off a shelf. Process distribution does not work that way. A drum has a batch number, an expiry date, a certificate of analysis, and a blend it came from. A dealer pays a different price than a walk-in customer, on credit terms, up to a limit. Off-the-shelf systems either cannot model this or make you pay for an implementation partner to bolt it on every year.
- Batch genealogy and expiry are first-class fields, not custom fields added by a consultant
- Dealer pricing tiers and credit limits are part of the order flow, not an approval workflow bolted on top
- No per-user monthly licence that grows every time you hire a warehouse hand
- You own the codebase and the database — no annual version migration you did not ask for
- Changes are a development task, not a support ticket routed through a reseller
How the build works
The existing production platform is the starting point, not a blank page. That means the inventory, procurement, sales, fulfillment, and finance modules already exist and already work. Scoping is about what your operation does differently — your product categories, your pricing rules, your approval chain, your reporting — and what gets added or changed to fit. Pricing is scoped per project after that conversation, not quoted off a feature checklist.
- A walkthrough of the running system so you can see what already exists
- A scoping session covering your products, pricing rules, warehouses, and finance process
- A written scope and fixed quote before any build work starts
- Built in phases, with the modules you need first going live first
- Deployed on your own infrastructure or managed hosting, your choice
The technology underneath
Three independently deployed services sharing one PostgreSQL database: a NestJS backend API with JWT auth and role-based access control, a Next.js admin dashboard staff run the business on (installable as a PWA), and a Next.js public storefront customers order from. Strict TypeScript throughout, Sentry error monitoring, and a CI pipeline on GitHub Actions.
- Backend: NestJS, PostgreSQL, Prisma, role-based access control
- Admin dashboard and storefront: Next.js App Router, React, TypeScript
- AI layer: OpenAI API, scoped to read-only queries against live ERP data
- Integrations: Stripe payments, EasyPost multi-carrier shipping, Resend transactional email
Common questions
What is a distributor ERP?
A distributor ERP is a single system that runs inventory, purchasing, sales, delivery, and accounting for a distribution business. For chemical, paint, adhesive, and lubricant distributors it also has to handle batch numbers, expiry dates, blending, and dealer pricing tiers — things generic ERP software treats as afterthoughts.
Do you build ERP software for chemical distributors?
Yes. The platform was built for an industrial lubricants and oils distributor and the same core fits chemical, paint, coatings, and adhesive distribution — batch and lot traceability, expiry tracking, blending and production orders, hazmat-aware packing, and tiered dealer pricing are all already in the system.
How is a custom ERP different from SAP, NetSuite, or Odoo?
Off-the-shelf ERP charges per user per month forever and needs an implementation partner to fit your process. A custom ERP is built around how you already work, costs a one-time scoped project fee, and you own the code and the data. The trade-off is you rely on a developer rather than a vendor support desk.
Can the ERP track batch numbers and expiry dates on every drum?
Yes. Batch and lot tracking with expiry dates is built into inventory at the stock-movement level, with QC hold alerts when a batch fails or approaches expiry. Blending and production orders record which raw material batches went into which finished goods batch, so traceability runs both directions.
What does the AI chatbot in the ERP actually do?
It answers staff questions about inventory and stock against the live ERP database, so a warehouse or sales person can ask what is in stock instead of pulling a report. It is scoped to read-only queries on real data, not a general chatbot guessing from a language model.
How much does a custom distributor ERP cost?
It is scoped per project, because the starting point is an existing production platform and the price depends on what needs changing for your operation. A walkthrough and scoping session come first, then a written scope and fixed quote before any build work begins.
How long does it take to build and go live?
The core modules already exist and run in production, so the timeline is about adapting rather than building from scratch. Work is delivered in phases — the modules you need most go live first rather than waiting for a single large launch. A real timeline comes out of the scoping session.
Who owns the code and the data?
You do. A scoped custom build means the codebase and the database are yours, deployed on your own infrastructure or managed hosting at your choice. There is no per-user licence, no vendor lock-in, and no forced annual version migration.
Run a distribution business that doesn't fit off-the-shelf ERP?
Start with a walkthrough of the system already running in production. If an off-the-shelf ERP is the better fit for your operation, I'll tell you that.
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