Closing the Supplier Visibility Gap While Complementing Your ERP
Scattered supplier updates can leave purchasing teams chasing information instead of acting on it. This piece explores how distributors can close that visibility gap without replacing or overhauling their ERP.
October 19, 2026
Share
Distributors have spent years implementing the tools their businesses need to operate efficiently- inventory management, automating customer order entry, managing financial transactions and countless other activities that keep the organization running. Those systems are deeply embedded in daily operations, and for good reason. Replacing them is expensive, disruptive and, in many cases, completely unnecessary.
Open order visibility for your inbound supply chain presents a different kind of challenge because the problem often sits outside the ERP rather than inside it.
A purchase order can be…
This is a Premium Article
Join NAW to read the full article — plus access to research, data, and intelligence.
As a member, you get:
Unlimited premium MDM articles, case studies, and monthly intelligence reports
Access to webcasts, podcasts
Exclusive whitepapers, research reports, and market data
Quarterly M&A, MarketPulse, and Economic Outlook reports
Access to NAW Nucleus, NAW SmartBrief, and NAW’s policy and leadership resources
The NAW Professional Membership is $850/year for individuals. It’s the fastest way to unlock this article — and everything else.