Agricultural-input distributor

An agricultural-input distributor supplies agrovets, cooperatives and farmers’ groups with seed, fertiliser, farm chemicals and feed, on account and by delivery. Kila runs it as a wholesale business and starts it with the farm chemicals rules.

What is special

What a reader notices first is the rules: Kila starts an agricultural-input distributor with the Farm chemicals rules, “Registered products, batches and expiry, safe handling”. See the rules below.

None of the demo businesses is set up as an agricultural-input distributor. The wholesale side, from the order desk to delivery and credit control, works as at Mombasa Road Distributors: see Wholesale and distribution.

How Kila sets it up

The main screen is Orders (take, pick, deliver).

Rules it follows:

• Farm chemicals: Registered products, batches and expiry, safe handling

Its words:

Most businesses	Agricultural-input distributor
sale	order
receipt	invoice
branch	depot

Its set-up steps

1. Business details and KRA PIN
2. Depots, warehouse and tills
3. Products with pack sizes and price lists
4. Principals and their products
5. Outlets with channels, credit limits and price lists
6. Routes and drivers (if delivering)
7. Trucks and vans with their capacity, and product weights
8. Sales reps and their beats
9. Opening balances

Its home page

• Orders to pick, to deliver and delivered today
• Trucks today: out, back and settled; stops delivered
• The order desk’s calls today
• Sales on account, payments, overdue balances
• Money overdue, promises and holds
• Cheques to bank, in hand and bounced
• Customers over their credit limit
• Vans and reps on the road today
• Reps against target this month
• Beats today: coverage and strike rate
• Sales to outlets by principal this month
• Trade schemes and claims to principals
• Market returns to receive and credit
• Stock to reorder; purchase orders due
• Licences, permits and returns due
• Payments waiting for confirmation
• Approvals and reviews waiting

Roles it starts with

• Order desk clerk: Takes customers’ orders at the order desk and builds quotations; takes in returns and empties at the depot. No refunds or discounts beyond the limit.
• Dispatcher: Plans deliveries, routes and trucks’ trips, picks and loads runs and vans, issues gate passes, dispatches orders, and takes back returns and empties. No prices or credit.
• Credit controller: Keeps customers within their credit: decides orders held over the limit, holds and lifts accounts, collects, keeps the cheque register, sends statements and credits market returns.
• Sales rep: Visits the customers on their beat: takes orders, sells from the van, collects, checks shelves, takes back returns and empties, and adds new outlets for approval. No prices, credit limits or other reps’ routes.
• Merchandiser: Visits outlets on their beat to check shelves and displays (must-sell lines, facings, prices, photos), records visits, expired stock and new outlets. No selling, prices or money.
• Sales manager: Runs the sales team: reps’ beats, targets and commissions, trade schemes, outlets from the road and credit over the limit within their own. No books or users.
• Area supervisor: Supervises the reps in their depot: approves outlets from the road, reconciles van days, checks shelves and follows coverage. No prices or credit limits.
• Principals and claims officer: Keeps the principals’ records: secondary sales files, scheme, price-difference and expiry claims and their settlement; inspects returns and disposes of damaged goods.
• Driver: Drives a truck’s trip: delivers each stop by line (short or refused with a reason), takes the money on delivery, brings back returns and empties, and hands in at settlement. No prices or credit limits.
• Cash office: Runs the cash-and-carry counter and the cash office: settles drivers’ trips and vans’ cash, keeps the cheque register and banks. No prices, credit limits or stock.
• Agro-dealer in charge: The certified agro-dealer: sells and advises on pesticides and restricted products, redeems subsidy vouchers and counts stock.
• Animal health officer: Sells prescription-only veterinary medicines on a vet’s prescription, advises; services such as vaccination and AI.
• Field or extension officer: Visits farmers: keeps the farmer register and advice records, follows up credit and check-offs. No till.

Where to go next

• Wholesale and distribution: everything a distributor needs, from the order to the invoice.