Distribution logistics software from order to DC to store
Wholesale orders, store replenishment and customer deliveries all start as demand and end as a delivery someone has to prove. Kargentra’s distribution logistics software promises against the stock your distribution centres actually hold, runs the dock, the pick and the stage, plans the store runs, and brings returns back through inspection before anything is sold again.
What gets in the way today
Promises across many DCs
Stock sits in several distribution centres, and each channel assumes it can have it. Without one decision about which facility fulfils an order, the same pallet gets promised twice and one store goes short.
Orders that arrive in every format
Store replenishment comes from the merchandising system, wholesale customers email spreadsheets, key accounts use a portal and the sales desk types the rest. Each channel has its own status, and none of them agree.
A congested dock
Inbound suppliers and outbound store runs share the same doors. Trucks queue at the gate, dwell time grows, and nobody can see which visit is blocking which until the detention invoice arrives.
Store deliveries without proof
A store reports a short delivery and the depot says it was complete. Without per-line outcomes and evidence from the drop, the argument is settled by whoever shouts loudest.
Returns restocked before anyone looked
Returned goods go straight back to available stock, damaged units included. Credit is issued before inspection, and nobody can say who was liable for the loss.
No single view across sites
Each distribution centre reports in its own way, so a manager cannot see which site is behind, which loads are blocked and which stores are at risk until the day is already lost.
How Kargentra changes the work
Every channel, one facility decision
Orders arrive from operators, the Customer Portal, partner APIs, ERP connectors and EDI X12 204 load tenders, each with its source recorded and validated by one deterministic rule. When several DCs could fulfil it, one facility is chosen before any stock is reserved.
- Availability-to-promise nets on-hand, allocated, held and committed stock
- Duplicate EDI files never applied twice
DC execution built for volume
Release outbound work in waves or continuously, pick by discrete, batch, cluster or zone, recommend cartons from verified dimensions, then pack and stage. Each shipment reads ready for load or blocked from transport handoff, never a vague “nearly done”.
- Demand-driven replenishment of pick faces
- Slotting recommendations from verified capacity
A dock you can see
Yard Management runs every facility visit from appointment through gate check, dock queue and dock assignment to service and release. The gate matches the expected driver, tractor and trailer against what is observed, and dwell is measured from recorded times.
Store runs proposed, then approved
Planners build multi-stop trips from residual store demand, compare ranked plans on distance, time, capacity and cost, and review stop-order proposals from your maps provider. A proposal changes nothing until a planner applies it.
Proof at every drop
Drivers record what happened to each unit, capture photos and a signature, and send the proof for review. Failed attempts lead to a reattempt or a reschedule, so a short delivery is a recorded fact rather than an argument.
Returns that respect inventory truth
A return case runs from request through authorisation, reverse movement and warehouse return to liability, remedy and Finance handoff. Every return arrival starts on hold, is inspected and dispositioned, and restock needs a governed hold release.
- Customer remedy and carrier recovery recorded on the case
- Cost of each case captured for finance
From gate arrival to release, one visit at a time
Each vehicle visit moves through clear states: expected soon, arrived and needing a match, waiting for a dock, at the dock, in service and ready to leave. The yard assigns a compatible door, records service complete and releases to transport, with any release hold and its reason in plain view.
- Driver, tractor and trailer matched as expected against observed
- Late and at-risk appointments gathered in a rescheduling queue
- Service completed is kept separate from dispatch readiness
- Supplier dock requests confirmed by the yard, not assumed
Plans that explain every refusal
The planning pool shows shipments ready to plan and those missing planning facts. The optimiser proposes trips and stop sequences, and each option that could not be used carries its reason, so a planner can trust the plan or fix the data behind it.
- Up to three ranked alternatives compared side by side
- Capacity, rate and drive time shown for each plan
- Nothing committed until the planner confirms
A return is a case, not a stock adjustment
Customers raise a return or claim against a delivery they own. Operations authorises or declines it, the reverse movement and the warehouse return link to the case, and the warehouse inspects and dispositions every unit before anything becomes available again.
- Return arrivals always start on hold
- Liability, customer remedy and carrier recovery recorded explicitly
- Response drafts prepared by Ask Kargentra, reviewed and sent by a person
The modules that matter most here
- Order ManagementTakes replenishment and wholesale orders from every channel, chooses the fulfilling facility and promises against free stock.Explore OMS
- Warehouse ManagementWave or continuous picking, cartonisation, staging and returns inspection across each distribution centre.Explore WMS
- Yard ManagementAppointments, gate checks, dock assignment and dwell for inbound suppliers and outbound store runs on the same doors.Explore YMS
- Transportation ManagementMulti-stop route planning, carrier or own-fleet sourcing, dispatch release and the close from delivery to billing.Explore TMS
- Driver AppPer-unit outcomes, photo and signature proof and failed-attempt recovery at every store or customer drop.Explore Driver
- Customer PortalWholesale customers order, follow shipments, download proof of delivery and raise returns or claims on their own deliveries.Explore Customer
Distribution & Retail: frequently asked questions
How does Kargentra support store replenishment?
Replenishment orders arrive from your merchandising or ERP system through Connector Hub or the API, and are validated and promised against the stock each distribution centre really holds. The warehouse releases the work in waves or continuously, stages it for the store run, and transport plans multi-stop trips. Each drop is closed with per-unit outcomes and proof, so short deliveries are visible the same day.
Can returns flow back into inventory?
Yes, but only through inspection. Every return arrival starts on hold, is inspected and given a disposition such as available, quarantine, damaged or rejected, and restock requires a governed hold release by someone with the permission. The return case records liability, customer remedy and any carrier recovery, and its cost is handed to Finance.
Does it support multiple distribution centres?
Yes. Each facility has its own stock, operating profile, docks and work queues, while orders, shipments and trips stay on one record. When more than one distribution centre could fulfil an order, one facility must be chosen before stock is reserved, so the same goods are never promised twice across sites.
Which order channels can feed Kargentra?
Operators can enter orders directly, customers can order through the Customer Portal, partner systems can call the API machine to machine, ERP and e-commerce systems connect through Connector Hub, and trading partners can send EDI X12 204 load tenders. Every order keeps its source system and the sender’s own reference, so status can be sent back to the right place.
How does Kargentra help with dock congestion?
It makes the dock visible and governed. Suppliers request appointment windows, the yard confirms them, and each arrival is matched at the gate before a compatible door is assigned. Dwell is measured from recorded times, late and at-risk appointments gather in a rescheduling queue, and dwell breaches appear on the shipment record so the cause can be fixed.
Can store deliveries be proven line by line?
Yes. At each stop the driver records what happened to every unit, including shortages, refusals and damage, before capturing photos and a signature. The proof is bound to that delivery attempt and reviewed by operations, so a store’s claim of a short delivery can be checked against recorded outcomes rather than memory.
Further reading
- Guide · 9 min readOMS vs WMS vs TMS: what each system doesOrder, warehouse and transportation management compared: what each system owns, where they hand off and how to choose the right mix.
- Guide · 9 min readElectronic proof of delivery (ePOD): a practical guideWhat electronic proof of delivery should capture, how offline capture works and why arrival, a delivery attempt and accepted POD are different.
- Guide · 9 min readWhat is a logistics control tower?What a logistics control tower does, how it differs from a visibility platform, the data it needs and the KPIs that survive scrutiny.
See Kargentra run your operation
A working session on your lanes, your sites and your hand-offs: order to invoice, on one record.