Power BI
Monitoring of every discount granted, plus multi-level profitability analysis.
CASE STUDY · AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
Merpano
Industry: distribution of agricultural inputs and grain production, across seven counties in western Romania.
Farmers buy at list price and pay at harvest. The discount comes after the invoice, and that is exactly where profitability is decided.
More than 20 years in business
4 types of off-invoice discount
3 warehouses
With NEXT's solutions we have a much clearer view of discounts and profitability, and our internal processes have become considerably simpler. In short, the whole sales process has become much more efficient, we can make decisions promptly and we constantly try to keep up with technology.
About Merpano
For more than 20 years, Merpano has supported farmers in western Romania with a varied portfolio of crop protection products, fertilizers and seeds of high genetic value.
The company owns the largest and most modern seed processing plant in western Romania and uses its own farm to test the seeds and technologies it recommends to customers. Recently, through one of the group's companies, Merpano has expanded into agricultural production.
Its distribution model is built on personalized advice and covers the counties of Bihor, Alba, Arad, Hunedoara, Timiș, Caraș-Severin and Mehedinți.
Business requirements
Merpano hired NEXT iSolutions to solve a problem specific to agricultural input distribution: accurately calculating and tracking off-invoice discounts, on which the profitability of the business depends.
Farmers receive their inputs at the start of the growing season and pay on fixed dates set around harvest time. They buy at list price, and if they meet the agreed deadline, they receive the discount after invoicing. The difference between the discounts received from manufacturers and those granted to farmers is, in practice, the company's margin.
- On-time payment discountA fixed amount, a value per unit of measure or a percentage, as agreed with each customer.
- Quantity discountGranted for the quantity purchased within a given period.
- Volume discountTied to the customer's total turnover, not to a single order.
- VoucherGranted through a distinct instrument and tracked separately until settlement.
Solutions implemented
WinMENTOR ENTERPRISE
Accounting, finance, purchasing and sales in a single system that also tracks contracts, stock and deliveries.
NEXT WMS
Automated operations across all three warehouses, with full stock traceability for every product.
The digitalization journey, step by step
First the system that keeps the records, then the analysis that makes sense of the numbers, then the warehouses.
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A system for discounts
Merpano implemented the ERP system with one clearly stated main goal: managing off-invoice discounts and getting a clear picture of each product's profitability once those discounts are taken into account.
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Contracts and commercial annexes
All supplier and customer contracts are recorded in the system. Every sale has an annex that details the commercial terms and the off-invoice discount granted.
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The whole company, in one system
Accounting, finance, purchasing and sales work together, with statutory returns generated automatically and a connection to e-Factura and e-Transport (Romania's national e-invoicing and goods transport reporting systems). Stock, deliveries and customer records are tracked here too.
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2021: analysis with Power BI
Precise monitoring of every discount granted and profitability analysis by cost center, sales rep and product.
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From 2025: the warehouses move to NEXT WMS
As part of the digitalization plan, the company's three warehouses are moving to NEXT WMS, to automate operations and provide full traceability for every product.
Results achieved
Contracts managed efficiently
All supplier and customer contracts are in the system, and every sale carries the agreed commercial terms with it.
Discounts fully tracked
Detailed analysis of every discount granted and a clear picture of profitability by cost center, sales rep and product.
Automated reporting
Every discount granted is extracted from the system automatically, in real time.
Better customer relationships
Quick access to the full transaction history and personalized quotes.
Operational efficiency
Process automation cuts both processing time and errors.
Do you grant discounts after the invoice?
We'll show you how to see them in real time, by product, by sales rep and by cost center.