A medicine distributor sits between pharmaceutical companies and hundreds of chemists and pharmacies. Order bookers walk their routes in the morning, deliveries go out in the afternoon, and the company expects claims and stock reports on time. Every carton has a batch and an expiry date. One expired strip on a chemist's shelf can cost you the chemist, and one wrong scheme on an invoice can cost you a month's margin on that product.
Batch and expiry from receipt to invoice
When stock arrives from the company, each batch is entered with its expiry. From then on the system decides which batch to send, normally the one that expires first, and prints the batch on the chemist's invoice. If a batch is recalled, you can list every chemist who received it within minutes, with the quantity each one took. Our pharmacy batch and expiry guide explains the same logic from the pharmacy's side.
Near-expiry before it is too late
A near-expiry report, looking several months ahead, shows which batches will not sell in time. That is the moment to push them on routes, move them to another branch or arrange a return to the principal under its policy. Waiting until the date passes leaves only a write-off. The same report, shared with your order bookers, tells them which products to offer first on their routes this week.
Company schemes, bonus and discounts
Pharmaceutical companies run schemes: bonus quantities on a minimum order, trade discounts, special rates for a period. Billers who work these out by hand make mistakes both ways. The system should hold each scheme with its product, dates and conditions and apply it on the invoice automatically, while recording what is claimable from the company.
| Record | Used by | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Batch and expiry stock | Godown and billing | Send the right batch, trace recalls |
| Scheme and bonus rules | Billing | Correct invoices without manual sums |
| Claims to principals | Accounts | Recover scheme and return amounts from companies |
| Chemist ledgers | Recovery staff and owner | Credit limits and payment follow-up |
| Route orders | Order bookers | Orders from the field straight to billing |
Order booking on routes
Order bookers visit chemists on fixed days. With an app on their phone they pick the chemist, see the balance and overdue amount, enter the order and send it to the office. The office bills it, the godown picks by batch, and the delivery man takes the invoice. Our salesman order booking app guide covers routes and targets in more detail.
Assign routes
Each order booker opens the app and sees today's chemists in route order.
Book with balance in view
At each chemist the booker checks the balance, then enters the order with any scheme shown.
Bill in the office
Orders arrive at billing, where invoices are printed with batch, expiry and scheme applied.
Pick and load
The godown picks the batches named on each invoice and loads them by route.
Deliver and collect
The delivery man hands over the invoice, collects payment if due and records it.
Chemist credit and returns
Most chemists buy on credit. Each needs a ledger, a credit limit and a usual payment period, with statements sent on WhatsApp. Returns come back for breakage, short expiry or slow movement. Each return should go back into stock by batch, or into a separate return stock if it cannot be resold, and be linked to a claim against the principal where the company allows it.
Medicines are regulated, and licences, storage rules and record-keeping requirements apply to distributors. The software can keep the records, but what the law requires of your business is for you and your adviser to confirm.
When a general distribution system is enough
If you also distribute consumer goods, the core is the same as in our distribution software guide: routes, bookers, delivery and recoveries. Medicines add batch and expiry on every line and company claims. A general system that cannot do those two things well will not serve a pharma distributor. Pharmacies that buy from you need a different tool, described on our pharmacy industry page.
How Operix works
Operix Systems builds ERP software for Pakistan from Old Clifton, Karachi. We map one day of your orders, design every screen for your approval, release weekly on your own data and train billers and bookers in Urdu or English. Distributors who also run a cold room may find cold storage software useful. To see batch-wise billing on sample data, book a demo.
Questions people ask
Does the system choose which batch to send?
Yes. By default it sends the batch that expires first, and prints the batch and expiry on the invoice. A biller can override it when there is a reason.
Can it calculate company schemes and bonus automatically?
Yes. Each scheme is set up with its products, dates and conditions, and the invoice applies it. The claimable part is recorded so accounts can recover it from the company.
Can order bookers work without internet?
The app can save orders on the phone and send them when the signal returns. Balances shown will be as of the last sync.
Do you have an office in Lahore or Multan?
No. Operix works from Old Clifton, Karachi. Karachi distributors get on-site setup and training; distributors elsewhere are served online.
