If you’re still running your distribution business on systems like SDS4, Axiom, or Pentagon 2000, you’re in familiar company. Many brokers have spent years building workarounds, habits, and entire departments around platforms that once served them well. But today’s market is different. Speed matters more. Customers expect more. Competition punishes hesitation. And the old tools that once felt stable now quietly slow you down.
What used to be “good enough” has become an anchor. Not because the systems stopped working, but because the industry has moved on - and legacy ERP hasn’t.
Most teams don’t notice the drag of old systems at first. It looks like spreadsheets creeping into processes that should be automated. It shows up as people double-entering data because systems don’t talk. It becomes long chains of emails replacing what could be seamless workflows. And every patch, every workaround, every “quick fix” accumulates until a quote that should take minutes takes hours.
Legacy platforms weren’t built for the level of agility brokers now need. They lock you into rigid processes that resist change - precisely at a time when distributors are diversifying into new categories, new channels, and new customer requirements. Even upgrades become events in themselves: expensive, infrequent, and disruptive enough that many businesses avoid them altogether. Meanwhile, the market keeps moving.
At the same time, the more tools you bolt on - separate quoting systems, stand-alone shipping software, spreadsheets to track margins - the more fragmented the business becomes. Everyone’s busy, but nobody sees the whole picture. Leadership ends up running the company with lagging indicators and instinct, not real-time visibility.
The consequences are subtle at first, then obvious.
A rep takes too long to turn around a quote, and the deal goes to a faster competitor. A margin leak hides in a spreadsheet until the quarter has already closed. Customers get patchy updates because the systems don’t give a single source of truth. And when leadership sits down to understand performance - quote-to-order ratios, team productivity, pipeline bottlenecks - they’re forced to reconcile data that doesn’t quite line up.
You lose speed, clarity, and ultimately revenue - not because your team isn’t capable, but because the tools are working against them.
Modern broker-specific platforms are built for the operational reality distributors live every day. Instead of stitching systems together, they create a single system of action - one place where quoting, stock, sales, shipping, and reporting all live and move in real time. There’s no chasing information, no second-guessing who has the latest version, no waiting on manual updates.
Automation cleans up the manual steps. Integrated workflows tighten the process from RFQ to shipment. Dashboards give leadership immediate insight without asking for reports. And because modern systems update continuously rather than in big-bang upgrades, improvements arrive without disruption.
For the first time, technology becomes a multiplier - not another limitation to work around.
Dashing was built by people who have lived the brokered distribution model, not theorised it. That’s why it tackles the pain points exactly where they happen - in quoting, in inventory, in compliance, in customer communication. The goal is simple: help brokers move faster, sell more, and operate with clarity.
With Dashing’s interactive dashboards, leaders and operations teams finally get visibility they can trust. Sales, invoicing, quote-to-order ratios, even a global map showing performance - all of it updates in real time. Targets can be set and tracked across teams and currencies, giving commercial leaders the ability to steer the business rather than react to it.
Dashing’s quoting engine brings live franchised stock, price checkers, BOM tools, and margin control into one environment. Whether it’s a quick one-line RFQ or a complex bill of materials, the process is built for speed and accuracy. Price breaks? Custom margins? Exporting? It all happens in a click, meaning customers get answers faster - and brokers win more business as a result.
Instead of toggling between disconnected systems, Dashing consolidates the essentials. Customer and supplier records sit in one place, complete with interaction history, terms, currencies, addresses, and associations. Inventory becomes far easier to manage: logical and physical stock, testing status, consignments, costings, datasheets, images - all visible and actionable.
With EasyPost baked into the platform, brokers can manage collections, deliveries, labels, tracking, and customs documentation without jumping between tools. The end result is cleaner, faster fulfilment and fewer errors that cost time or customer goodwill.
Dashing’s AI tools work in the background to reduce manual admin - finding tariff codes, pulling datasheets, organising RFQs, sourcing images. Instead of spending hours on tasks that don’t drive revenue, teams stay focused on customers, suppliers, and deals.
Modernising your ERP shouldn’t feel like open-heart surgery. Dashing’s onboarding model - data migration routines, clear go-live roadmaps, training delivered by people who understand brokered distribution - removes the friction and anxiety that typically come with switching systems. And with 24/7 global support, help is there whenever it’s needed.
As one customer put it:
“I finally have an ERP I can rely on. The support and flexibility are exactly what this industry needs.” - Michael, Sonicare Solutions Inc.
Many teams hesitate to upgrade because they fear disruption. But staying on legacy systems carries far greater long-term cost - lost opportunities, slow processes, data blind spots, and increased operational complexity.
Dashing addresses the common concerns directly:
Switching risk: Data migration and onboarding routines are proven and predictable.
Training burden: Learning is embedded within real workflows, guided by experts.
Fit: Dashing is built around broker-led workflows by people who know the business model inside out.
Legacy systems were built for a different era - one where brokers could afford to move slowly, rely on manual processes, and run operations in silos. But the industry has shifted. Margins are tighter. Speed is everything. Customers expect clarity. And competitors armed with modern tools are moving aggressively.
If your quoting is slow, your visibility limited, or your operations tied together with spreadsheets, the system isn’t just outdated - it’s actively holding you back.
Dashing brings everything into one platform so your team can sell more, respond faster, and finally operate at the pace the market now demands.