IHD offers a number of services in the distribution process, click on any of the services above for more information.

   

As part of the distribution service, IHD manages the debtors' book on behalf of the manufacturers. These are conducted according to the debtors rules stipulated by manufacturer divisions. Due to the competitive nature of the companies served by IHD, if a customer has a dispute with one manufacturer (division), trade with that particular division can be suspended and trading with other manufacturers can continue unhindered.

   

IHD provides a full export service from South Africa for some manufacturer divisions – mostly into sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, with the countries supplied varying depending on the requirements of the manufacturer.

   

Client company representatives have access to Futurewave to use as an ordering mechanism on behalf of customers. Access to data is strictly controlled with client companies unable to view the transaction information other than that which applies to their products. In addition, Futurewave provides the facility for the manufacturers to interface directly with the IHD warehouse management system and release batches of product from quarantine, and in so doing speed up the process for product to be available for sale.

   

IHD is committed to exploring and extending technology boundaries to remain at the forefront of developments. An extremely powerful and highly prized feature of the IHD service package is the immediacy of market information. On a daily basis IHD supplies each client with a secure data download featuring all activity relating to their products in the previous 24 hours. Manufacturers know what of their product was supplied to whom, how much was supplied and at what price. A regular comment from clients is that the daily downloads have revolutionised the way in which sales are managed.

   

Achieving optimal stock holding levels at the five IHD branches around South Africa requires careful ongoing monitoring and management, and this is achieved through a distribution requirements planning process. On instruction from the manufacturers, the IHD inventory control department sets minimum stock holding levels for each product at the distribution centres, and co ordinates the movement of product from the Linbro Park distribution centre to Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth. To assist the manufacturers in managing their stock holding, IHD supplies regular reports on the predicted out of stock dates based on existing ordering patterns.

   

At the core of the services offered to clients is logistics. IHD provides finished goods warehousing, order picking and packing and order delivery. The physical delivery service is provided in partnership with Kite Logistics, a joint venture established to meet the exacting requirements of fine distribution of pharmaceuticals. Technology is utilised to best effect in the operational processes of IHD, to the extent that most procedures, and at the Linbro Park distribution centre in particular, are paperless. Eliminating the possibility for human error, exacting performance requirements and intelligent systems are employed for accuracy, consistency and reliability.