The source
What comes in
- Branch stock and demand records
- Supplier order multiples and open purchase lines
- Customer-linked or stock-replenishment requirement
Procurement for distributors agent Branches need stock.
Branches need stock.
Customers need a promise.
LaunchAI coordinates replenishment, supplier backorders and customer-linked purchases across the tools your distribution team already uses.
The job in one minute
What the agent takes off your desk.
Distributor procurement automation coordinates buying for stock, customer-specific orders and branch requirements. LaunchAI can check open supply, prepare supplier requests and reconcile status across your existing applications. The useful outcome is a clear purchase action tied to the right item, branch and demand, rather than another disconnected status spreadsheet.
The finish
What comes out
A checked buying action and a current view of supplier exceptions by demand.
Your rules
Who owns the decision
The buyer and the responsible team keep commercial, qualification and financial authority. The agent does the permitted work and brings exceptions to their owner.
See it run
Watch the agent work through it.
In this conceptual walkthrough, an AI agent works five open POs, 8041–8045, against the written acknowledgment policy ACK-01. It reads each supplier's acknowledgment PDF from the purchasing inbox, opens the PO in a Prophet 21-style PO inquiry screen and compares vendor, item, unit, quantity, price and promise date, logging each check in an evidence workbook. Ridgeline Bearing (PO 8041) and Ironwood Power Transmission (PO 8045) pass, so the agent enters the supplier promise dates and a note, saves, and reopens each PO to confirm the change stuck. Northfield Pneumatics confirms only 60 of 100 on PO 8042, so the agent notes the partial and creates backorder task T-2291. Coastal Seal raises PO 8043 from 18.40 to 19.85 (+7.88%), outside the ±2.00% tolerance, so the agent posts an approval request to the buyer in Teams and leaves the PO price alone. Harbor Fastener has not replied to PO 8044, so the agent schedules one reminder from the approved template, then emails the buyer an exception report.
Conceptual walkthrough with sample data. Screens are generic stand-ins modeled on the named system, not its own interface; workflow and screens vary by ERP.
At the buyer’s desk
The work is spread across several windows.
One supplier allocation feeds two branches and a customer order. Purchasing buys cases, sales sells pieces and some incoming stock is reserved. A backorder needs to reach the right owner with the quantity and demand still attached.
A distributor may buy the same product in cases and sell it in pieces, split supply across branches, and reserve incoming stock for a customer. A supplier backorder affects the remaining promise to that customer. The workflow must preserve units, branch ownership and demand allocation as it moves between screens.
How the agent does it
Same screens. Your rules. A checked result.
LaunchAI follows the purchasing task through your existing applications. Each step has a source to read, a rule to apply or an outcome to check.
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Classify the demand
Separate stock replenishment, special orders and branch transfers before preparing a purchase.
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Reconcile supply and units
Compare reservations, open POs and item pack conversions at the relevant branch.
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Coordinate the supplier
Prepare the order or status request and record supplier commitments against the correct lines.
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Update the operating view
Enter permitted status updates and route shortages to the buyer and customer-service owner without inventing a delivery promise.
The detail that changes the job
What gets caught before the next step.
A supplier allocates 60 of 100 cases. Two branches and a customer-specific order all depend on the incoming supply.
Move the divider to see how the starting information becomes a checked outcome. The complete fields are in the table below.
| Field | Starting information | Checked outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier response | 60 cases available | Partial supply recorded |
| Allocation | One undifferentiated PO | Branch and customer demand retained |
| Communication | Original delivery promise | Exception sent to the owner |
Worked example, not a customer result. Values and documents illustrate what to test.
Exact rules. Context. A person where needed.
The exception has somewhere to go.
The agent needs to recognize the point where the next action depends on missing information or another person’s authority.
- Supplier packs differ from the selling unit.
- A backorder affects reserved customer demand or multiple branches.
Define the allowed fields and actions in your software. A draft, an external commitment and an approved payment are different steps.
Show the working
Measure the work that actually gets done.
Agree on the baseline and the finish before the pilot. Count review and exception work as well as completed transactions.
Measure 01
Open supply with a current supplier commitment
Measure 02
Unit-conversion corrections
Measure 03
Time to route a backorder to its owner
The practical questions
What buyers ask.
Does this replace a distributor ERP?
No. The ERP remains the inventory and purchasing record. LaunchAI performs the approved work around its screens and supplier channels.
Can the agent promise customers a new delivery date?
Only within an authorized workflow and supported by evidence. Supplier estimates and confirmed customer promises should be kept distinct.
What should procurement software for distributors already handle?
Check the system of record for purchasing, branch inventory, units of measure, open supply and customer-linked demand. Then identify the work left between supplier messages, portals and ERP screens. Evaluate the proposed agent workflow on those gaps rather than treating it as a complete distribution ERP.
Your applications. Your purchasing rules.
See the work happen on your screens.
We’ll scope the input, the saved output and the exception that needs your team.