Your ERP holds the answers—here’s how to turn SKU data into margin-saving insights.
Most glass, ceramic, and refractory distributors have a data-rich ERP system—what many lack is visibility. With hundreds or thousands of SKUs moving through your business, it’s not enough to know what’s in stock. You need to know what’s working, what’s not, and where to course-correct. That’s where SKU performance dashboards come in.
Dashboards are centralized tools that give decision-makers a real-time view of how individual products—and entire categories—are performing across dimensions like:
Gross margin contribution
Inventory turnover ratio
Order frequency
Backorder rate
Customer usage distribution
Let’s take a distributor of refractory ceramics. They might carry 1,200 SKUs, including castables, pre-formed shapes, insulating firebrick (IFB), and high-alumina tiles. But only 300 SKUs account for 90% of orders. Without a dashboard, the remaining 900 SKUs might fly under the radar, draining warehouse space and capital.
What Should a Good SKU Dashboard Include?
1. Time-Based Sales Trends
Track monthly or quarterly sales for each SKU or family (e.g., cordierite kiln posts, mullite bricks). Spikes or drop-offs often reveal shifts in customer behavior or seasonality you might miss otherwise.
2. Inventory Aging
Highlight SKUs sitting in storage for 90+ days. These are red flags for dead stock or overforecasting.
3. Velocity vs. Margin Mapping
This helps you segment fast-moving, low-margin SKUs (cash flow drivers) from slow-moving, high-margin SKUs (potential problem areas). Managing both types is key.
4. SKU Breadth by Customer Count
If 20% of SKUs are only ordered by one or two customers, consider transitioning those items to a “buy-to-order” model.
5. Stockouts & Fill Rate Impact
Monitor which SKUs frequently go out of stock and whether they’re costing you sales. This data can guide reorder thresholds and safety stock adjustments.
Tools That Can Help
Most modern ERP systems like NetSuite, Epicor, or Microsoft Dynamics support custom dashboard modules. Even basic integrations with Power BI, Tableau, or Looker Studio can provide dynamic visualizations that update daily. Don’t underestimate Excel either—a pivot table with conditional formatting can reveal more than you think.
Dashboards for Teams, Not Just Executives
Inside sales teams can use dashboards to suggest smart substitutions. Buyers can spot trends early and avoid costly overbuys. Executives can tie SKU decisions to high-level financials. When everyone has access to SKU intelligence, decisions improve across the board.
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What you don’t measure, you can’t manage. And in materials distribution, unmanaged SKUs become inventory anchors. A well-designed dashboard turns SKU chaos into clarity—empowering your teams to react faster, plan smarter, and stock only what truly sells.
