Introduction: In our article series “The Regionalisation of B2B Commerce is Here,” Ludvig Bergander, Strategic Account Advisor at Columbus Sweden, and his colleagues discuss five areas where regionalisation is changing how B2B businesses must think, build, and operate. "OMS in manufacturing: Meeting B2B buyer expectations post-checkout" is the fourth article in the series.

B2B commerce in manufacturing is complex. Orders are getting larger, more customised, and harder to fulfil. At the same time, B2B buyers now expect the same post-checkout transparency they get in B2C. 

Traditionally, complex B2B manufacturing orders were handled manually or semi-automatically in the ERP system, often relying on experienced staff to track down information and coordinate fulfilment. But that model doesn’t scale in a world where customers expect real-time updates, 24/7 visibility, and self-service options. 

To meet these new expectations, order management needs to be smarter: automated, data-driven, and built for visibility and flexibility - especially in self-service channels.  

Once the order is placed, every detail matters: what gets delivered, from where, when and how clearly you communicate it. And unlike in B2C, the cost of delays or errors is much higher. You risk not just the sale, but the entire customer relationship.  

So, how do you build a fulfilment operation that meets rising expectations without adding cost and complexity? In this article, Erik Söderholm, Partner Sales Manager at Columbus Sweden, and I look at how manufacturers can use order management systems to help them provide customers the transparency and flexibility they expect after checkout. 

The role of order management systems in B2B manufacturing   

Order management systems (OMS) or distributed order management (DOM) are often associated with B2C and omnichannel retail. But they can be just as valuable in B2B manufacturing. Here's why:  

• Inventory isn’t in one place. It often spans multiple production sites, regional warehouses, external suppliers, or contract manufacturers. 

• Fulfilment decisions aren’t just about stock levels, but also contracts, delivery capabilities and credit terms.  

• Customers expect visibility and predictability, even when the supply chain is anything but predictable.  

• Traditional ATP (available-to-promise) logic falls short. Many ERP-based ATP calculations are static and can’t account for real-time changes in supply, demand and constraints. 

A modern OMS doesn’t replace your ERP, it complements it. It acts as an orchestration layer that sits across multiple systems, suppliers, and fulfilment locations. It brings the agility, visibility and control that ERP alone can’t deliver—especially if you’re juggling multiple ERPs after acquisitions or running legacy systems across regions.  

A modern OMS can:  

• Route orders dynamically based on inventory, rules and real-time data  

• Split shipments intelligently across plants or logistics hubs to meet delivery expectations and optimise costs 

• Automate backorders, offer sourcing alternatives and provide accurate ETAs  

• Give customer service teams a unified view of fulfilment and order status  

• Support local and regional fulfilment strategies without losing global control  

• Enable collaborative workspaces for customer success and buyers to manage orders, resolve issues and align on delivery preferences  

Do you need a standalone OMS?  

Not every manufacturer needs a dedicated OMS. So how do you decide?  

Here are some signals that you might:  

• Your ERP struggles to handle complex, multi-node fulfilment logic  

• You’re spending a lot of time routing or updating orders manually 

• You're expanding regionally and want to decouple fulfilment logic from core systems  

• You want to standardise order orchestration across divisions, channels or markets  

• You’ve grown through acquisitions and need to unify order flows across multiple ERP systems  

• You operate in a stock heavy environment and can’t get real-time inventory visibility or flexible sourcing 

That said, if your fulfilment flows are relatively simple, made-to-order, or stable within one ERP system, your current ERP or e-commerce platform might still do the job. But if you're starting to see vulnerabilities, a dedicated OMS could be the layer that brings order, flexibility and visibility back into the process. 

Value of OMS in regionalised manufacturing operations

In a regionalised model, an OMS can:  

• Balance local availability with global priorities  

• Route orders to the right regional warehouse, partner or plant  

• Respect market-specific rules, lead times or assortments  

• Centralise orchestration without centralising execution  

Think of the OMS as the brain that interprets the customer promise and aligns it with real-world constraints - making sure the right product gets to the right place, on time and on brand. 

What to consider before implementing OMS   

1. Process readiness - An OMS will highlight any weak spots in your current way of working. Addressing these issues early can help avoid painful surprises. But don’t just fix the past—design your future processes to reflect the new capabilities an OMS enables.  
2. Inventory accuracy - OMS decisions depend on reliable inventory data. If you can’t trust the numbers, don’t automate your processes yet – clean up your data first.
3. Operational impact – Moving fulfilment to regional warehouses or partners changes workflows and responsibilities. Prepare your teams for those shifts.
4. Customer communication - More flexibility means more complexity. Be transparent with customers if orders split or lead times change.  
5. Total cost picture - OMS licensing, implementation and operations must be balanced against potential cost savings such as reduced manual work, better delivery accuracy, improved NPS, and more self-service.  

What manufacturers must look for in an OMS platform  

The right choice depends on your business complexity, growth plans, and how much flexibility you need. Some are built into ERP systems. Others are standalone platforms. In B2B, look for capabilities such as:  

• Rule-based sourcing and fulfilment  

• Support for B2B-specific needs like pricing, assortments, and approvals 

• Real-time inventory so you can confidently promise what’s available and deliver on it 

• Strong integrations with ERP, WMS, and commerce platforms  

• Ability to adapt to your unique processes and priorities  

When used right, an OMS provides the control and flexibility to scale regionally, without centralising every decision.  

Owning the post-checkout experience 

As B2B buyers expect more visibility, flexibility, and control, a modern OMS helps manufacturers bring the level of service customers expect, without losing speed or service quality. 

Enjoyed this article? Check out our next one on digital ownership, co-written by myself and Joakim Lööv, Principal Advisor at Columbus Sweden. We look at how central teams can enable—not block—local innovation, and what it means to “own” digital strategy in a decentralised world. 

Or if you’d like to talk more about how an OMS could work in your manufacturing setup, we’d love to chat. Feel free to get in touch using the contact details below. 

Don’t miss the next article:
Why B2B digital commerce needs clear ownership

Next article

Let's get in touch