Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Purchase Order and Inventory Financing in Canada

Canadian business owners and financial mangers are often challenged by the need to finance either, individually, or both, inventory and purchase orders for major new customers, contracts, etc. Is this type of financing available in Canada and how does it work?

With grown and revenue prospects come challenges. A large part of that challenge is simply the need to access cash flow and working capital now to facilitate those new orders and large contracts with either new or existing customers.

Clients we talk to normally have a very typical challenge – they have a large, sometimes huge! New sales opportunity. That opportunity requires an abnormal build up in inventory via those new contracts and purchase orders.

It is logical for every Canadian business owner and financial manager to initially survey their existing financing arrangements and determine if those financing arrangements either meet the needs of the new orders, or if additional financing is required. If you company is relatively new, or sometimes even at the start up stage that type of traditional Canadian chartered bank financing will be very difficult to achieve .

Naturally the other resources that could pull you’re financing together in this area and personal and outside resources, which most entrepreneurs either have reluctance for, or in some cases find it difficult to access and complete funding via that mechanism.The worst thing any business owner wants to do is of coruse to decline those purchase orders or contracts.

Purchase order financing, or alternatively, inventory financing, is a solid mechanism whereby you can access funds needed for your P.O. fulfillment. Depending on how you structure your transaction the P. O. financier may cobble together an assortment of receivable and inventory and equipment collateral in order to assist you in fulfilling your orders. In some cases, especially when it is demanded by your customer, the P.O. Finance firm can even issue a letter of credit on your behalf.

Purchase order and inventory financing can be applicable for all size of firms; however clients we meet with are either in start up mode, have had some financial challenges, and area unable to access what we would term as traditional working capital.

It should be stated of course that the actual purchase orders and inventory requirements that are being financing must come from reliable firms, either here in Canada or elsewhere. Their general reputation and stability must be able to be confirmed. That is of course done through areas such as public records, commercial credit reports, etc. In some cases our clients providing you with the purchase order might be a large well known public entity – all the better of course.

The benefit of purchase order financing is that it places emphasis on the overall quality of the deal, and your ability to fulfill the contract. Unlike traditional financing your balance sheet and income statement, with all those banker ratios, covenants, etc do not necessarily come into play in this type of financing. For that reason purchase order and inventory financing is a ‘boutique ‘‘specialized ‘type of financing that is more expensive than traditional financing. Business owners can significantly offset that expense by ensuring they have good gross margins on the transactions.

Manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors are probably the best candidates for purchase order financing. When you meet with a credible, experienced and trustworthy advisor in this area that initial focus is simply document ting the transaction, i.e. info on your firm, the transaction, and the standard application and due diligence that comes along with any type of business financing in Canada .

Your firm should investigate purchase order and inventory financing if you feel you are a strong candidate for this type of financing based on your inability to access traditional financing to meet your sales goals. Work with an experienced partner, ensure you understand the application and diligence process, and you should then be able to successfully capitalize on this great alternative financing strategy.

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http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com/Purchase_Order_and_Inventory_Financing_Can.html

1 comment:

  1. The costs for Purchase Order Financing are based on the credit worthiness of your client, the complexity of the transaction, the volume of your transaction(s)

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