What supply chain finance is and how it works
Supply chain financing is accomplished through invoice factoring. Supply chain factoring is a debt-free financing option where a manufacturer, distributor, supplier, or business that services industrial customers sells accounts receivable invoices to a factoring company instead of waiting weeks or months chasing customer payments.
The factoring company provides an advance of up to 98% of the invoice amount right away. This enables faster reinvestment in a business, in turn, offering faster potential for business growth.
If your business sells on terms (net 30, etc.) to another organization, you may be able to unlock the working capital represented in unpaid customer invoices on the same day they are generated. Instead of waiting on customer payments, factor the invoice (sell it to a supply chain factoring company) and receive payment as soon as the same or next business day for a small fee, called a factoring fee. Your factoring fee could be as low as 1-2%; however, factoring fees often range from 2-7%.
Invoices factored are typically funded on the same day – up to 98% of the face value of the invoice, with any remainder (called a holdback, or reserve) placed in ‘reserve.’ For instance, let’s say that you are billing a customer in the amount of $67,000 but you want to access the funds without waiting weeks – or months – for your customer to pay.
Assuming a factoring fee of 2%, and an advance rate of 98%, here’s how it would work:
Day 1 – |
Generate $67,000 customer invoice and factor it |
– Same Day |
Receive 98% advance of $65,660 by wire transfer or ACH on the same/next business day |
|
Factoring company earns 2% factoring fee, which they receive once the customer pays the invoice |