Modern ERP systems often treat pricing as a simple lookup operation:
find a product, select a customer, apply a rate.
But real-world commercial operations are far more complex.
Different customers require different pricing structures. Different branches follow different approval policies. Export transactions behave differently from domestic sales. Certain principals require fixed procurement routes. Multi-currency pricing introduces additional complexity involving exchange rates, valuation consistency and profitability analysis.
In Tuhund, pricing is not treated as an isolated function. Instead, it is part of a broader commercial intelligence architecture built around two core concepts:
- Price Lists
- Price Maps
Together, these create a deterministic pricing and workflow engine capable of managing complex enterprise scenarios with precision and consistency.
Price Lists: Structured Commercial Pricing
A Price List in Tuhund is a structured collection of product or machine prices maintained in one or more currencies.
The same product may therefore have:
- INR pricing
- USD pricing
- EUR pricing
- AED pricing
- or pricing in any configured currency
within the same list.
The purpose of multiple price lists is to support different commercial situations such as:
- retail pricing
- dealer pricing
- export pricing
- project pricing
- government tender pricing
- distributor pricing
Each list may additionally define:
- validity periods
- approval levels
- pricing hierarchy
- discount behaviour
- currency-specific rules
This allows organisations to maintain highly controlled commercial policies without duplicating item masters or maintaining disconnected pricing structures.
Price Maps: Intelligent Commercial Applicability
While price lists define the pricing itself, Price Maps determine where and when that pricing applies.
A map can define applicability based on:
- branch or branch groups
- customer groups
- salesman groups
- quotation types
- proforma invoice types
- invoice types
- indent order types
- shipment terms
- or combinations of these
Each map can be linked to only one price list, creating a deterministic commercial structure where the system can precisely identify which pricing logic applies to a given transaction.
This removes ambiguity and ensures consistent commercial behaviour across the organisation.
Multi-Level Commercial Structures
Both Price Lists and Price Maps can be configured as:
- single-level
- two-level
- multi-level
An n-level map can only be associated with an n-level price list.
This structural compatibility ensures that pricing logic and approval workflows remain aligned throughout the transaction lifecycle.
It prevents situations where:
- approval structures become inconsistent
- workflows become incomplete
- pricing transitions become invalid
- negotiation hierarchies break down
Intelligent Multi-Currency Pricing
One of the most sophisticated aspects of Tuhund’s pricing engine is its currency handling mechanism.
When the system searches for a price in a required currency, it follows a hierarchical probing model.
Exact Currency Match
The system first checks whether the product price exists directly in the required currency.
If available, that price is applied immediately.
Home Currency Conversion
If the requested currency price is unavailable, the system checks whether pricing exists in the company’s home currency.
If found:
- the live exchange rate is retrieved
- the value is converted into the required currency
- the converted price becomes applicable
Strategic Currency Fallback
If the price is unavailable in the home currency as well, the system searches for prices in:
- USD
- EUR
- any other available currency
This reflects practical international trading behaviour where certain currencies act as commercial reference currencies.
Realistic Double Conversion Logic
When pricing is found in a third currency, Tuhund performs a two-stage conversion:
- source currency → home currency
- home currency → requested currency
For example:
- available price = EUR
- home currency = INR
- requested currency = AED
The system converts:
- EUR → INR
- INR → AED
This mirrors real-world accounting and commercial practices where profitability and forex exposure are typically measured through the organisation’s base accounting currency rather than through uncontrolled direct cross-currency conversions.
Beyond Pricing: Workflow Intelligence
What makes Tuhund particularly unique is that Price Maps are not limited to pricing applicability alone.
They can also define operational workflow behaviour.
A map can therefore control:
- permissible record types
- approval structures
- procurement routing
- document progression
- transaction flow restrictions
This transforms the pricing engine into a commercial workflow orchestration system.
Fixed Linear Workflows
Certain business scenarios require tightly controlled transaction flows.
For example:
an enquiry involving products from a specific principal may require:
- fixed quotation type
- fixed indent order type
- fixed invoice type
- fixed shipment terms
- fixed procurement rules
In such cases, the applicable map defines the entire operational path.
The system therefore already knows:
- which next record type is permissible
- which approval flow applies
- which procurement route is valid
often leaving only one valid next action.
Automatic Vendor Determination
This becomes especially powerful during procurement workflows.
Consider a machinery enquiry related to a specific principal.
When the enquiry is elevated into an indent order:
- the system does not ask the user to choose vendors
- the correct vendor or principal is automatically selected
- procurement routing becomes deterministic
This prevents:
- incorrect sourcing
- unauthorised vendor selection
- procurement inconsistencies
- commercial deviations
Deterministic Commercial Operations
At this stage, Price Maps effectively function as:
- pricing intelligence engines
- workflow routers
- procurement controllers
- transaction classifiers
rather than simple pricing selectors.
The architecture enables:
- operational discipline
- commercial consistency
- faster transaction processing
- reduced user dependency
- stronger auditability
- automated compliance with principal policies
Designed for Complex Enterprise Environments
This architecture is particularly valuable for:
- machinery trading companies
- OEM distribution networks
- authorised dealerships
- import-export businesses
- project-oriented sales organisations
- multi-branch enterprises
- controlled procurement ecosystems
where pricing, approvals, procurement and workflow behaviour are deeply interconnected.
Conclusion
Tuhund’s pricing architecture goes far beyond traditional ERP pricing systems.
By separating:
- pricing definition
- pricing applicability
- workflow behaviour
- approval hierarchy
- currency intelligence
the platform creates a highly scalable and deterministic commercial engine capable of handling sophisticated enterprise operations.
In Tuhund, pricing is not just about assigning a number to a product.
It is about controlling the entire commercial journey with intelligence, consistency and operational precision.
