Granted that there are some "order takers" out there in distribution. There are also some very good very efficient reps. Typically a manufacturer's rep will see an account every four weeks; maybe every two weeks for some key accounts. Distribution also ha more contact (manufacturers have some) from inside reps. Yes manufacturers can ship and bill. They then have to deal with individual returns, increased (by a lot) shipping costs, and billing issues (misbilled, terms, slow pay, and so on).
