Guide · 2 min read
ERP software for manufacturers: what it is and where to start
What manufacturing ERP software is, which modules it includes, how it differs from a trading ERP, and where a factory should begin.
Garments & textiles
One style has dozens of size and colour combinations, hundreds of trims and fabrics, and staged deliveries. One wrong norm leaves a whole lot short.
( 01 )Common problems
Whenever the buyer changes the size or colour ratio, everything is recalculated by hand and trims get missed.
Stock cannot be balanced against the needs of several orders at once, so lines stop and wait.
By the time a slow line is visible, a day is gone. It is too late to move people or add overtime.
Fabric is tracked by roll and dye lot, with shade differences. Issue the wrong lot and the whole order is off-colour.
( 02 )How the system handles it
The BOM is defined as a size and colour matrix. Change the order ratio and material requirements update at once.
The system compares each order's needs with stock and incoming goods, and shows what is missing before cutting.
Team leads enter hourly output on a tablet. Supervisors see which line is behind target.
Every roll has its own code and dye lot. Issue slips suggest the right lot per order to avoid shade mismatch.
( 03 )FAQ
Yes. They differ in where materials come from and how cost is calculated; the exact scope is agreed during discovery.
Yes. Each is a step in the production order, with its own output and work-in-progress handover.
Output by stage and by person is the input for piece-rate pay. The pay calculation itself follows each factory's own rules.
Other industries
Quoting from drawings, multi-stage production orders, machine tracking across three shifts.
See the solution →02Multi-level BOMs, timber by dimension, stages from milling to packing.
See the solution →03Resin by lot, blend formulas, production orders by machine and mould.
See the solution →Insights
Articles that help factory leadership understand cost, process and options.
Guide · 2 min read
What manufacturing ERP software is, which modules it includes, how it differs from a trading ERP, and where a factory should begin.
Comparison · 2 min read
A comparison of packaged and custom-built ERP for small and mid-sized manufacturers: cost, time, fit, ownership and risk, and when to choose each.