Only as much system as you need
Solving three problems should not require learning fifteen modules. If you need orders, stock and collections, that is what gets built. A module nobody opens is still a maintenance cost.
An Alternative to ERP
Most companies looking at an ERP quote end up in the same place. The system does everything, the rollout takes months, the team never settles into it, and the part actually used is a fraction of what was promised.
To be clear, we do not sell ERP. What we do is build the pieces a company actually uses. For some businesses the right answer really is an ERP, and we say so plainly when it is.
Talk to us about thisWhere the Difference Is
The process stays yours
ERP rollouts usually run long because the company is being reshaped to fit the software rather than the other way round. With a custom build the way you work stays yours.
No per-user licence
Most ERPs charge per user per month, so cost grows as the team grows. On your own system, adding someone in the warehouse does not add a line to the invoice.
The data stays with you
The database can live on your own server. If you decide to change direction later, getting your data out is not something you have to ask permission for.
Living alongside an existing ERP
If an ERP is already in place there is no need to remove it. The missing piece is built and made to talk to it. This is what we do on most projects, because moving the statutory books is a separate risk.
When an ERP is the right call
Multi-site manufacturing, complex cost accounting and industry-specific statutory reporting all point to a mature ERP. Saying that does not win us work, but letting you go the wrong way costs more.
How We Work
- We first measure which parts of the job actually need software, because not all of them do.
- We do not start the second module until the first one is genuinely in use.
- Transfer to the software you already run is planned at the start.
- If an ERP is the better answer we say so instead of inventing a project.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your process is the industry standard, an ERP is cheaper and faster. If your process is the thing that separates you from your competitors, a custom build protects that, because an ERP turns it back into the standard. The decision is about how standard your business is rather than the quality of the software.
Usually not. Replacing the system that keeps your statutory books is a risk in itself and often unnecessary. We build the missing piece and wire the transfer between them. What has to be settled first is which side holds the truth.
An ERP licence is per user and monthly, while a custom build is largely one off. In the short term the ERP can be cheaper and over a longer horizon the custom build often is. The honest comparison runs over three years and includes rollout and training time.
The first working module is usually measured in weeks and the whole thing in months. What sets the pace is not the code but the state of your existing data and how quickly decisions get made. The same product recorded under several different names is our most common cause of delay.
What We Have Written About This
- Shopify or a Custom Build? How to Decide One gets you selling in weeks with fees attached. The other costs more up front and answers to nobody. The right choice depends on things people rarely check first.
- Why Website Quotes Vary So Much Same brief, three quotes, wildly different numbers. Here is what sits behind the figure and how to compare proposals without guessing.
Which Service This Belongs To
This page covers one topic. The full scope and pricing live on the related service page.
Our Other Areas of Expertise
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