Want your Business Simplified?

ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning is an application to integrate the data and processes of an organisation into a single system. As the owner of a  business may have wondered many times, as to, what is going on in various processes, departments or offices of your company and you would have wished for some ‘magical gizmo’ that could give you an insight into the work being done. Now, you have it by the name of ERP. It is an integrated system that streamlines different processes and workflows to easily share data across various departments in an organisation. It improves efficiency and productivity levels and puts you into a better position to track the various activities. It lowers costs and enhances customer service. Moreover, it can be customised as per your requirement.

“An ERP finds its use when the management of a company is not able to monitor volumes. It is an interdepartmental connectivity tool that provides the benefit of ‘compiled reporting’ of various departments, smooth workflow and MIS (management information system)” states Mr Rajesh Handa, Director, Exainfotech Pvt. Ltd, an ERP developing company for small and medium enterprises.

Though, penetration of the ERP has been low in the small and medium level enterprises due to ignorance, complexity involved with respect to implementation and customisation and high costs but once implemented, it is value for money!

What good can an ERP do to your business?

• Visibility into all areas of the company- “After implementing an ERP, we get consolidated daily reports of inventory and other departments” avers Mr. Saurabh Singh, IT Head, Anand NVH Products Pvt. Ltd. By having an ERP at your place, you can have a visibility of different functional areas of your company. “Through an ERP, a company can have a check on its resources” adds Handa.

• Quality management for enhanced productivity- Productivity will increase if the management of the company is done effectively. An ERP helps you do that.

• Provides transparency and makes data available across various functions- An ERP gives accurate information at the right time to the right people for effective decision making. It provides you with a single access point for all data of the company. “ERP helps in getting compiled reports and ensures smooth workflow” maintains Handa.

• Helps to reduce operating costs and enhances efficiencies- ERP helps to improve co-ordination and increases the efficiency by reducing the operating costs like inventory, supply chain, production, marketing and help desk support costs.

• Planning for future- Through an ERP, you can analyse your current situation and plan strategically for future.

ERP vendors catering to SMEs:

There are various small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that use customised solutions as they are less costly and can be tailored according to the requirements of the company. Leading providers of ERP, SAP is making its presence stronger in the small and medium enterprises with its solution called BusinessOne. Some of its customers in the SME space include Bharathia Industries, Bharati Enterprises, Sudarshan Chemicals, Tata Jewels and Balsara. There are other big players also that provide solutions like Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP, NetERP, Oracle, Compiere and The Intuitive Enterprise Solution for small and medium level businesses.

Prominent ERP vendors for SMEs are:-

• Vishesh Infotech: Offers Business Soft a distribution and finance package, and Business Pro, which is meant for companies operating in the manufacturing segment.
• Eastern Software Systems (ESS): Their product, ‘ebizframe’ based on Oracle technology is built specially for small and medium businesses.

• Exainfotech Pvt. Ltd. also provides ERP for small and medium level businesses.

• Impact ERP software solution India- provides ERP for manufacturer or traders from small businesses to mid size enterprises.
• Sofgen computer consultants Pvt. Ltd. provides customised ERP solutions to various private and public sectors.
• Mind Infotech’s product, eMPro is specially built for the process industry.