How to Choose ERP Software for a Textile Business

Start with your process, not the software

Textile businesses vary widely. A yarn trader, a knitting unit, a fabric processor and a garment manufacturer all call themselves textile businesses, but their software needs are different. Before looking at any ERP, write down how material moves through your business and which questions you struggle to answer today.

Checklist for textile ERP software

• Units of measure: can it handle kg, metres, rolls and pieces, and convert between them?
• Lot tracking: does each lot keep its identity through processing?
• Job work: are issue and receipt challans, pending balances and job work charges supported?
• Process loss: can shortage between issue and receipt be recorded and reported?
• Dyeing and processing: is there support for shades, recipes and QC if you process in-house?
• GST: are invoices, e-way bill details and GST records handled correctly?
• Costing: can you see the cost of a lot or order including job work?
• Reports: are stock, party ledgers and profitability available without exporting to Excel?

Questions for the vendor

• Can you demonstrate the software using an example close to our process?
• What can be configured, and what requires custom development?
• Who handles data migration and training?
• How is support provided, and how quickly are issues resolved?

Generic ERP vs textile-specific ERP

A generic ERP can work for a textile business if it is configured carefully, but job work, lots and multiple units of measure often need workarounds. A textile-specific ERP, or a general ERP extended with textile modules, usually fits better and needs less training.

Textile ERP from Marc Infotech

Marc Infotech’s textile ERP is built on Marc ERP — accounting, billing, GST, inventory, purchase and sales — with textile modules for lots, production stages and job work, and Marc Dye where dyeing is part of the process. It is developed in Ludhiana and available to textile businesses across Punjab and India.