On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 2:32 PM, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I have a friend who runs a textile unit. His father has been doing all his > billing and inventory management in paper till now. He wishes to computerize > them now. I would like you to suggest the way things are worked out in this > area in open source. > > 1. Is there a specific package for this or generic ERP solutions are to be > used? Comment about the customizations that can be done in generic ERP > solutions. Not aware of any specific package. However, if their process is not too complex, it might be worthwhile exploring a custom app using any one of the CMS packages. A friend of mine has done so for a plastic manufacturer on a Drupal platform. You have to weigh the effort of learning/customizing a canned package v/s doing it from ground up. > 2. By how are the ERP solutions generally deployed? Is it pay for both the > software and service, or is free software available and people charge for > the service and training? Typically with the help of a consulting company with domain knowledge in the industry and/or ERP methodology. Budget for a competent consultant (who knows both ERP as a methodology and at least one software implementation). End user training should be part of the contract. Convince the friend's father not be penny wise and pound foolish in this aspect. I mention this specifically because I have experienced this first hand. In one case, the CEO wanted the system to be "distributed" pan India in remote mills but balked at the price. He told me he could do it with a "networked" version of the most popular accounting package starting with the letter T. I told him he was welcome to do what he thought was best for his enterprise. A well implemented ERP can pay for itself in a matter of couple of years - the opposite can be a disaster. Some of the biggies are offering it as SAAS. > 3. And a dumb one. Suggest a package / service. Preferably free license, as > he is going to test it out and convince his father before getting it > deployed in real world. openBRAVO has a downloadable virtual appliance that you can experiment with. openTAPS also used to have one. -- Arun Khan A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail? _______________________________________________ ILUGC Mailing List: http://www.ae.iitm.ac.in/mailman/listinfo/ilugc
