Apparel ERP Systems: Where do you start?

It’s been said that the textile/apparel/sewn goods industry is labor intensive, capital intensive, raw materials intensive, inventory intensive—just not very margin intensive! The “efficiency” of global competition means suppliers need to learn to survive on thread-thin profitability, and to harness every productivity-enhancing technology available. It’s why every manufacturer in the rag trade at some point turns to Apparel ERP systems. The “E” stands for Enterprise, your entire operation. So unlike software for accounting, software for HR, software for the sales force, etc., ERP systems merge all these silos, and manage the manufacturing supply chain as well. Naturally, that makes Apparel ERP systems incredibly complex and fraught with “bet your bottom line” dangers. Where do you start?

There are literally dozens of Apparel ERP software vendors to choose from, really too many. You’ll want to talk to a combination of companies that specialize on the apparel industry and enterprise software leaders whose solutions span a wide range of industries.

There is one short-cut you can employ that walks you through an analysis of how you want your Apparel ERP system to function and opens your eyes to all the possibilities, as well as managing the compete vendor selection process. Its an exhaustive RFI/RFP template, a giant Excel spreadsheet that you can customize to communicate clearly with prospective vendors and be assured you are asking all the right questions.

You could hire an IT/ERP consultant to construct an RFP for you. That can be a good investment if you have no idea where to start. Or you can tap into the accumulated wisdom of hundreds of previous RFPs with automated RFP templates. There are many available and the leading solutions can be found elsewhere on the site.

The typical template lists and describes thousands of Apparel ERP systems features and functions commonly deployed in the textile/apparel/sewn goods industry that you can choose from and prioritize. You can add your own proprietary requirements to that list as well.  Processes in your enterprise that are included in the template can include Financials, HR, Process Manufacturing Management, Inventory Control, Forecasting, Reservations and Allocations, Purchasing Management, Quality Management, Sales Management and Product Technology. Vendor participation is enhanced because they can see exactly what they are bidding on, as well as seeing that you know what you’re doing from your end of the bargain.

The template functions as more than just an RFP. It really can be used to manage the entire selection and implementation process, sort of a detailed knowledge base that sets milestones and tracks progress. Best of all, it makes your team ERP savvy from the very start of the process.

Written by :

kristine H