Best Affordable ERP Systems for Distributors & Manufacturers
If you’ve reached a growth point where an ERP software solution is necessary to manage your complex business processes, it can be daunting to wade through the range of solutions currently available in the ERP marketplace. Finding the best affordable ERP system can be challenging for organizations. That’s why we offer two very robust, highly affordable ERP options. These solutions help to lower your IT and infrastructure overhead.
Affordable ERP Option #1: Cloud ERP offered in a SaaS Subscription
What it is:
Cloud ERP is a hosting model that allows you to access your ERP over the internet from your web browser. The benefits of cloud ERP include reduced IT infrastructure costs and improved access to the ERP. Software as a Service (SaaS) takes cloud ERP to the next level. In a SaaS model, the vendor manages your software for you. This further reduces your in-house need for IT resources in terms of system maintenance and support. See related article: Cloud-hosted ERP vs. SaaS: Which Choice is Right for You?
Solution we recommend:
Trek Cloud ERP delivers powerful and configurable solutions for distributors and manufacturers who need comprehensive functionality to run their business processes, with affordable ERP pricing options.
Discount available:
A discount is currently being offered to new clients who sign up. Contact Trek Global to learn more. The discount is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and so it’s recommended that interested organizations express their interest soon.
Best suited for:
This solution is targeted to midsize businesses, but does provide a starter package to smaller businesses that have annual gross revenues of $2M or more. The solution scales up easily and seamlessly so it will easily support organizations that have annual revenues of $500M and beyond.
Why it’s a top choice:
Companies with SaaS ERP achieve greater returns on their investments than those who choose on-premise ERP. You can expect a 21% improvement in profit margins over the next 2 years with SaaS ERP, in comparison to an 8% improvement for those with on-premise ERP.1 In addition to being an affordable ERP solution, SaaS ERP provides greater connectivity and mobility while reducing your IT overhead.
Affordable ERP Option #2: Open Source ERP
What it is:
Open Source ERP software is free to download from Sourceforge.net. There are no software costs; once downloaded, the software then essentially becomes yours to do with as you please. A decision you will have to make is whether you want to place the software in the cloud for easy login access by your users, or whether you want it to be on-premise.
While this is free software (and you won’t find a more affordable ERP than one that’s free!), you will definitely need a budget for consulting to configure it, customize it, integrate it with your other technology and to address your infrastructure. The software is highly complex and configuring it does require experience with ERP system architecture. Even if you have internal IT and project management resources, it’s important to realize that an ERP implementation project impacts nearly every department.
Solution we recommend
iDempiere Open Source ERP is a highly stable, configurable, customizable and extensible platform. As a project fork of Compiere and ADempiere, iDempiere has roots in software that has been adopted on a global scale and was first implemented by Goodyear Tires in 2000. The ADempiere and iDempiere ERP solutions have seen more than 1.2 million combined downloads on Sourceforge.net since they were introduced, and have active development communities supporting them.
Best suited for:
While iDempiere is an affordable ERP solution, the real benefit is that it provides customizable software for achieving greater efficiencies and competitive advantage.
Why it’s a top choice:
To learn how your business can benefit from utilizing iDempiere’s customizable framework, download our free white paper:
Contact us to learn more about these solutions. We would be glad to discuss how these solutions drive profitable growth. We can also provide you with a free consultation and analysis.
Sources Cited
1Aberdeen Group. SaaS ERP in Wholesale and Distribution: Enabling Communication Across a Wide Network.