// Systems & operations
What is an ERP system, and does your company need one?
//2 min read
Short answer
An ERP is a single system that connects a company's accounting, inventory, sales and purchasing (and often HR), so everyone works from the same numbers instead of separate spreadsheets. A company usually needs one when stock counts, invoices and reports stop matching between people or branches.
ERP, POS and accounting software: the difference
The three are often confused, and a business can have one, two or all three:
- //POS (point of sale) — the checkout: it records each sale at the till or on the shop floor
- //Accounting software — the books: invoices, expenses, tax and financial reports
- //ERP — connects those with inventory, purchasing and sales, so one sale updates stock, the books and the reports together
Signs you need an ERP
If several of these sound familiar, a spreadsheet is no longer enough:
- //Stock in the system and stock on the shelf do not match
- //The same data is typed into more than one place
- //Month-end reports take days to assemble
- //You have several branches or warehouses and cannot see them in one place
- //You cannot easily tell which products or customers are actually profitable
Signs you do not need one yet
A single small shop with a limited range is often better served by a simple POS plus accounting software. An ERP adds process and training, and it only pays off once the problems above are real.
What to check for an Egyptian business
Generic systems often miss local requirements, so check these explicitly:
- //Egyptian pounds and tax-ready invoices
- //Integration with the Egyptian Tax Authority's e-invoicing system, which applies to many businesses; confirm your obligations with your accountant
- //Arabic and English interfaces, including Arabic invoices and right-to-left reports
- //Branch operation when the internet drops, with data syncing afterwards
Buy or build
An off-the-shelf ERP is faster and cheaper to start with, and you adapt your process to it. A custom system fits your process exactly but costs more upfront and you own its roadmap.
A common middle path is an off-the-shelf core with custom integrations for the few things that are unique to your business. Choose custom only where the difference is what makes your business work.
Questions to ask any vendor
Whatever you choose, these protect you later:
- //Who owns the data, and can I export all of it at any time?
- //How is e-invoicing handled, and who keeps it updated when rules change?
- //How are updates and support handled, and what do they cost?
- //Is pricing per user, per branch, or one-off?
- //How is my existing data migrated, and who checks it?
How to start without disrupting the business
Map how an order or a purchase actually moves through your company today. Fix the biggest pain first, usually inventory, then run it in one branch or one team as a pilot before rolling out. Rolling out everything at once is what makes ERP projects fail.
Where Dekwin fits
Custom ERP systems are among the services Dekwin builds, quoted per project. The pricing page explains how custom work is scoped.