DotOne teamThe four kinds of ERP you will find in India
| Type | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Global enterprise suites | Very broad, proven at large scale, strong for multinationals | High cost, long projects, needs a partner and IT team |
| Accounting-led software | Familiar to accountants, strong on books and GST | Limited production, shop-floor and planning features |
| Indian cloud ERPs for SMEs | GST and Indian payroll built in, faster to go live, priced for SMEs | Check depth in your industry and the vendor's support capacity |
| Open-source ERPs | No licence fee, flexible, large community | Implementation, hosting and customisation are on you or a partner |
What matters most for an Indian manufacturer
- Fit with your production. Multi-level BOMs, job cards, material issue against jobs, scrap, and the way your industry counts stock (sheets, rolls, kg, pieces).
- GST done properly. GST invoices, e-invoicing above the threshold, e-way bills, HSN codes and GST reports.
- Accounts your CA can work with. Built-in ledgers and bank reconciliation, or a reliable Tally sync.
- Shop floor and mobile. Supervisors and stores staff will use it on phones and tablets. If they do not, the data will be wrong.
- Time to go live. Weeks, not quarters, for a single plant.
- Total cost over three years. Subscription or licence, implementation, customisation and support together.
- Support you can reach, in your time zone and language, after go-live.
A comparison table you can fill in
Score each shortlisted ERP from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) after seeing your own scenarios run in the demo:
| Criterion | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOM, production and costing | |||
| Inventory in your units (sheets, rolls, kg) | |||
| GST, e-invoice and e-way bill | |||
| Accounting or Tally sync | |||
| Mobile and shop-floor use | |||
| Weeks to go live | |||
| Three-year total cost |
For weighting and a worked example, see how to choose an ERP.
Red flags when comparing ERPs
- The demo never leaves the vendor's own sample data.
- Every gap is answered with "we can customise that", with no price or timeline.
- No reference customer in your industry or size.
- GST and e-invoicing are add-ons or handled by a separate tool.
- The price covers the software but not implementation, training or support.
- You cannot export your own data if you leave.
Where DotOne fits
DotOne is an Indian cloud ERP built for manufacturers and distributors. It covers sales, purchase, inventory, production, quality, HR, payroll and accounting with GST, and can sync with Tally. It is set up per industry, including plywood, adhesive tape, ACP, metal and FMCG. Most teams go live in 4 to 6 weeks, and plans start with a free Starter plan. Put it through the same comparison as any other option.