Growth is good news for any industry, but it comes with its own share of challenges; more so for the apparel industry which has multiple variables intricately interwoven in the entire process-efficient handling of supply chain for quick delivery. As Bangladesh emerges as the preferred global garmenting hub riding high on the back of its phenomenal growth in the last few years, the need for well-integrated business process management software has become the much-needed requirement for the garment manufacturers. STAGE ERP from India-based Ecotech Software Pvt. Ltd. is one such name which provides end-to-end solutions, addressing the unique requirements of the garment industry.
“No other software in the market provides the level of integration between various departments as we do. The success of STAGE ERP is because of its ability to handle all kinds of apparel manufacturing units, from woven and knit apparel. It also integrates the processes of composite factories having their own knitting, dyeing, printing, embroidery and washing units. Due to 23 years of evolution, most of the best business practices have been incorporated and hence customization is minimum. Due to this, STAGE ERP takes the shortest time to implement,” claims APS Velu, CEO, Ecotech Software Pvt. Ltd. speaking to Apparel Online, on the side-lines of GARMENTECH 2017 in Dhaka, adding, “We are used by the leading garment manufacturers to streamline business and integrate information across departments.”
STAGE ERP boasts of comprehensive and industry-right modules, like Costing, Order Entry, Production Planning, Process Planning (BOM), Purchase, Inventory, Packing, Documentation, T & A, Accounts, Payroll, Sampling, MIS Reporting and Retail. “The MRP in STAGE ERP software can accurately plan raw material requirement for purchase and other processes while also providing valuable inputs regarding the existing stocks. It also manages purchase cost, keeping it within what has been quoted to the customer; reduce dead inventory by using existing stock before any new purchase; generate style-wise profitability analyses, besides many other features,” states Velu, underlining it is the right time for the garment manufacturers in Bangladesh to implement the software as they are set to scale up capacities to cater to the increased demands from global buyers. The overwhelming turnout at the GARMENTECH and relevant queries received from entrepreneurs pertaining to STAGE, Velu feels, is indicative of the industry’s interest and willingness to take the next step forward in this direction.
Coupled with Proman (a production management software which monitors all activities on the shopfloor from Time Study, Cutting, Panel Printing and Embroidery, Production Tracking, till the garment is finished and packed), STAGE covers the entire work flow of apparel manufacturing cycle while also integrating the operations in different geographical locations through the internet/intranet, enabling the management to consolidate information across all sites and departments and make concise MIS reports to assess the progress of each order and take appropriate decisions.
“ERP software for apparel industry is more complex to build than an ERP for other industry as it has the maximum number of variables in orders, items and events,” explains Velu, adding, “Using our software orders can be consolidated in terms of destination, category and assortment. It also ensures integration from inventory, imports, exports and payroll to financial accounts, besides generating time and action/alarm to prompt user activities.
It even shoots auto-generated emails to relevant persons for amendments to orders and specifications.” The company’s modules for retail covers Style Bank, Make to Stock, Retail Orders, Stock Allocation, Scan & Pack, Despatch, Invoice, Accounts Integration, Points of Sale and Returns. It also provides planning boards for Sewing, Knitting/Weaving and Fabric Dyeing.
