Many of the designers out there are looking for various sorts of resources and it’d be great if some of you had some ideas. For example:
I have been running my line for nearly 2 years and things have been growing exponentially and it’s been hard to keep on top of things, like tracking inventory, sales, invoicing, working out what I need to restock and when, purchase orders, payroll etc…My rep in LA said there was some kind of program specifically for the apparel industry. There are so many out there – is there one you’d recommend? I figure I should really deal with these things now rather than later and wasting valuable time and money in the process. I realize you must get a lot of questions, so I appreciate your reply as soon as you could.
Does anybody have a program they’re particularly happy with? I haven’t reviewed packages in awhile -it’s depressing because the programs are usually too feature-laden and expensive to be used appropriately by smaller companies. Anybody have any programs they like or strategies to share?
No suggestions but did anyone read that tukatech is now offering their cad software for monthly rental. (the student rates are really reasonable too) Might be a good move in the long run as it will help them gain market share for those who can’t afford gerber
I have read that Quick Books has a wonderful program geared for the Manufacturer…haven’t used it but have heard rave reviews..I used to use Quick Books basic and loved it….
What I’d love to hear about is the story behind that line of clothing growing exponentially–that said, Quickbooks is hard to beat, though I have run across software advertising that claims to be great for the apparel industry.
I recently went shopping for similar software. There is a Quickbooks program specifically for manufacturers that runs about $500. The problem for me was that the program was only compatiblefor PCs, and I have a MAC. At this time there is no Mac version that I am aware of. I have also heard that in general Quickbooks for Mac is inferior to the regular version. I ended up buying something from the Apple store called Mind Your Own Business (MYOB). There are ways to track inventory, invoice, etc. My company is small enough that it works for now, but I have no idea how it would work for a larger operation.
Take a look at net suite. At the present time they are a little light on manufacturing but it’s getting better every year. This is an ERP system which means it WILL run your whole company. From website, to web store to payroll to inventory to bill of materials and purchasing to kitting to fixed asset tracking to sales force management (commissions) and CRM. You get all this via a single log in page web browser from anywhere in the world Oh, I forgot to mention multi currency. Anyway you get all this and you don’t have to own a server. Larry Ellison from Oracle owns half of the company.
>>There is a Quickbooks program specifically for manufacturers that runs about $500.< I will second this. I don't use it becuase I also have a mac, but I know of one company, that does about 20 million a year, and they use Quickbooks for Manufacturers.
Apparel magazine May 2007 issue has top 50 software scorecard articles you could peruse.