MRP selection is a puzzle that many businesses have to go through. Finding good MRP software for a small business is a different challenge in its own right.

This is especially true when it is your first MRP system.

What is MRP?

There are a few confusing terms that float around MRP software. Namely these are MRP, MRP II and ERP. Let me quickly explain what these are before I carry on.

• MRP - this stands for Materials Requirements Planning. This system is interested with balancing the supply and demand of materials. It calculates how much material you need to purchase and how many production items you need to make in your factory.
• MRP II - this stands for Manufacturing Resources Planning. This takes the production demand from MRP and figures out how much capacity you need / have available. From this, a production schedule is created for each of your manufacturing resources (people, machines etc...).
• ERP - this stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP systems extend MRP and MRP II across the organisation. Estimating, purchasing, planning, scheduling, production, shipping and invoicing are covered in most systems. More complex systems integrate with customers and supply chain partners.

Things to look out for as a small business

Selecting MRP software should be a bespoke affair for your business. However, there are a few things to consider in general.

• Can you start small? Can you start inexpensively and with a handful of users?
• Can you roll out gradually? Can you start using parts of the overall system and build upon it?
• Is the system easy to learn? Do you need weeks of expensive training courses, or is the software intuitive?

If you want some ideas to help you with your own MRP / ERP software selection, download our free guide here. The guide will also share with you ideas and approaches to get the most out of a system once you have purchased the software.

You won't be surprised to learn that we have built Fraction ERP to allow new ERP users to adopt our system easily. We have addressed the above points which you can see via our online support pages and simple pricing model.

Why move to an MRP / ERP system?

When searching for ERP or MRP software solutions you might ask yourself if it is worth the effort.

Of course, we're biased, but our experience is definitely yes. Spreadsheets, whiteboards and paper based systems can get you a long way. But when they start to creak at the seams, this is when MRP software makes sense.

You can let the system take the strain. You can reduce errors from duplication of inputs. You can take advantage of automation and integrate with your accounts package.

One of the reasons that we made Fraction ERP a could ERP system was for portability. Jump on a WiFi (or mobile data) connection and you can use your ERP system. If you have forgotten something in the office, no worries. Open a web browser from where you are and you'll have a secure connection to your data.

MRP and ERP systems bring with them time saving benefits and let you focus on growing your business rather than administrating it.

Visual scheduling board within Fraction ERP

Free demo and trial

Reviewing MRP software is not always easy. All MRP and ERP websites tell you how great their software it. We believe that you need to be able to play with prospective software so that you can get a feel for the solution. Choosing MRP software for your business is no different.

At Fraction ERP we offer a free online demo so that you can get a feel for the software. From here we offer a two week free trial. Play with the system, enter your data and make sure that it works the way that you need it to.

You can find out more about the features Fraction ERP has by viewing our features page.

Take your next step

If you are looking for straightforward and low cost ERP system for your business then get in touch. You can organise your free demo using the form below, or from the main request page.

Don't forget that you can download our free guide on MRP / ERP software selection.

Also, video walkthroughs can be found on each of our features pages.

MRP software for small business makes sense. If you need to pull together a business case, then drop us a line. We are happy to speak with you and help you to work out if moving to a modern ERP system makes sense.