Before buying ERP, a steel fabricator should ask 20 questions across five areas: whether the system handles steel’s weight-based stock and traceability, whether it costs each job including scrap and yield, whether it covers compliance and certificates, how migration and implementation will run, and what the full price and support terms are. Score each answer 0 to 2, and ask the vendor to demonstrate it on your own job, not just describe it.

Bsquare Solutions builds Pothera ERP for manufacturers and has served them since 1999. This checklist applies whichever vendor you evaluate, including us.

Why do steel fabricators need their own ERP checklist?

Generic ERP checklists ask about modules and users. A fabricator’s real risks sit elsewhere: steel bought by weight but cut by length, offcuts that return to stock, jobs that change when a drawing is revised, and outside processes like galvanising or painting. A system that handles none of this will still look fine in a standard demo.

Bsquare’s 2026 survey of 500 Indian factory owners found that only 28% of metals and fabrication firms in the sample (n=35) had a fully deployed ERP, and payback in that group was the slowest at a median of 26 months. Small samples need care, but the pattern suggests many fabricators buy ERP that does not fit how steel jobs run. See the full research report.

How should you use this checklist?

1. Score each question: 0 = cannot do it, 1 = possible with customisation or a workaround, 2 = standard and demonstrated live.
2. Demand a demo on your data. Give each vendor one real job: a drawing, a bill of quantities and a purchase order.
3. Add up the score (maximum 40). A suggested reading: 32 or more is a strong fit, 24 to 31 is workable with gaps you must price in, and below 24 means keep looking.
4. Get answers in writing, especially on anything scored 1.

Part 1: Steel operations (Questions 1–7)

Read more: ERP software for the steel industry | ERP for metal fabrication | Job work and sub-contract management

Part 2: Costing and finance (Questions 8–11)

Related: how to calculate ERP cost and payback for a manufacturer

Part 3: Quality and compliance (Questions 12–14)

Part 4: Implementation and data (Questions 15–17)

Related: how to choose ERP software for manufacturing companies in India | Tally to ERP: how a ₹15–20 crore manufacturer should choose

Part 5: Commercials and support (Questions 18–20)

Related: Pothera ERP Cost Estimator | ERP pricing

What are the red flags in an ERP demo for steel?

●     The vendor shows only a generic manufacturing demo and avoids your sample drawing.

●     Heat numbers, remnants or outside processes are “a customisation” with no price.

●     Costing runs as a month-end journal instead of from live transactions.

●     Migration is described as “your team’s job”.

●     The quote shows only a licence line.

●     There is no named support contact after go-live.

A simple scorecard (editable text)

How does Pothera ERP answer these questions?

Pothera ERP covers production and planning, procurement and MRP, inventory, quality, job work, finance, CRM and HR in one platform. For the checklist above, it offers:

●     Multi-level BOMs, routings and user-defined stages, with make-to-order, make-to-stock and mixed scenarios

●     Job work management with challans, party-wise pending quantities and process-loss accounting

●     Shop-floor recording of output, rejection, scrap and loss, with machine, shift and operator analysis

●     Configurable quality checks at incoming material, in process and at final inspection

●     Costing with BOM overheads, scrap and substitute items

●     E-invoicing through API integration, QR code and digital signature integration

●     Multi-level approvals and field-level authorisation

●     Multi-plant, multi-company and multi-currency operation, in the cloud or on-premise

●     Typical go-live of 8 to 12 weeks, with implementation and support from one team

For heat-number and mill-certificate handling, remnant stock and your specific job flow, ask us to show it on your sample drawing and bill of quantities. Smaller fabricators can also look at Pothera Lite, and you can read how other manufacturers use the system in our case studies, including Jagdev Engineering.

Frequently asked questions

What should a steel fabricator look for in ERP?
 Weight-based stock with offcut handling, heat-number and certificate traceability, job-wise costing with scrap and yield, outside-process tracking, quality checkpoints, GST compliance and a clear implementation and support plan.

How many vendors should I shortlist?
 Three is practical. Give each the same drawing, bill of quantities and purchase order, and score the demos against this checklist.

How long does ERP implementation take for a steel fabricator?
 With Pothera ERP, typically 8 to 12 weeks for 10 to 100 users, depending on scope, sites and data readiness.

Is a generic ERP enough for a steel fabrication business?
 It may handle accounts and basic stock, but steel-specific needs such as remnants, heat numbers, revision control and outside processes often need customisation. Price that work before you decide.

Should I move from Tally to ERP?
 When stock, production and finance need to connect, many fabricators do. Read our guide on Tally to ERP for how to decide.

What does steel fabrication ERP cost?
 It depends on users, modules, sites and implementation scope, plus an annual AMC. Use the cost estimator for an indicative range.

What is the biggest mistake fabricators make when buying ERP?
 Judging the system from a generic demo. Always test it on one of your own jobs.

Put this checklist to work

Take your next real job to a Pothera ERP demo and score it against these 20 questions. You can also estimate your investment and payback before you speak to us, or explore our ERP software for the steel industry.