Question 1

Is custom ERP better than an off-the-shelf solution like SAP or Odoo?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how specific your business processes are. For companies with non-standard logistics, unique pricing models, or regulatory requirements, custom ERP built with TypeScript 6 and PostgreSQL costs significantly less over 5 years than SAP or Odoo licences, while delivering full ownership, zero per-user fees, and an interface designed around your exact workflows. You also avoid the annual licence escalation that off-the-shelf solutions impose as headcount grows.

Question 2

How long does an ERP implementation take?

Accepted Answer

Timeline depends on scope. An MVP ERP with core modules, invoicing, inventory management, and CRM, is a smaller build; complex multi-entity systems with warehouse management, supply chain tracking, and multi-currency support take significantly longer and run in phases. Each phase delivers a working module your team uses immediately, so there is no 'big bang' cutover that disrupts daily operations. We deploy in bi-weekly sprints with live demos after each cycle.

Question 3

Do you handle data migration from our old system?

Accepted Answer

Yes, data migration is an integral part of every ERP project, not an afterthought. We begin with a full audit of your legacy data: structure, quality, duplicates, and dependencies. Our ETL pipeline extracts, transforms, and loads data into the new system with field-level validation at every step. Before cutover, we run parallel operation to verify data integrity. This structured approach has delivered zero-data-loss migrations across every ERP project we have completed to date.

Question 4

Can your ERP integrate with local Croatian regulatory systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Croatian regulatory compliance is built into every ERP we deliver as standard. This includes FINA e-invoicing (eRacun), automated VAT form generation (PDV, PDV-S), OIB validation, and CIS fiscal register integration for retail and hospitality. For companies operating across EU borders, we also implement EU e-invoicing standards (EN 16931) and cross-border VAT handling. Compliance is maintained continuously as Croatian tax regulations evolve, with updates included in maintenance retainers.

Question 5

What is the most common reason an ERP project fails?

Accepted Answer

People, not technology. Projects usually stall because the system was built around how the process is supposed to work rather than how it actually runs, so the people doing the work route around it and stay in spreadsheets. The other common cause is that nobody inside the company has time to decide, so every open question waits for weeks. That is why we walk the process with the people who perform it before writing code, and ask for one person on your side who can make a call.

Question 6

Can we roll out an ERP in phases instead of all at once?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we almost always recommend it. Start with the module that hurts most, usually inventory, purchasing or invoicing, put that part into real use, and only then add the next. The benefit is that people learn the system in small steps and a mistake in one module does not halt the whole company. Switching everything at once only makes sense when the existing system stops working on a fixed date.

Question 7

What if our staff keep going back to Excel?

Accepted Answer

Then the system is asking for more work than the spreadsheet somewhere, and that is information rather than resistance. People route around a system when entry takes longer, when it demands data they do not have to hand, or when they cannot see what they get in return. The practical approach is to watch where spreadsheets survive after rollout and simplify that step, not ban the file. Some spreadsheets can stay: if someone runs a monthly analysis in Excel, that is not a problem the ERP has to solve.

Question 8

Who is responsible for data accuracy after migration?

Accepted Answer

You verify the data, we make sure nothing is lost in transit. Migration runs in a test environment before the real cutover, so your people can compare balances: item counts, partner balances, open entries. We fix everything that does not reconcile in that comparison. What we cannot fix are errors that already existed in the old system, and a migration routinely drags those into the light.

Question 9

Should we replace the whole system or only the part that hurts?

Accepted Answer

Often only the part, and we will tell you so plainly. If accounting runs fine and inventory is the pain, replacing everything is expensive and risks breaking what worked. In that case we build the module that solves the real problem and connect it to the existing system through an interface. A full replacement makes sense when the current system is out of support, cannot connect to anything, or when the same data is maintained in three places.

Question 10

Does an ERP work on mobile, and offline?

Accepted Answer

On mobile yes; offline depends on the task. The interface runs in a browser on phones and tablets, which covers warehouse, field work and approvals. Full offline operation requires a specific design with local storage and reconciliation once the connection returns, and that is worth building for concrete tasks such as a stock count, not for the whole system. If you have sites with poor connectivity, say so at the start, because it changes the architecture and cannot be bolted on later.

Question 11

How long is training, and who runs it?

Accepted Answer

Shorter than expected when the system is built around your process, because people recognise steps they already perform. We run the training, by role rather than for everyone at once: a warehouse operator needs their own screens, not the entire system. We also record short guides for the rare actions, since those are exactly the ones forgotten by the next time. Duration depends on the number of modules and people, so we confirm it once the scope is known.

Question 12

What happens to the system if we double in size?

Accepted Answer

Growth in users and records is a database and infrastructure question, and it is planned up front. The system is set up so resources can be increased without rewriting code, and queries that degrade with data volume get indexes and pagination from the start rather than when they stall. What usually changes with growth is not the technology but the process: what worked for five people needs approvals and roles at fifty. So we build access rights as something configured, not something baked into the code.

Custom ERP Development. One System, Zero Spreadsheets - Helsinki

Why choose our ERP Systems & Consulting agency in Helsinki?

Also available in these tech hubs:

Other services in Helsinki

Related Services

Latest Projects

Frequently Asked Questions

Get Expert Insights Weekly

ERP Systems & Consulting - Helsinki