Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQ information here answers some common questions about uzERP. There are also some operational [[How To|How To/Index]] questions and answers describing activities by module.

Basics

What hardware and software do I need?

Hardware depends on the number of users but is relatively modest.

A server should be dedicated to uzERP and running a Linux server variant - we recommend Ubuntu Server Edition. See more detail on software [[requirements]].

Which browser can I use?

uzERP will work in any modern, web-standards compliant browser. The system has been extensively tested using Firefox and Google Chrome. If you need to use Internet Explorer, then version 11 onwards is required.

How many users does uzERP support?

uzERP is built using solid Open Source tools and will scale to any number of users, depending on your hardware. Since there are no per-user licencing restrictions you can add users as you need them at no extra cost.

Contacts

Can I store contact records for prospects as well as live accounts?

uzERP has a full contact management module which supports Leads, Accounts and Person records. Each contact can have multiple addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

CRM

What is CRM?

There are many definitions - one we particularly like is:

CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a company-wide business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty. True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organisation (and where appropriate, from outside the organisation) to give one, holistic > view of each customer in real time. This allows customer facing employees in such areas as sales, customer support, and marketing to make quick yet informed decisions on everything from cross-selling and up-selling opportunities to target marketing strategies to competitive positioning tactics.

How does uzERP support CRM?

uzERP allows the entry of contact details for actual and prospective clients. The CRM module specifically allows the tracking of opportunities, campaigns and activities. Because of the progressive disclosure embedded in the user interface, information is quickly available to those who need it.

Projects

I have a fabrication business - can uzERP handle the large scale jobs we do?

uzERP’s project management module is quite extensive and can be used for large scale manufacturing or on-site construction projects.

Manufacturing

Can I use the system to manage stock (inventory)?

uzERP has an extremely flexible stock (inventory) management system. There are facilities to sort products by group and type as well as process route, free format text columns for analysis and full search capabilities. Stock can be stored at multiple locations within multiple stores (warehouses). Locations can also be ‘bin controlled’ to give further granularity.

Does the system handle complex manufacturing?

uzERP will handle make to stock, make to order and large batch processing. Multi-level product structures and complex routes are available, including sub-contract operations. There are facilities to enter departments and work centres, make product substitutions and carry out late configuration and shop floor data collection. Shop floor paperwork is catered for, and backflushing of materials used in production can be accomplished for high volume manufacturing.

What about simple manufacturing?

uzERP can do that as well. You don’t have to deploy all of the functionality - and since all available modules are delivered with the software, you can pick and choose which options work best for your business.

We use OEE as a performance metric - can I record actual operational performance?

There is a comprehensive shop floor data collection system within the Manufacturing module. there are user defined shift patterns work centres and performance codes so your reporting can be very ‘granular’. The Reporting module allows for complex custom reports to be built and there is always the option to output summary data to spreadsheet for further analysis.

Logistics

How can uzERP help me manage Logistics?

uzERP can handle multi-warehouse/location scenarios or very simple use-cases. Some businesses are necessarily complicated but uzERP can help by improving visibility of stock, streamlining procedures and providing a clean and familiar browser based user-interface for your staff. Searching is embedded, so finding the right information, such as ,‘Where is my stock?’ or ‘Which orders are due today?’, is very easy indeed.

Can uzERP help me plan?

uzERP has comprehensive [[supply and demand management|supplydemand]] capabilities, including summary reports showing on order, available stock and fulfilment.

Accounts

uzERP covers Sales Ledger and Purchase Ledger (AR and AP) plus General Ledger and Cash Book which are all linked to the back end systems for invoicing and goods received meaning you can drill back from accounting transactions or forward from commercial systems.

What about Sales Tax?

There are multiple VAT rates which can be allocated to items sold. Each trading partner is allocated to a VAT status to determine whether the VAT is actually charged, and there are options to produce UK intrastat information. The adaptability means that other tax regimes should be catered for fairly easily.

We deal in multiple currencies - can uzERP cover this?

Yes, uzERP is multi-currency.