When is the right time to implement an ERP?

In a conversation with my LinkedIn community (if you're not following us yet, feel free to — we share a lot of content), I got the sense that many SMEs were questioning their "legitimacy" when it comes to implementing an ERP. Am I big enough? How many employees do you need to justify using an ERP? What revenue threshold? What should trigger this reflection? Let's break it down.

A strong desire to grow fast and well — a positive signal to start thinking about an ERP?

Give us the numbers!

For an industrial SME, the ERP question becomes legitimate when:

• The number of employees exceeds 30.
• Revenue reaches 1.5 - 2 million euros.
• The company is growing in terms of both results and headcount.
• From an organizational standpoint, customer management is becoming complicated (delivery delays, unclear production KPI tracking, etc.)

In the end, it's not that complicated! If we can sum up these figures in one sentence: the will to grow must be firmly present, and growth and development objectives must be clearly defined. A company with this kind of objective naturally converges toward the ERP question, because it is through an ERP that it will be able to optimize its production and track its objectives. Ultimately, if the objectives are set, the integration of an ERP tool does not depend on headcount — the earlier the tool is integrated, the sooner it becomes a growth companion that the company can no longer do without. Bonus: an ERP that effectively regulates processes will make it easier to onboard new hires!

"If the objectives are set, an ERP can be a key tool for tracking them (and achieving them)." — Rémi, CTO of Bonx