Looking for Users from Belgium & The Netherlands

ERPNext
1

Hi everyone,

I recently discovered ErpNext and am looking for user experiences and basic guidance from Belgian or Dutch users to evaluate whether it could meet our needs.

I run a small cabinet shop with two employees, specializing in custom furniture and interiors, including kitchens, wardrobes, offices, and retail spaces. Our company was founded three years ago from scratch, and like most manufacturing businesses, we face significant investments in machines, tools, and inventory.

Two years ago, we invested in a powerful CAD software, IMOS, which operates on AutoCAD and an SQL database. This software is complex but highly effective, allowing for extensive data import and export through its SQL capabilities.

Each project is unique, and estimating new jobs can be time-consuming, detailed, and subject to frequent changes throughout the sales process. Currently, we are using Excel for estimations, along with various applications for sending proposals, project planning, and CRM through ClickUp. We also upload our invoices to our accountant’s custom platform and send invoices via Gekko.nl. As a result, we have a collection of apps and data that are not centralized or easily analyzable.

We are looking for an ERP solution to centralize all of our data and processes. I have conducted extensive research on potential solutions, but nothing seems to truly fit our needs or financial capabilities. Some options are too generic (like Monday and ClickUp), while others are excessively complex and costly (such as SAP and NetSuite). Additionally, more specialized cabinet-focused ERPs (like Proteus, Ridder, and ProductionCoach) tend to confine us to a specific reseller. I prefer not to rely on a single party for support, upgrades, or customization.

I hope to ask some questions here as I explore ErpNext in more detail. The fundamental functions and customization capabilities of ErpNext appear to exceed what we currently have. However, I am curious about where customization ends and the need for real coding begins.

Here are a few specific questions I have:

  1. Can you send proposals that clients can digitally approve with the push of a button?
  2. Is it possible to set up a specific job costing form (to compare estimated costs vs. actuals vs. finished costs)?
  3. Will it be possible to utilize PepPol invoicing by 2026?
  4. Can we integrate with our accounting software, Exact Online?
  5. How much CPU time should we realistically expect to require?

Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights regarding ErpNext.

Best regards,

2

Hi Jurgen,

Based on your needs, ERPNext seems to be a match: open-source, customizable, and no vendor lock-in. Here’s a quick answer to your questions

  1. Can you send proposals that clients can digitally approve with the push of a button?
    Yes, clients can approve quotes digitally. You can use the customer portal or web forms, and even set up approval workflows—no heavy coding needed.

  2. Is it possible to set up a specific job costing form (to compare estimated costs vs. actuals vs. finished costs)?
    ERPNext has project and timesheet tools to record time spent by employees. For manufacturing sector, it supports engineer to order and make to order processes where you can keep track of costs of raw materials and operations at various levels. For reporting needs, you can use Frappe Insights which is an Analytics tool to create different types of reports.

  3. Will it be possible to utilize PepPol invoicing by 2026?

Generating the UBL file from ERPNext is the easier part, the difficult is to send it in peppol network. PEPPOL has a high entry barrier —not just technically, but also due to certification, compliance requirements, set up cost and recurring subscription costs. Because of this, it’s not really easy to build a fully open-source, standalone Access Point.
Instead, it’s more practical to integrate ERPNext with a certified PEPPOL Access Point provider (like Storecove, Advalvas, or others). Most of the APs charge based on number of transaction.

If you already have a Access Point provider in mind, We can help set up the integration and build the necessary UBL export features. happy to connect on this.

  1. Can we integrate with our accounting software, Exact Online?
    ERPNext is a full-fledged accounting system, so depending on your needs, you might not even need Exact Online.
    We’ve built NL-specific localisation—like NL specific VAT reporting, RGS schema integration, and standard financial reports in ERPNext localisation solution for Netherlands.

For one of our client, we’re working on exporting financials in XAF format, which can be uploaded to Exact Online. So there’s flexibility depending on how tightly you want to integrate the two systems.

  1. How much CPU time should we realistically expect to require?
    ERPNExt is very light weight compared to other ERPs you mentioned. but the CPU time really depends on your usage. We suggest to use frappecloud where you can easily scale up or down based on your need.

Hope this clarifies your questions!!

Regards
Preetam
Prilk Consulting BV