Refteck is a global consulting firm that specializes in managing operations and ensuring quality for the various procurement needs of its customers. With its operations spread across India, USA, UK, and Germany, Refteck has established itself as a key player, serving companies listed on the Fortune 500 list. Mr. Nitin Shah, the Founder and CEO of Refteck, with his compact but highly efficient team of 55, has successfully collaborated with giants like Reliance Industries, Vedanta Group, Tata Steel, Adani Group, CEAT Tyres, and more — all made possible by their team’s commitment to deeply understand the customer’s business challenges and provide tailored + sustainable solutions.
Since they have a growing and thriving business, having a robust ERP system to chart their operations and business out was a no-brainer. And, like any other exploration journey, they encountered their fair share of challenges in finding the perfect system to meet their requirements. That was until they discovered ERPNext — our completely open-source, user-friendly, fully customizable, and highly affordable ERP solution. This is the story of how they embarked on this journey with us and the pivotal role played by Greycube, our reliable and certified Frappe partners, in guiding Refteck through every decision-making and implementation step.
A quick conversation with Mr Nitin Shah
Sometime around a month ago, I got a chance to engage in a conversation with Mr. Nitin Shah, the CEO and Founder of Refteck Solutions. During the conversation, Mr. Shah kept stressing on the key role of collaboration, sustainability, and scalability in their business processes and how he wanted these values to be extended to any product or service they choose for their business. To me, he came across as this thoughtful leader who is strongly commited to a growth-oriented approach but at the same time wants to uphold the ideas and principles they started their business journey in the first place. As I was on the call with him, I couldn’t help but resonate these values with that of Frappe as a brand where authenticity is a very strong tenant. While I was just holding up to this thought, he himself pointed out the similarity in the vision.
Refteck’s journey to ERPNext with Greycube
Refteck’s transition to ERPNext is the classic case of ‘hindered scalability’ that the growing team faced as their business grew along with them. In the beginning, sometime around 2010, Refteck explored SAP Ariba because of its popularity and wide usage. But the high cost prompted them to begin with .NET.
Refteck built their own ERP system on .NET that was completely homegrown by the team and was comfortably efficient for the initial stage of their business. But, as their business started to flourish with rapidly growing operations, the team found themselves struggling with this system. They realized that their trade had outgrown the solution that was once the sole support to manage their business — scalability became the primary issue. Not just that, maintaining the existing system also became complex and inconvenient.
It was then that Refteck’s team decided to look for a more reliable and easily scaleable ERP software for their business. After much deliberation and thought, they decided to settle for Oracle. But again, the pricing somehow resembled a telephone number. Somewhere between this, Mr Karan Kothari, the Chartered Accountant at Refteck Group, conscious of keeping the company’s spending in check, stumbled on ERPNext and proposed the idea to the team. Intrigued by the idea of ERPNext’s 100% open-source technology, Refteck started to explore ERPNext further. Being open source slashed down the ERPNext’s licensing cost to zero, making us very affordable. This is precisely when the team connected with our longest and first Frappe-certified partner — GreyCube Technologies. With a high touch and in-depth demo, GreyCube snatched the deal from Oracle for ERPNext.
Greycube’s association with Frappe dates back to 2017 when ERPNext was running on V9. Greycube, being a digital solutions company, also had their ERP system running on .NET — the same fate as Refteck struck Greycube with this software, hindering the sustainability of the system. At that time, Greycube realized the need for a standard ERP product that was also open-source and scaleable. They came across ERPNext and were extremely impressed by its responsiveness — one accounting transaction on ERPNext took less than a minute to execute. Digging deeper into ERPNext and exploring the Frappe Framework, they started promoting ERPNext in the ecosystem and acted as our partners even before Frappe officially launched the Frappe program.
Having gone through a similar struggle path as Refteck in the ERP journey, there couldn’t have been a better team than Greycube to assist them in migrating to ERPNext. Refteck's journey with ERPNext was marked by a practical approach for a smooth transition. GreyCube provided training sessions where Refteck's key team members actively participated. These individuals then became internal trainers, spreading knowledge across the organization. This user-centric strategy led to a quick and effortless adoption.
Implementing ERP systems can be challenging, but with Greycube’s dedicated expertise, the process became surprisingly seamless. Refteck's ERPNext implementation covered a wide range, including CRM, Sales, Stock, Purchase, Accounts, HR, and Payroll. It's safe to say that they have got all bases covered. Refteck’s team even pointed out the 60% cost savings they made in the first year of transition that translated into a 20% improvement in efficiency in just the initial phase of transition 🚀
Greycube with Refteck team
Circling back to basics
There's no denying that Refteck's journey to ERPNext was marked by a transformative shift fueled by our software affordability and a robust partner ecosystem. Here’s a clear impression of what we offer.
Software affordability for the win 🥇
At Frappe, we take immense pride in our 100% open source products — ERPNext, being open source, has a ‘0‘ licensing cost, and we only charge for product warranty through Frappe Cloud (Users can also opt to host on any other public server if they want to). Switching to ERPNext can help companies reduce their software spending by at least 75%. Check out this comparison table, which charts a clear picture of how teams can save their investments and upgrade to superior-quality software.
Visualization of SaaS cost savings with ERPNext
In Refteck’s case, ‘0‘ licensing fees and overall affordability played a major role in sealing the deal. We want to help companies control their software cost and not let the cost grow as and when the revenue grows. Because it doesn’t make sense that way.
Frappe’s Partners ecosystem 🤝
Frappe Partners are the heroes of our ecosystem, taking full charge of Frappe implementations for our customers. At Frappe, business is not just about numbers and transactions; it's also about making a meaningful impact, and our certified partners put their best efforts into making that possible. Our partners are thoroughly assessed and certified to ensure our customers get the best Frappe experience. In the case of Refteck's ERPNext journey, Greycube's involvement has proven to be instrumental at every stage, from initial decision-making to the final implementation. Their pivotal role emphasizes the significance of our certified partners in delivering exceptional results.
Before you go..
We strongly believe that teams, big or small, that are continuously growing should freely have a choice to make the most out of their budget and save the extra spending, keeping the financial health of the company in check. And if you are a team looking for the best open-source and affordable ERP, ERPNext might be that choice for you.
