Leather & footwear
ERP software for leather goods and footwear makers
A bill of materials for every article, work orders per lot, leather and soles in stock, invoices to retailers and payroll for the floor, in one system.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for footwear and leather goods makers. Each article has a bill of materials, work orders consume leather and soles to produce pairs at actual cost, and invoices, purchases and payroll post to one ledger.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
A day in a leather and footwear business
A footwear unit buys leather by the square foot and sells pairs by the carton.
In a small unit in Northampton, the cutting table has a lot of forty pairs of a black Oxford to finish for Market Row Shoes. The supervisor needs to know whether there is enough upper leather left in the warehouse and whether the lining supplier's bill matches what arrived.
The owner wants to quote a new loafer, but nobody is sure what one pair costs once leather wastage, adhesive, eyelets and stitching time are counted. The costing lives in a notebook.
SimpleERP replaces the notebook with two documents: a bill of materials for each article that says what goes into a lot of pairs, and a work order that records the leather and soles actually used and the pairs actually made. The invoice to the retailer then shows a real margin per pair.
Bills of materials
Know what one pair costs before you quote
A bill of materials lists the upper leather, lining, sole, thread, adhesive and hardware for one lot of an article, with the wastage you expect on each, and SimpleERP rolls them up into a cost per pair.
- Scrap per component. An 8% cutting allowance on upper leather raises the planned square feet and the cost.
- Labour and overhead per lot for cutting, closing and lasting, absorbed into the finished pairs.
- Versions. Change the sole supplier or the lining, save a new version, and past work orders keep their plan.
| Line | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Upper leather | 26 sq ft @ $2.50 | $65.00 |
| Lining leather | 22 sq ft @ $1.00 | $22.00 |
| PU sole | 12 pairs @ $3.00 | $36.00 |
| Adhesive and thread | 0.8 kg @ $8.00 | $6.40 |
| Laces and eyelets | 12 sets @ $0.40 | $4.80 |
| Scrap allowance | 8% of upper leather | $5.20 |
| Labour and overhead | per lot | $36.00 |
| Lot cost (per pair) | $175.40 ($14.62) |
Work orders
Work orders per lot that move stock when the pairs are made
A work order for one lot goes from plan to start to complete, and only completion moves stock: leather, soles and trims leave the warehouse at average cost and the finished pairs enter stock at the actual cost per pair.
- Plan pulls the materials from the BOM and checks availability.
- Complete records the actual leather used, so wastage beyond the allowance shows in the cost.
- Make to order. Create a work order straight from a confirmed sales order line from a retailer.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
Purchase and inventory
Leather in square feet, adhesive in kilos, soles in pairs
Every raw material carries its own unit, so finished hides are counted in square feet, adhesive and thread in kilograms and soles in pairs, all in one stock ledger at weighted average cost.
- Add units such as sq ft or pair under Units & terms, next to the seeded kg, pcs and set.
- Purchase orders and supplier bills receive leather at the bill cost into the right warehouse.
- Low-stock list turns shortfalls into purchase orders grouped by supplier.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Sales and billing
Sales orders and invoices for every retailer
A retailer's order becomes a sales order, invoiced in one go or carton by carton, with the tax on every line and stock issued in the same step.
- Sizes as products. Oxford black 7, 8 and 9 each have their own SKU, stock and price.
- Your tax rate on each article, so shoes and bags can carry different rates on one bill.
- A tax summary by rate on the print, with your bank details.
- Ageing by retailer, so you know who is past their credit days before the next dispatch.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
People and payroll
Pay cutters, stitchers and helpers from attendance
Mark attendance for the whole floor in one screen, and the monthly payroll run reads paid days and loss of pay from it, with deductions and advance recovery lines on every payslip.
- Salary structures with basic pay, allowances and deductions per employee.
- Advances given before a holiday are recovered through the payslip, month by month.
- Payroll posts to the books when you approve and pay the run.
Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, Allowances, Bonus and net pay of 4,440.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the routine parts when you sign up, so your first day is about articles and lots, not configuration.
- A chart of accounts with inventory, cost of goods sold and a manufacturing overhead account already mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product or service.
- Units such as pieces, kilograms, metres and sets, and document numbering on your financial year.
- Salary components for your country and a default shift.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service, to copy and adjust later.
By job
Leather & footwear by job
Inventory for footwear makers
Finished leather in sq ft, soles in pairs, adhesive in kg and finished pairs by size, per warehouse at average cost.
Read moreAccounting for leather businesses
Tannery bills, retailer receivables, returns and wages in one ledger, with month-end checks and a lock date.
Read morePayroll for shoe factories
Monthly payroll for clickers, closers, lasters and finishers, with attendance, advances and deductions.
Read moreManufacturing for footwear makers
A bill of materials per article and size, and work orders per lot that cost every pair from real leather use.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A completed work order writes stock movements and a journal; an invoice to a retailer writes the sale, the cost and the tax.
Manufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for footwear makers yet
Better you hear it now than in month two.
- A size and colour matrix. Each size or colour is its own product, or sell a size-less article counted in pairs.
- Job-work dispatch notes for uppers sent out for stitching. Record the job worker's bill as a purchase.
- Export documentation or invoices in a foreign currency. Billing is in your base currency.
- Batch or lot tracking of hides. Leather is tracked by product and warehouse at average cost.
- Partial completion. A work order completes once, so split a large order into several lots.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Import your leather, soles, trims and finished articles from a CSV file, one product per size if you track sizes, then build the BOM for your best-selling article.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which tax rate applies to footwear and leather goods?
Most countries charge their standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate on shoes and bags, some zero-rate children's footwear, and a few set the rate by the price per pair. In SimpleERP each product carries its own rate, so one invoice can mix rates. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Can I keep one article with a size and colour grid?
No. There is no size and colour matrix yet. Create one product per size, such as Oxford black 8, each with its own BOM and stock, or keep a size-less article counted in pairs.
Can I buy leather in square feet and sell in pairs?
Yes. Each product has its own unit, so add sq ft and pair under Units & terms. Leather is bought and consumed in square feet, and the BOM turns it into pairs of the finished article.
We are a 20 person unit. Is this too much software for us?
No. SimpleERP is built for teams of 5 to 50, and every member gets a role that shows only what they need, from Owner to Employee self-service.
We keep our books in an old app and stock in a spreadsheet. How do we move?
Import products with opening stock per warehouse from a CSV file and start invoicing from the first day of a month. Your accountant keeps the old books for earlier periods.
Related
Keep reading
Textiles & garments
Fabric to garment bills of materials, stock by warehouse, invoices with the right tax and payroll.
Read moreManufacturing
BOMs with scrap and cost roll-up, work orders that move stock, and payroll for shop-floor staff.
Read moreWholesale & distribution
Keyboard-first billing, stock across warehouses at average cost, party ledgers and receivables ageing.
Read moreStore & purchase teams
Low stock to purchase order, supplier bills, counts, transfers and work orders.
Read moreWeighted average cost
How weighted average cost values stock and cost of goods sold, with the formula, a worked example and how it compares with FIFO.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.