Auto parts and workshops
Inventory software for spare parts shops and workshops
Know how many brake shoes are on the counter, how many litres of oil the workshop store holds, and which fast movers are below their level before Saturday's rush.
In short
SimpleERP is inventory software for spare parts shops and two-wheeler workshops in India. Each part number is a SKU, stock is kept by counter, godown and workshop store, and every bill and invoice moves the count at weighted average cost.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
An inventory day at Kaveri Two Wheeler Spares
Kaveri Two Wheeler Spares carries about 3,800 part numbers across three places: the front counter, a back godown stacked with cartons from the distributor, and a small store inside the workshop where the mechanics pick oil, filters and brake shoes for the bikes on the ramps.
The trouble was never the slow parts. It was the clutch cable for the most common commuter bike running out on a Friday while twenty sat in the godown, and the workshop using six litres of engine oil that nobody moved off the counter's count.
Now each place is a warehouse in SimpleERP. A transfer moves twenty cables from the godown to the counter, the workshop's service bills draw from the workshop store, and the stock list shows on-hand by place at weighted average cost.
How should a spares shop set up units, places and reorder levels?
Group parts by how they sell, not by brand. Fast movers get a reorder level close to a week's sales; slow parts get a level of one or two, or none at all.
- Units such as piece, set and litre are seeded; add pair once in settings.
- Categories by model or system (brakes, electricals, transmission) filter the stock list.
| Product family | Unit | Kept at | Reorder pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake shoes and clutch plates | pair, set | Counter and workshop store | Level of 30 pairs on the commuter models, checked every Monday |
| Clutch and accelerator cables | pieces | Godown, topped up on the counter | Level of 20 pieces per model; transfer before the weekend |
| Engine oil and gear oil | litres (per can as pieces) | Godown and workshop store | Level of 48 cans; ordered by the carton from the oil distributor |
| Chain sprocket kits | set | Godown | Level of 10 sets per model |
| Bulbs, fuses, spark plugs | pieces | Counter drawers | Level of 50; one order a fortnight |
| Body panels and mirrors | pieces | Godown | No level; ordered against a customer's request |
Why does the count change only through documents?
Because a quantity typed over the old one hides what happened. In SimpleERP the distributor's bill raises stock, the invoice lowers it, a transfer moves it between godown and counter, and a count corrects it with a reason. Each movement links to the document that caused it.
- Movement ledger per part number, with date, document, warehouse and running quantity.
- Transfers from the godown to the counter or the workshop store, one document per move.
- Physical count at month end; the difference posts to the books with the reason you give.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
How do I know what to order from the distributor?
Every part at or below its reorder level appears on the low-stock list. Pick the lines, and SimpleERP drafts purchase orders grouped by the supplier you last bought from, received into the warehouse you name when the cartons arrive.
- Purchase orders that track ordered, billed and still to come for each part.
- Supplier bill brings the parts in at its cost, so the average cost moves with the price rise.
What is my parts stock worth today?
Each part number is counted per warehouse and carries one weighted average cost across the business. If Kaveri bought forty brake shoe pairs at ₹180 and then forty at ₹196, the next pair sold costs ₹188, and the margin on the counter bill uses that figure.
- Stock value by warehouse for the bank's stock statement or your own review.
- Sales by product with margin, so you see which spares carry the shop.
One system
Where stock comes from and goes to
Purchase bills bring parts in, service bills and counter invoices take them out, and each movement posts its value to the books.
Auto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, invoices that mix parts and labour, and garage credit with ageing.
See howGST billing for spares shops
Counter bills and workshop service bills that carry spare parts by HSN and labour charges by SAC on one GST invoice.
See howAccounting for workshops
Books that write themselves from service bills and distributor bills, with garage and fleet credit in an ageing report.
See howPayroll for mechanics
Monthly salaries for mechanics, helpers and counter staff from attendance, with incentives and recovered advances on the payslip.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- No batch, lot, serial or expiry tracking, and no barcode scanning
- Weighted average cost only; there is no FIFO
- No automatic reorder suggestions: the reorder level shows what is low, you decide what to buy
- No rack or bin locations inside a warehouse; keep the rack number in the category or product name
- No superseded or alternate part number linking beyond the one barcode field
Getting started
Start with inventory
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Add products and opening stock
Export your parts list to CSV with part number as SKU, unit, HSN, reorder level and opening stock for the counter, godown and workshop store, then run the dry-run import.
Post a bill and an invoice
Stock rises on the purchase bill and falls on the invoice, at weighted average cost, with nothing to count by hand.
FAQ
Questions, answered
I have nearly 4,000 part numbers. Do I type them in?
No. Put them in a CSV file with part number, name, unit, HSN, GST rate, prices and opening stock, and import it. The dry run lists every bad row, such as a duplicate part number, before anything is saved.
Can the workshop store be separate from the counter?
Yes. Make the counter, the godown and the workshop store separate warehouses. Service bills issue from the workshop store, counter invoices from the counter, and a transfer moves parts between them with a record of who moved what.
The same part has the maker's number and the distributor's number. What do I do?
Use the maker's part number as the SKU and the second number as the barcode. Typing either one on an invoice line or in the product list finds the part, and neither can be entered twice.
Will it remind me when a part runs low?
It shows you rather than reminding you. Every part at or below its reorder level is on the low-stock list, which you open before calling the distributor. There are no pushed messages and no automatic order suggestions.
Related
Keep reading
Auto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, invoices that mix parts and labour, and garage credit with ageing.
Read moreGST billing for spares shops
Counter bills and workshop service bills that carry spare parts by HSN and labour charges by SAC on one GST invoice.
Read moreAccounting for workshops
Books that write themselves from service bills and distributor bills, with garage and fleet credit in an ageing report.
Read more
See how inventory works in SimpleERP for auto parts and workshops
Seven days free. No card. Your first GST invoice in minutes.