ERP system development with Laravel

In short: An ERP system brings a company’s processes — orders, stock, customers, contracts, invoices and service — together in one place. If off-the-shelf solutions do not match the company’s processes, an ERP can be developed from scratch. The article describes the architecture of such a system: Laravel as the foundation of the system, Vue.js for the interactive interface and Statamic for content management, connected via a REST API.

Today, off-the-shelf programs are often no longer enough for companies.
They need a system that works exactly according to their rules — with products, contracts, the warehouse, invoices, customers and service in one place.
That is exactly the purpose of an ERP. And when you need something truly customised, ERP system development comes to the rescue.

In this article I will describe how we built a large, custom ERP solution using Laravel, Vue.js and Statamic — and why it was worth it.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) means a system for managing a company’s resources.
Put simply, it is a program that brings all of a company’s processes together:
from orders and stock to customer data, contracts, invoices and accounting.

An ERP system is like the company’s brain — everything happens in one place, in an organised and automated way.
Without it, everyone works in their own file, spreadsheet or email, and chaos follows.
With an ERP — all data is connected, and you see the full picture.

Off-the-shelf solutions such as Odoo, SAP Business One or Microsoft Dynamics are good, but they are not tailored to a specific company.
That is why it is sometimes more cost-effective not to try to “patch” an off-the-shelf product but to program a system around your own company’s needs.

That is exactly what we did in this project — full ERP system development from scratch with Laravel.

We worked on this system for 5 years, at a total cost of about 500,000 euros.
The client now rents out this solution to other companies — so it is not only a tool but also a source of income.

Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks.
You can think of it as the foundation on which the “house” — the ERP system — is built.

Laravel is secure, fast and highly customisable. It supports REST APIs, which make it possible to connect different systems — for example, the ERP, an online store and external services.
All the data, users, permissions and modules were built in Laravel.

The ERP system had a connected online store where customers saw their products, prices and discounts and could place orders.
The front end was built with Vue.js — a JavaScript framework that makes pages fast and interactive.
Everything happens in real time, without unnecessary reloading, like a modern web application.

The rest of the website’s pages (for example, information, documentation, help) were built with Statamic – a content management system (CMS) that is also based on Laravel.
Statamic is similar to WordPress, but:

This way the whole system – the ERP, the store and the pages – works in one ecosystem.

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  it is lighter and more secure,

  
  
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  by default it stores content in files rather than in a database,

  
  
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  and it allows full integration with Laravel.

  
  

In short – all of the company’s work in one system.
Here are a few examples to give a sense of the scale.

Customer module

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  automatically retrieves data from the Register of Enterprises,

  
  
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  fills in fields (name, address, registration number) without human intervention.

  
  

Product catalogue and recipes

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  components can be added to each product and the cost of goods calculated,

  
  
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  the system automatically shows them in the store front end with images.

  
  

Service module

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  a calendar with maintenance schedules,

  
  
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  automatic reminders,

  
  
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  assigning tasks to service staff.

  
  

Contracts module

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  registers contracts, end dates and reminders,

  
  
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  the system itself warns when a contract is ending or needs renewing.

  
  

Invoicing module

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  generates invoices automatically,

  
  
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  payment terms can be adjusted,

  
  
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  invoices can be sent every month or every two weeks.

  
  

Statistics module

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  shows the most popular products,

  
  
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  you see what each customer buys,

  
  
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  if you see a lot in stock, you can offer it to the customer who has bought it most often.

  
  

So the system not only collects data but also helps make decisions.

Courier module

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  shows when and to whom a delivery was handed over,

  
  
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  the status “completed” or “pending” is visible straight away.

  
  

User roles and access

Each user has their own role and rights.
A manager sees the sales data, while employees see only their own modules.
The system also allows a personalised home dashboard to be created — for each person according to their roles.

Much more can be added to a system like this:

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  a time tracking module,

  
  
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  an internal chat,

  
  
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  a notifications panel,

  
  
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  a news feed so that the manager can announce important things to all employees.

  
  

Under the “admin” part there is also full user management, permissions and a security system.

ERP system development is a serious process.
In our case — 5 years of work, with a total cost of ~ 500,000 €.

However:

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  a basic version with core functions starts at 100,000–150,000 €,

  
  
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  extended systems with automations and modules usually cost more.

  
  

It is a long-term investment that pays off, because a system like this can become the company’s own product — as in this case, where the client now rents it out to others.

The whole system works via a REST API that connects Laravel, Statamic, Vue.js and other external platforms.

A REST API is like a bridge between different systems – it lets them exchange data:

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  the ERP sends products to the store,

  
  
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  the store returns orders,

  
  
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  and everything happens automatically without manual intervention.

  
  

Without a REST API, such a large project would simply not be possible.

The result — one platform where everything happens automatically: orders, the warehouse, contracts, invoices, service and communication.

ERP system development is an investment that can pay off through efficiency and time savings.
A system built with Laravel provides a stable foundation, Vue.js provides a fast and convenient interface, and Statamic lets you manage content without unnecessary technical worries.

If you also need ERP system development, get in touch with us!

Related: Business system development (CRM, ERP, integrations) · What an ERP system is and how it differs from a CRM · CRM development with Laravel.