# Production tracking for a garment unit with 20 to 60 karigars in India, without an ERP (2026)

> For CMT and own-label garment units: job cards, Excel, WhatsApp groups, billing apps, garment ERPs and a chat assistant compared by what each asks of the supervisor.

Source: https://kyrra.in/guides/garment-production-tracking-without-erp/ · By Kyrra · Published 2026-11-10 · Updated 2026-11-11

A CMT or own-label garment unit in India with 20 to 60 karigars can track production without an ERP if one thing happens every day: each order’s stage is recorded as it moves. Paper job cards and a sheet do it when one person updates them. A garment ERP does it when office staff scan or type every bundle. If your supervisors and masters won’t type, a chat assistant like Kyrra keeps each order’s stage from a photo of the job card and a voice note.

We make Kyrra, so read this with that in mind. Your team uses Kyrra on WhatsApp, on the phones they already have.

## How should a garment unit choose?

1. **What does the supervisor have to do each day?** This decides whether a tool lives or dies.
2. **Can you see each order’s stage without walking the floor?** Cutting, stitching, finishing, packing, dispatch.
3. **What happens when counts don’t match?** 150 cut and 144 stitched should be asked about that day.
4. **Does it work in the floor’s language?** Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati.
5. **Does it keep accounts out of it?** If you already have Tally or a billing app, don’t pay twice for books.

## How do the options compare?

| Option | Good at | What the supervisor does daily | Suits | Doesn’t suit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper job cards and the master’s memory | No cost | Writes on the card, answers calls | Under 20 karigars in one room | Lost cards, more than one master |
| Excel or Google Sheets | Order lists and due dates | Types each stage at day’s end | A unit with a clerk who owns the sheet | A busy floor |
| WhatsApp group | Quick photos and voice notes | Posts updates in the group | Small teams | Finding last week’s update |
| Billing apps, such as Vyapar, Zoho or BUSY | Invoices, stock and accounts | Nothing on the floor | Billing and GST | Stage of each order |
| Garment ERP or production software | Bundle tracking, reports | Scans or types each bundle | Units with office staff and discipline | Floors where nobody types |
| A chat assistant, such as Kyrra | Each order’s stage from photos and voice notes | Sends a voice note per stage | Units where every answer is “ask the master” | Units whose ERP is kept current |

Vyapar is a billing and inventory app for small businesses in India. Zoho offers a large set of business apps, including Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory. BUSY is Indian accounting and inventory software. They are the right place for bills and stock. They don’t know which order is stuck at finishing unless someone types it.

## What changes with size?

- **Under 20 karigars, one room:** a job card and a group may be enough. The owner sees the floor.
- **20 to 60 karigars, two or three masters:** the stage of each order stops fitting in one head. This is where a sheet goes stale and a group scrolls past.
- **Above that, with office staff:** an ERP or production software starts to pay, if people will type or scan every day.

## How does tracking work on chat?

1. When an order is cut, the supervisor sends a photo of the job card. Kyrra reads the order, item, quantity and due date.
2. At each stage, the master sends a voice note: “214 ki silai ho gayi, 120 piece” (stitching for 214 is done, 120 pieces). Kyrra moves the order to that stage and replies in the same language.
3. If 120 were stitched where 150 were cut, Kyrra saves what is clear and asks which is right.
4. The owner asks “what’s due Friday and not in finishing?” or gets a summary at 6 pm.

More in [how to track job cards on chat](/guides/track-job-cards-on-chat/).

## Where does Kyrra fit?

Kyrra (kyrra.in) fits a unit where orders are tracked by calling the master. Keep Tally or your billing app for invoices and GST; your existing sheets come in from Excel and CSV files, photos and PDFs. Routine updates are saved at once; important or unusual changes wait for one tap from the right person.

## How do I start?

We visit your unit, follow an order from cutting to dispatch and bring your current orders in. The owner finishes setup in a few chat messages. For pricing, [book a call](https://cal.com/mantrakp/30min). See the [shortlist for manufacturing units](/guides/best-tools-family-run-manufacturing-unit-india/) and [about Kyrra](/about/).

## Questions owners ask

### How can a small garment unit track production without an ERP?

Track each order’s stage, from cutting to stitching, finishing, packing and dispatch, as it moves. Paper job cards and a sheet work if someone updates them daily. If nobody will, a photo of the job card and a voice note at each stage, sent to Kyrra, keeps the stage on record.

### Do I need garment ERP software?

If you have office staff who will scan or type every bundle, a garment ERP gives you control and reports. If the floor won’t type, the ERP shows what was true last week. Choose by who will put the updates in every day.

### What is the cheapest way to track garment orders?

A paper job card per order and a sheet the owner checks. It costs nothing but someone’s time, and it breaks when the card is lost or the sheet isn’t updated. For Kyrra’s pricing, book a call at https://cal.com/mantrakp/30min.

### Can Kyrra read our job cards?

Yes. Send a photo of the job card and Kyrra reads the order number, item, quantity and due date, and asks when something is smudged or unclear.

### Does Kyrra replace Tally or our billing app?

Keep Tally or your billing app for invoices, GST and accounts. Kyrra works alongside them and keeps the floor’s record and the follow-ups that happen on chat.

### Is Kyrra ready for garment units?

Kyrra (kyrra.in) is live in India, and we set each unit up in person: we visit, follow an order through your floor and bring your registers in.