If your team relies on spreadsheets, side systems, manual fixes, or “temporary” processes to get through the day, the issue is not your people. It is the software. Across scrap, recycling, aggregate, and brokerage operations, ERP workarounds have quietly become standard operating procedure. Tickets get adjusted outside the system. Pricing lives in spreadsheets. Inventory is reconciled after the fact. Finance spends more time correcting data than using it.
These ERP workarounds are rarely documented, rarely standardized, and rarely scalable. Yet they keep businesses moving, which is why they persist. Loop ERP was built to replace patchwork systems with workflows designed for how circular economy businesses actually run, so workarounds stop being necessary in the first place.
ERP workarounds are not shortcuts. They are compensations. They occur when the system cannot handle real-world transactions in line with the business's operating model. In circular economy industries, that gap shows up fast.
Fluctuating commodity pricing, regrades, tolling, brokerage transactions, yard activity, and multi-site operations are not edge cases. They are a daily reality. When an ERP cannot support these workflows natively, teams create parallel processes outside the system to fill the gaps. Over time, those ERP workarounds become embedded into how the business runs.
The danger is not that ERP workarounds exist. The danger is that leadership begins to treat them as normal.
ERP workarounds did not appear overnight. They developed because generic ERPs were built to serve as many industries as possible. Circular economy businesses were never the primary use case.
As a result, operators were forced to adapt, bending their processes to fit software that did not understand the industry. The system dictated the workflow, not the other way around.
When software cannot model how the business actually functions, people step in to bridge the gap. They build spreadsheets to track pricing logic. They manage dispatch or ticketing in side tools. They clean up inventory and financials after transactions have already occurred. These ERP workarounds feel practical at first, but they create long-term drag.
What works for one yard, one location, or one finance team stops working as volume, complexity, or regulatory requirements increase.
ERP workarounds often hide their cost. They do not always appear as line items in a budget. Instead, they show up as delays, rework, and risk.
When data lives in multiple places, there is no single source of truth. When that happens, operations and finance operate on different versions of reality. Reports must be questioned. Decisions are made cautiously or postponed altogether.
ERP workarounds also make errors harder to detect. By the time issues surface, invoices may already be sent, payments processed, or compliance reports submitted. Fixing problems late is always more expensive than preventing them early.
Over time, teams spend more effort maintaining workarounds than improving operations. Growth becomes stressful instead of strategic.
Many businesses attempt to solve ERP gaps through customization. On paper, this seems reasonable. In practice, customization often becomes another workaround.
Custom scripts, bolt-ons, and integrations are layered onto systems that still do not understand the industry. Each addition introduces new dependencies, new maintenance requirements, and new points of failure. Instead of eliminating ERP workarounds, customization often formalizes them.
This is why ERP workarounds are not a user training issue. They are a system fit issue. If everyday transactions require manual intervention, the software is misaligned with the business.
Loop ERP takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of starting with a generic ERP and customizing endlessly, Loop was built specifically for circular economy workflows and runs on top of NetSuite’s enterprise-grade foundation.
That foundation matters. It provides scalability, security, and financial rigor. But unlike traditional implementations, Loop layers industry-ready workflows directly into the system. Ticketing, pricing, inventory, settlements, tolling, and brokerage processes are not add-ons. They are native.
Because of this, ERP workarounds are removed before they are needed. Transactions are captured once and flow automatically through operations and finance without rekeying or reconciliation.
When ERP workarounds are eliminated, daily operations change quickly. Yard teams no longer track activity in parallel systems. Pricing updates apply consistently across tickets, settlements, and reporting. Inventory reflects reality, including regrades and adjustments, without end-of-month cleanup.
Most importantly, transactions flow directly from operations to finance. There is no lag between what happens on the ground and what appears in the general ledger.
As a result, finance gains real-time visibility instead of retroactive clarity. Reports can be trusted. Compliance becomes less painful. Leadership can make decisions based on current data, not corrected data.
When people trust the system, they use it. That is when ERP starts delivering value instead of friction.
Many organizations attempt to manage ERP limitations by adding more software. Dispatch tools, pricing engines, reporting platforms, and custom integrations accumulate over time. Each tool solves one problem while introducing another integration to maintain.
Loop ERP replaces that fragmented stack with a unified system where operations and finance live in the same environment. There is no handoff between systems and no delay between operational activity and financial impact.
This consolidation is where ERP workarounds truly disappear. Not because teams are told to stop using spreadsheets, but because spreadsheets are no longer required.
One of the most dangerous aspects of ERP workarounds is how they multiply as businesses grow. New sites, new material types, new pricing structures, and new regulatory requirements expose the fragility of manual processes.
Because Loop ERP is built on NetSuite, it scales without forcing new workarounds. Businesses can expand without rebuilding processes or layering on additional systems. Growth does not require sacrificing control or visibility.
This is especially important for mid-market operators who have outgrown spreadsheets but are wary of bloated enterprise systems that create as many problems as they solve.
ERP workarounds have become so common that many teams assume they are unavoidable. They are not. They are a sign that the system does not fit the work.
Loop ERP was built by people who experienced the frustration of systems that slowed operations instead of supporting them. The goal was not to add more features, but to remove friction.
One login. One system. Total control.
When the ERP fits the job, teams stop fixing software and start running the business.
Contact us to learn how Loop ERP fits your job.
Why are ERP workarounds so common in circular economy businesses?
Because most ERP systems were not designed for fluctuating pricing, regrades, tolling, and yard-level activity, forcing teams to manage critical processes outside the system.
Can ERP workarounds be eliminated without changing systems?
Rarely. Workarounds exist because the system lacks core workflows. Training and customization may reduce friction, but they rarely remove the root cause.
How does Loop ERP eliminate ERP workarounds differently?
Loop ERP includes industry-specific workflows natively and connects operations and finance in one system, removing the need for spreadsheets and side tools.
Is eliminating ERP workarounds realistic for growing companies?
Yes. Because Loop ERP is built on NetSuite, it supports growth without introducing new manual processes or fragmented systems.
What is the earliest sign that ERP workarounds are hurting the business?
When teams spend more time reconciling data and fixing errors than using information to improve decisions.
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