Sections and sizes
For a Howrah shop serving fabricators, angles, channels, flats, pipes and sheets each need entering by size rather than generically. That is what makes stock mean something and stops a heavier section being billed at a lighter one's rate. Cement, TMT and the general lines go in alongside, and the small hardware is worth barcoding for counter speed.
An engineering town beside the wholesale market
Howrah's trade sits between two things: the Burrabazar wholesale market across the river, and its own long-standing engineering and fabrication industry. Material dealers here supply workshops, fabricators and construction alike, which means hardware, sections, sheet and consumables move alongside cement and steel.
Fabricators buy differently from builders
A fabricator draws material for a job he will invoice at the end, in many small visits rather than a few large loads. That produces a running account that grows quietly and is settled in one conversation months later. Because the ledger builds itself from the billing, none of those small sales need entering twice, and a statement at month end settles the account while both sides still remember the job.
Sections, sizes and the item list
Angles, channels, flats, pipes and sheets each come in a range of sizes, and treating them as generic items is why stock in this trade so often means nothing. Each size as its own item with its own rate and stock makes both the bill and the reorder list usable, and it stops the margin error of billing a heavier section at a lighter section's price.
Free on-site setup
Howrah is inside our Kolkata coverage, so on-site setup is free — someone comes to the shop, loads your items and parties, sets your bill format and stays until you have raised a real invoice. Support afterwards is in Hindi, English or Bengali on phone and WhatsApp.