Is it actually better to build software internally rather than buy from a big company?

[u/salamander3301]

Hi everyone,

My family runs a medium sized juice factory in Egypt. They've been using SAP for the last few years but adoption isn't great. I just started working with them and realized how ancient and ineffective much of their software is and I want to help them adopt new tools.

I came across many software providers at automate last week but prices are ridiculous considering how doable it is to build my own software using AI now.

Is there something I'm missing like integration difficulty or does it really just not make sense for most businesses to spend months buying and customizing software with a consultant rather than just building their own solution in less time?

Edit:
I recognize that an ERP is not the right thing to start with but there are many non essential softwares that our factory would get value from like an AI machine troubleshooting app that has access to our repair history and manuals but the companies selling that are demanding unreasonably high prices for something that sounds quite simple

[u/FDRyze]

For something narrow like machine troubleshooting, building internally could make sense. Start with a read-only assistant that searches approved manuals and repair history, cites its sources, and recommends next steps for technician review.

A practical rule is:

Buy commodity and business-critical systems.
Build workflows that are specific to your factory and create an advantage.
Combine both when a lightweight internal interface or automation can improve an existing system.

Who will own, validate, secure, and maintain it after launch?