What software for manufacturers covers
Software for a manufacturer tracks stock, approvals, quotes, job costs and orders from enquiry to delivery. A bespoke system covers the parts your spreadsheets hold today and connects to your accounts package. We build them for UK manufacturers too small for a large ERP, or stuck on one that is too old.
What runs on spreadsheets
- The stock count, kept in a workbook only one person updates.
- Purchase approvals, done by email and sometimes by shouting across the floor.
- Quotes priced from a costing sheet with formulas nobody wants to touch.
- Delivery notes and supplier invoices typed into the accounts by hand.
- Order status, given to customers over the phone after someone walks to the shop floor.
The spreadsheet that became the stock system
We have built an internal stock and approvals tool, and the shape of the problem is common. A system like that records stock where it moves, and holds larger purchases until the right person approves them.
The spreadsheet usually holds the real rules of the business. So we read it first, formula by formula, and the new system keeps the rules while dropping the risk. The method is on spreadsheet to system.
ERP, or something smaller
An ERP does everything. For a single-site manufacturer, that is often the problem.
When a bespoke system fits
- You use a fraction of your ERP and work around the rest.
- The ERP is on an old server and the vendor has stopped updating it.
- Quoting and job costing follow rules no package models.
- Customers keep phoning to ask where their order is.
Many sites, heavy regulation
If you run several plants, need full MRP, or work under strict traceability rules, a proper ERP is worth its licence. A bespoke system can still sit beside it for the parts it does badly.
What goes into one
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Stock | Moves, counts and reorder levels, recorded on a tablet on the floor |
| Approvals | Purchase requests routed to the right person, with a log of who signed |
| Quotes | Priced from materials, labour and your margins, with versions kept |
| Job costing | Actual time and materials against the quote, per job |
| Paperwork | Delivery notes and supplier invoices read by AI and checked by a person |
| Customer portal | Order status and documents, so customers stop phoning |
Services that fit
Spreadsheet to system
Turn the workbook that runs the business into a system with logins and a history.
Read moreDocument processing
Delivery notes and supplier invoices read and posted, with a person checking.
Read moreQuestions from manufacturers
Should we buy an ERP instead?
It depends on size and rules. A multi-site manufacturer with full MRP needs should buy an ERP. A smaller one that uses a fraction of an ERP often does better with a focused system connected to its accounts package.
Can it connect to Sage or Xero?
Yes. Invoices, purchase orders and supplier bills can post to Sage or Xero automatically, so nobody types them in twice.
Can AI read our supplier invoices and delivery notes?
Yes. It reads PDFs and scans, pulls out the lines, and matches them to the purchase order. A person checks anything that doesn't match before it posts.
Will it work on the shop floor?
Yes. It runs in a browser, so it works on a tablet or a cheap PC on the floor. Stock moves and job times can be recorded where the work happens.
Send us the spreadsheet
Book a free initial alignment call. Show us the workbook that runs stock or quoting, and we'll tell you what a system would change and what it wouldn't.