Finding software can be overwhelming. We've helped thousands of discrete manufacturers choose the right manufacturing software so they can optimize production quality and manage resources.
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Fishbowl Manufacturing is a business automation and inventory management platform for small to midsize manufacturing companies. The app offers QuickBooks integration for accounting management, as well as tools for inventory control,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
Business Size:
NetSuite Manufacturing Edition offers an integrated inventory, warehouse management, accounting and financial management, order management, customer relationship management (CRM), and e-commerce platform. Offered as a cloud-based solution... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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E2 by Shoptech Corporation is a manufacturing solution that offers scheduling, purchasing, shipping, customer management and accounting. It’s designed specifically for job shops, contract and a variety of make-to-order manufacturers. E2... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Global Shop Solutions offers ERP software to serve clients across manufacturing industries of all sizes. The multi-modular application is comprised of independent modules for customer relationship management, inventory management,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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JobBOSS Shop Management Solutions, an ECi Software Solutions company, is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution built for small and midsize manufacturers in North America. It allows key office and production staff to manage... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Intellect eQMS is a configurable cloud-based enterprise quality management solution that helps organizations across various industries to manage the quality and compliance of critical business procedures. Features include document... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Prodsmart is a cloud-based real-time production tracking and management solution designed for businesses in the manufacturing and fabrication industries. Features include shop floor real-time data collection, production analysis,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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DELMIAworks (formerly IQMS) ERP is developed specifically for SMB and large discrete and batch process manufacturers in the aerospace, medical device, automotive, food and beverage, consumer products, plastics, packaging, and electronics... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Infor VISUAL is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System with end-to-end functionality built for manufacturing organizations looking for a complete solution that supports the entire operational lifecycle, from planning to sourcing,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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KeyedIn Manufacturing is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution specifically designed for custom, make-to-order and mixed-mode manufacturers. The solution offers manufacturers a solution that can be customized to... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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ECi M1 is a subscription-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, available on-premise or via the cloud, that automates financials, inventory, production, sales/quoting and production planning. The solution is suitable for... Read more
Platforms: Win
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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QT9 ERP is a highly-scalable manufacturing platform for connecting and automating business data from multiple systems into one scalable and intuitive solution. QT9 ERP integrates inventory management, accounting management, sales management,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Aptean Industrial Manufacturing
Aptean Industrial Manufacturing is designed for manufacturers in job shops and dynamic “to-order” and mixed-mode environments. It's suitable for SMB manufacturers in industries like industrial equipment, electronics and fabricated... Read more
Platforms: Win
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Katana is a modern manufacturing & inventory management software for small and scaling businesses. Its visual interface and smart real-time master planning allow manufacturers to get an overview of the entire business from one centralized... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Henning Software has helped small to midsize manufacturers and job shops for 30 years. Visual EstiTrack ERP has complete material requirements planning, product lifecycle, supply chain, customer relationship, human resource and manufacturing... Read more
Platforms: Win
Deployments: On premise
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Datacor ERP (formerly Chempax) is an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) application designed specifically for chemical process manufacturers and distributors. The solution can be... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Vicinity Software is a cloud-based or on-premise solution designed for process manufacturers with a specific focus on food & beverage (VicinityFood), chemical (VicinityChem) and breweries (VicinityBrew). Features include MRP, centralized... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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ERPAG is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It is suitable for small and midsize businesses in various industries, including automobile, retail, education, information technology and more. Primary features include... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Quick Base is an application development platform that enables people to build business applications without coding. The platform is cloud-based and accessible on any browser or mobile device. Users can build apps on Quick Base by... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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2021 Discrete Manufacturing Software Pricing Guide
Learn about the key aspects of accurate software pricing before you make your purchase decision.
Includes:
Pricing models & ranges
Unexpected costs
Pricing of popular systems
Discrete manufacturing is a commonly used term in manufacturing that refers to a final product which can be divided up into its raw components. For example, in an automobile, each component can be separated, touched and seen. By contrast, in process manufacturing it isn’t possible to get the raw ingredients out of the final product. An example of process manufacturing is medications produced by pharmaceutical companies.
This guide is intended to help those who are looking for a software solution that will make the discrete manufacturing process more streamlined for their organization. Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Is Discrete Manufacturing Software?
Common Features of Discrete Manufacturing Software
Benefits of Discrete Manufacturing Software
What Is Discrete Manufacturing Software?
Discrete manufacturing systems are designed to give organizations better control of and visibility into the manufacturing process. Discrete manufacturers focus on reducing costs by limiting waste and reducing the time to produce. A typical system will implement a lean manufacturing philosophy, matching the inflow of parts, materials and subassemblies with the production of finished goods.
The key modules for discrete manufacturers are inventory (including purchasing and receiving), accounts receivable and customer relationship management (CRM), with a special emphasis on process control. Manufacturers of discrete goods can choose to implement a full enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or select best-of-breed components to integrate with their accounting system. Firms with automated shop floors will be interested in incorporating manufacturing execution systems (MES). Integration with project management is available on some manufacturing systems as well.
For most manufacturers of discrete goods, general ledger and accounts payable are standard. Payroll is standard, but some companies have bonus pay and overtime that must be charged against specific projects or products.
On-premises installations are the norm for discrete manufacturing software, but cloud-based options exist. The key driver of cloud-based installations is the existing information technology (IT) capabilities of the company, usually based on the complexity of the shop floor technology and integration.
Common Features of Discrete Manufacturing Software
In evaluating software, discrete manufacturers should consider the following functions to meet their unique requirements:
| Supply chain management | Discrete manufacturers need transparency into suppliers’ systems. Order status, supplier inventory, current pricing, order entry and payment can all be integrated between supplier and manufacturer. |
| Make/buy reporting | Products require subassemblies. Make/buy reporting applies job estimating to subassemblies to see if it is more profitable to make or buy components. Advanced systems will factor in time to build or buy, as well as the cost. |
| Process planning reporting | In order to estimate and track jobs, the process for each step of fabrication must be planned and documented. The process of planning reports tracks the development of the process plan for each product. |
| Material supplier planning | Part of the make/buy process, material supplier planning assigns a bill of materials to each subassembly. This also allows make/buy decisions to be based on current market prices for material and labor for each product and production run. |
| Component substitution | If a preferred component is not available, the inventory system should provide any alternative components. The production runs with alternative components should be tracked for recall management. |
| Bill of materials (BOM) management | The system should create BOMs directly from orders. It should allow revisions to the BOM to provide additional levels of detail. In advanced systems, a conceptual BOM is used as part of the process to develop a quote or new product. |
| Workload planning | As part of the manufacturing planning process, shop floor managers can adjust the workloads of employees and machines. Managers can use this feature to leverage the most expensive equipment to depreciate or minimize usage of the most expensive to run. Managers can also manage workloads of shop workers, taking into account workers’ preferences. |
| Engineering change management | The system should track engineering changes and their impact on time and cost per unit. It should also be easy to enter the changes into the system so that the adjustments can flow to other products and the overall production schedule. |
| Serial number management | If the products are serialized, the serial numbers must be managed. Numbers must be linked to specific products, including any variations, such as color options. Serial numbers must be tied to production runs as part of recall management. |
| Certified design management | If the manufacturer produces certified products, the system should provide compliance reports for the certification authority. It should also enforce the stipulations of the certification, such as no component substitutions or no changes in software. |
| Recall management | The system should support product recalls by identifying which runs are affected and which customers received them. |
Benefits of Discrete Manufacturing Software
Manufacturing businesses can see a variety of benefits with the implementation of discrete manufacturing software. Some of these benefits include:
- Creation of a collaborative environment in the organization. Discrete manufacturing tools allow for a collaborative environment that lets employees share information seamlessly with both internal and external stakeholders. They can retrieve a graphical view of processes and workflows that help in sharing and adopting best practices within the organization. Finance and other teams can also access the accurate costs of products and detailed reports once the software is integrated with other applications in use.
- Improved customer service. Integrating CRM functions with discrete manufacturing software allows users to generate a consolidated view of their customer information. Users can quickly access the order status, product details and progress report. This information helps users provide after-sales service by monitoring the equipment delivered to its customers. Businesses can further expand their customer base by sending competitive quotes and delivering customized products.
- Better visibility of work in progress. Users get up-to-date information of all product orders, which helps them plan their workflows more effectively. The software helps managers determine whether the order will be finished and delivered within the stipulated time frame. This feature helps floor managers take corrective actions and expedite the work on orders with the nearest deadlines.
- Increased efficiency. Discrete manufacturers require data about their providers, transportation expenses, the market demand and competitors. An efficient solution provides a consolidated view of data in a single platform, giving full visibility into all processes. Management can also use this real-time data to make better decisions.