I have been working in collaboration with a lot of small jobbing shops in Adelaide, South Australia and they all have the same problem that none of them effectively manage their quotation and manufacturing processes. Most of them try to utilise accounting software such as MYOB and Xero, which then creates a mountain of paper work to track and manage their jobs and orders which then leads them into using no system, so everything becomes verbal and leads to poor quality and late deliveries when orders increase.
I am seeking advice from similar manufacturers that do high mix low volume jobbing type work to find out what software solutions they use. Most businesses that do this type of work typically have 3 – 10 employees and work on tight budgets so I am looking for solutions that are user friendly and affordable as I have used systems like ECi M1 which are great for larger businesses but a little complex for smaller owner operator businesses. The ideal solution would be able to create quotations for multiple quantities of the same item, then turn the quote into a job traveller for the shop floor with trackable purchase orders and labour against the job. I have looked at a lot of the add-on programs for Xero and MYOB but they all appear to be aimed at trade-based services and jobbing shops.
I am seeking advice from similar manufacturers that do high mix low volume jobbing type work to find out what software solutions they use. Most businesses that do this type of work typically have 3 – 10 employees and work on tight budgets so I am looking for solutions that are user friendly and affordable as I have used systems like ECi M1 which are great for larger businesses but a little complex for smaller owner operator businesses. The ideal solution would be able to create quotations for multiple quantities of the same item, then turn the quote into a job traveller for the shop floor with trackable purchase orders and labour against the job. I have looked at a lot of the add-on programs for Xero and MYOB but they all appear to be aimed at trade-based services and jobbing shops.