Can anyone recommend simple to use, PC based,affordable software for a
small job shop business (< 5 employees) for tracking orders through
production? Preferably with barcode capability so that each station
can scan the work order router. Could also track inventory, create
POs, etc. and be able to spit everything out into accounting software
for taxes.
Figured some of you would know.
Thanks.
=========Some other considerations are:
* What is the level of worker [people that will be doing the data
entry] computer expertise in your shop?
* What equipment do you have in your shop? For example does each
work station have a computer and you are on a LAN?
* Who is responsible for the server backup if you have a LAN.
With everything on the computer, a disk crash can put you out of
business w/o a back up and spare server.
NB ==> * Perhaps the most important question -- how is your
current system working? Unless you have a working manual system,
computerization is almost impossible as your entire business
database must be created including accounts payable/receivable,
material/tool inventory, op sheets / routers, BOMs, etc. The
time/cost to create and input these records will *GREATLY* exceed
the cost of the computer program and the computers/LAN.
I was once involved (for a while) in a project like this and when
I told the owner what records would need to be created and input
he replied "If I knew all that I wouldn't need the computer." In
the past a drive to "computerize" has put many business out of
business. The acronym GIGO [garbage in - garbage out] is still
fully operational.
Unka' George [George McDuffee]
===========Merchants have no country.
The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment
as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826),
U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.
Good luck! If you are a short run job shop, and ESPECIALLY if you do
repair or emergency
work, you will spend more time fiddling with the computer than making chips.
Been there through a couple of different softwares. Last one was called DCD
Vista.
Great production shop software, sucked for a job shop.
I've known a couple of small manufacturers that used Peachtree, and modified
it to fit.
The small business version of Quicken can handle a lot of it, depends how
detailed
you want.
Do a Google for "Job shop software". 123 MILLION hits. Lots of them
offering free trials.
There is probably the ideal software in there somewhere, I just don't know
what it is.
Easier to keep it manual? Maybe. Depends on how big you want to grow. At
some point
you will probably have to take the plunge. Just hope you don't get buried
in the details.
The last software I messed with would NOT allow me to order anything (even a
special
one time item for a job) without setting it up in the inventory module.
Within 2 years we had
over 9 THOUSAND line items in inventory! What a PITA. Made quarterly
physical
inventory really interesting.
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