Manufacturing organizations can use software to streamline inventory management, production scheduling, employee management, and so much more. Here are some of the very examples.
With high percentages of deskless workers, manufacturers need to transition into the digital era to keep up with the times.
Sure, you might already have approaches to inventory management, material cost estimating, and ordering. They’re tried and tested, and they work. But there are always simpler ways to run these areas of your business.
Manufacturing management software streamlines every corner of your manufacturing team’s day-to-day. While some are more focused on the admin side of things, others place a stronger emphasis on employee management.
Read on to learn more about the best manufacturing management solutions. They could help you reduce labor costs, save time and make production run smoother.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one manufacturing management software
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Good for procure management
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Good for controlling labor costs
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What to Look For in a Manufacturing Management Software Solution
When choosing your ideal manufacturing software, you should consider the following important features that they typically include. These are:
- Inventory management: You need a solution that allows you to track the movement and availability of materials and production in order to control inventory.
- Bills of material: With this kind of software, you should be able to calculate raw material and production costs by generating automatic billing assessments of all necessary parts and components.
- Production scheduling: Build schedules and allocate jobs to machinery depending on material availability, capacity, employee workload, etc.
- Order management: Easily process orders being placed by vendors and customers and make sure that product amounts are readily available.
Let’s take a look at the highest ranking manufacturing management systems that include these capabilities, and other employee management features that could make a huge difference to your organization.
The 10 Best Manufacturing Management Software Solutions of 2024
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Connecteam —
Connecteam is the best manufacturing software as it offers an all-on-one mobile-first solution to efficiently manage your organization from anywhere. It’s easy to use (even if your team isn’t so tech-savvy), has the best customer support around, can scale with your company, offers various features, and is highly affordable. Win!
Manufacturing companies who use Connecteam on a day-to-day basis told us about the main benefits of Connecteam to their business. From automating tasks to accurately pulling timesheets for payroll (that integrates with QuickBooks Online and Gusto) to enhancing engagement and building a more efficient scheduling and dispatching process. And that’s just scratching the surface.
Key Features
Crew can send reports in real-time, on the go to the relevant office or supervisor for further evaluation and response
All safety protocols, tips, and resources available via the library
Assign shifts based on different locations & customer base
Individual or team shifts
Pros
Easy to use, minimal training required
Helpful customer support with high availability
Desktop and mobile access
Cons
Small Business Plan limited to 10 users
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
No strings attached - No credit card required
Try Connecteam Now -
NetSuite — Good for: Procurement Management
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
NetSuite’s manufacturing cloud ERP is a robust solution that keeps the modern manufacturer in sync. The software is agile so it can support your business needs as no two companies are the same. In addition, it offers a global ERP to support you from anywhere and caters to various manufacturing businesses, from consumer goods to medical devices.
Key Features
- CRM
- Supply chain management
- Order management
- Planning,scheduling, and procurement
Pros
- All inclusive software
- Process automation
Cons
- Long implementation time
- Many unexpected errors
Pricing
Starts at $99/user/month Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Global Shop Solutions — Good for: Controlling Labor Costs
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Global Shop Solutions is a family-owned ERP system company. This particular solution focuses on heavier industries, including machine building, aerospace, plastics, rubber, wood manufacturing, and more. You are able to mix and match tools to suit your business needs.
Key Features
- CAD interface
- Inventory
- Shop floor management
- Quality control
Pros
- Great customer support
- Detailed & truly integrated
Cons
- No help center or troubleshooting
- Some features lack updates
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Prodsmart — Good for: Boosting productivity
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Prodsmart is a leading manufacturing execution system software (MES) and its goal is to connect machines, people, and processes. It makes it easy to keep an eye on processes from order to shipping so you can focus on larger, big-picture tasks. Scheduling is a big help, as it focuses on teams, machines and materials.
Key Features
- Real-time data and reports
- Visualize workflows
- Planning and manufacturing resource planning (MRP)
- Scheduling and time tracking
Pros
- Useful database and mobile app
- Robust features
Cons
- Doesn’t support offline work
- Lacks several features
Pricing
Starts at $9925/year Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Hubstaff — Good for: Keeping production on time
Manage projects and maximize efficiency with your workers when you sign up for Hubstaff. Hubstaff is available on desktop and any mobile device so you can streamline operations. This GPS time tracking app allows you to track and automate payroll in just a few clicks so you have total transparency on time spent on jobs and projects.
Key Features
- GPS time tracking
- Automated payroll
- Project and budget management
- Job scheduling with alerts for missed, late or abandoned shifts
Pros
- Great for remote work
- Good reporting functions
Cons
- Inaccurate productivity metrics
- Limited granularity in certain features
Pricing
Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: Yes — For one user only
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Fishbowl — Good for: Inventory management
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
Fishbowl Manufacturing is an ERP solution that is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. With Fishbowl, you can handle advanced work orders, manufacture orders, bills of materials, and other tools needed to maximize efficiency in the production process. From simple or more complex manufacturing needs, Fishbowl Manufacturing has the features available.
Key Features
- Automated custom, batch, and repair work orders
- Work order instructions
- Lot tracking and serial number tracking in work orders
- Multilevel bill of materials
Pros
- In-depth analysis
- Responsive customer support
Cons
- No automatic materials planning
- UI is difficult to navigate
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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JobBOSS — Good for: Quote processing
Available on
- Web
- Windows
JobBOSS is an ERP platform that offers many features for any manufacturing team size. The features available are all made to increase process efficiency and save time.
Key Features
- Order processing
- Inventory management
- Cost analysis
- Optional add-ons: quality control, scheduling, and accounting
Pros
- Full 360 solution
- User-friendly software
Cons
- Severe legacy issues
- Inconvenient employee clock-in
Pricing
Starts at $70/user/month Trial: No Free Plan: No
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uniPoint — Good for: Compliance management
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
uniPoint is actually a frontrunner in the field of quality management software for manufacturing companies. It offers ERP-integrated QMS that works well in industries like medical, food and beverage, automotive, chemical, and so on. UniPoint’s diverse tools are spread amongst three modules: core, add-on, and web, all of these can help your company automate quality control.
Key Features
- Corrective and preventive action
- Document control
- Ensure compliance
- Add-on modules: inspection, auditing, health & safety, validation
Pros
- Great value for money
- Simple to learn and implement
Cons
- Document module lacks capabilities
- Limited data extraction
Pricing
Starts at $6000/year Trial: No Free Plan: No
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DEAR Systems — Good for: Material billing generation
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
With DEAR Systems, you have a 360-degree view of all of your production costs and inventory so that making business decisions is more strategic. You can look into matters like pricing strategies or loss reduction practices. Plus, you can estimate costs, address production issues, and more is possible on this Cloud ERP software.
Key Features
- Wastage and scrap treatment
- Estimated manufacturing costs
- Job costing
- Barcode scanning
Pros
- Good onboarding & support
- Simple to understand
Cons
- Under-developed fulfillment module
- Limited functionality
Pricing
Starts at $325/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
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Fulcrum — Good for: Production tracking
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
With Fulcrum, you are able to rely on data to make smart business decisions, can schedule your staff, have access to live production tracking, workflows, and purchasing capabilities. All of this is designed so you can focus on what matters instead of drowning in mundane tasks of running your company.
Key Features
- Quoting
- Scheduling
- Job costing
- Inventory
Pros
- On-demand tech support
- Easy ERP integration
Cons
- Slow load time
- UX has room for improvement
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Manufacturing Management Software Solutions
| Topic |
Start for free
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| Reviews |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Starts at $99/user/month
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $9925/year
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Starts at $4.99/user/month, 2 users minimum
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Contact vendor for price
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Starts at $70/user/month
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Starts at $6000/year
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Starts at $325/month
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Contact vendor for price
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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no
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no
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yes
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yes
14-day
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yes
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no
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no
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yes
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yes
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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no
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no
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no
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yes
For one user only
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no
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no
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no
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no
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no
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| Use cases |
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Good for: Procurement Management
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Good for: Controlling Labor Costs
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Good for: Boosting productivity
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Good for: Keeping production on time
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Good for: Inventory management
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Good for: Quote processing
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Good for: Compliance management
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Good for: Material billing generation
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Good for: Production tracking
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| Available on |
Web, iOS, Android
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, iOS, Android
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, Windows
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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Web, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac
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What Is Manufacturing Management Software?
Manufacturing management software is one of the many examples of enterprise resource planning software, otherwise known as ERP. These digital solutions make typical manufacturing business operations more streamlined and automated. These include stock management, production planning, task management, budgeting, billing, and invoicing, to name a few.
One of the goals of manufacturing management software is to maintain quality production with the least amount of repetitive tasks. This kind of software is best suited to small-to-medium-size manufacturing businesses.
How Does Manufacturing Management Software Work?
Many manufacturing software solutions are primarily operated by the business owner or manager via an admin dashboard on their laptops. This can either be web-based or supported through Windows or Mac.
Through this, admins are able to manage their inventory, calculate material costs, manage orders, and schedule production in an organized way. Other functions can include the ability to communicate directly with employees, track their time, schedule shifts, and manage day-to-day tasks.
On the employees’ end, they may have access to a mobile app version of the software, in which they are able to interact with upper management and other team members, fill in digital forms, and clock in and out.
The Benefits of Manufacturing Management Software
While there are many, we have narrowed down some of the most common benefits that come with using manufacturing management software:
- Improves product management: With manufacturing software, quality control is a lot easier to implement, improving the quality of products in the process. This kind of software usually includes features to detect manufacturing product defects and show where they occurred. This makes it easier to fix specific issues.
- Saves time: With real-time reporting features, you can detect problems in equipment, preventing any damage or lag time along the way. Time-consuming tasks such as information dissemination and data entry are no longer required and employees can be more efficient in their jobs.
- Speeds up production: With manufacturing software, you can build drag-and-drop schedules and production calendars, giving you a clearer idea of production time estimates. It’s also possible to track distribution, measure stock movements, calculate costs, and more, to ensure smooth production.
- Easily oversee multiple locations: Many manufacturing organizations have more than one job site, which can be difficult to manage. With the right software, you can manage a large number of employees across sites and make cross-site manufacturing operations run smoother. It reduces back-and-forth and makes it easier to communicate information.
How Much Does Manufacturing Management Software Cost?
Manufacturing software solutions often vary in price depending on how many users need to use them and which features they include.
Some solutions on this list are on the pricier side, like Netsuite, which costs $99 per user/month, as well as a base license cost of $999 per month. However, there are also more affordable solutions, like Hubstaff, which starts at $7 per month/user.
We advise selecting a software solution that combines the widest range of features with the most affordable pricing. Connecteam is a good example. This all-in-one solution includes a basic pricing plan of just $29 for the first 30 employees.
FAQs
What Challenges Can MAnufacturing Software Solutions Handle?
Manufacturers of all industries face common challenges and this is where the best manufacturing software solutions come in.
For example:
- time tracking and accurate payroll
- communication
- dispatching and scheduling
- operational workflows
- safety training
- onboarding
Are Manufacturing Software Solutions Expensive?
Some of the best manufacturing software solutions are really quite affordable, but it all depends on the solution you choose.
For example, the Connecteam manufacturing software solution is incredibly affordable as it’s a fixed price for up to 30 users. After that, you pay per user to add on.
Are The Best Manufacturing Software Solutions Hard to Use or Implement?
Similiar to the pricing question, it all depends on the manufacturing management software solution that you use. Some will be easy to implement and easy to use while others have a long learning curve. Only by understanding what features are critical for the software to include can you start to narrow down a list of the best manufacturing software solutions.
The Bottom Line On Manufacturing Management Software Solution
Manufacturing software solutions are revolutionizing the manufacturing industry in the United States and lead to massive growth in production and more, thanks to innovative methodologies, solutions, and tools. Whether you’re starting a manufacturing business or have been around for years, it’s critical that you’re using a digital tool.
Whether it’s time tracking, job scheduling, shop floor management, communication, reports, accounting, or anything else, manufacturing software solutions can take your business to the next level.
The software for manufacturing companies we listed above is a great way to boost production output and effectiveness and engage your workforce.