Sheet Metal Manufacturing Pain Points Solved by a Good ERP

In sheet metal fabrication, precision and efficiency are not simply goals—they are essential to getting jobs done right and on time. From managing a diverse inventory of materials to handling customer changes and requests, metal fabricators face constant challenges that require careful coordination and attention to detail at every step of the process to ensure exacting standards.

The right manufacturing-specific ERP system can greatly benefit sheet metal manufacturers by simplifying operations and tackling their biggest challenges and pain points. Read on to discover how a manufacturing-specific ERP can streamline your processes, enhance efficiency, and help you overcome the unique challenges of sheet metal fabrication.

Material Management

Pain Point

Sheet metal fabricators must effectively manage a variety of materials to complete jobs. Tracking these different materials, managing inventory levels and ensuring that the right materials are available at the right times is a complex task that involves a high level of coordination to keep your operations running smoothly and avoid costly delays.

Solution

ERP systems track inventory and material usage in real-time and automatically update inventory levels as materials are consumed in production. A good manufacturing-specific ERP will also include a recommended reorder tool to help you know when to repurchase materials and other parts.

This tool will identify potential shortages based on real-time inventory, expected delivery times, and when the item is required according to your in-process production orders. It will tell you when to order more items and lets you easily combine and filter purchase lists from multiple orders to streamline purchasing.

If you need to purchase multiples of the same material, the system will display them on a single line. If you only want to buy enough materials for a certain amount of time—say, enough materials to cover a week of production—it is easy to filter out the items needed, so you don’t need to purchase all the materials at once. An ERP makes it easy to purchase standard materials to stock and specialty materials and hardware to job to minimize your inventory levels.

Estimating and Quoting

Pain Point

Accurate and timely estimates and quotes are essential for winning contracts and ensuring the profitability of jobs. Good quotes and estimates are difficult to make and require extensive insight into materials, labor and production capabilities. And, as a sheet metal manufacturer, you may be quoting hundreds of items a day, so you need to make the process as efficient as possible.

One of the major challenges to creating better and more accurate quotes is knowing the actual cost of the product they are manufacturing. Using an ERP is one of the most effective ways to determine your true job costs — and once you have a handle on job costs, you can create better quotes.

Solution

A good manufacturing-specific ERP system will have advanced estimating tools that leverage your business’s specific data to automatically create quotes that take into account your material costs, labor and other important factors. This speeds up the quoting process and ensures accuracy, keeping your business profitable.

Customer Changes and Requests

Pain Point

The customized nature of your business means that customers often require frequent design changes and revisions. It is common for customers to send in one version of a design for a quote but then confirm another version of the design with their purchase order, which can significantly affect pricing.

Solution

An ERP system will allow you to effectively manage these revisions and compare the changes, letting you stay on track and profitable. With real-time data and a centralized system, you can track changes, update production schedules, and adjust costs accordingly. This ensures that all departments in your shop are on the same page — reducing errors and ensuring you meet customer expectations.

Order Tracking

Pain Point

Handling multiple orders from different customers while tracking the progress of each one, can be overwhelming. Your customers will often call to ask for updates on the progress of their orders. To keep your metal fabrication shop operating efficiently, you must also be able to quickly identify which of your jobs are at risk of running late or missing materials.

With thousands of parts across hundreds of orders in your system, you need the ability to quickly see the real-time status of your sales orders at a glance.

Solution

A manufacturing-specific ERP system system enhances order tracking by offering real-time visibility into every stage of production. From the moment an order is placed until it’s shipped, you can monitor progress, manage timelines, and ensure that customers are kept in the loop. This level of transparency and control not only improves operational efficiency but also strengthens customer relationships by providing them with the information they need when they need it.

Conclusion

In sheet metal manufacturing, where precision and efficiency are crucial, having the right tools can make all the difference. By providing real-time insights and streamlining processes, an ERP system built for manufacturers helps you maintain the high standards your business demands while also improving your bottom line. Investing in the right ERP solution is not just about managing the day-to-day—it’s about setting your business up for long-term success.