Paper travellers cost more than they look
A job card that is lost, smudged or filled in late becomes a quality problem days afterwards. Capturing the record at the stage, when the work happens, removes most of that.
Manufacturing & Industrial
Software, data and automation for manufacturing
Production, quality, document control and dispatch software for manufacturers: work orders, stage tracking, PDI and dashboards in one system.
How we work with manufacturing businesses
A manufacturing business turns materials into finished goods through a sequence of stages: planning, cutting or blanking, forming, pressing, welding, painting, inspection and dispatch. Margins depend on throughput, rework and on-time delivery, so the cost of a slow or inaccurate record shows up on the shop floor first.
We build production and quality systems that follow each order through every stage, so the people running the line and the people reading the numbers work from the same record. Our most detailed example is Budve SmartFlow, a production and quality management system covering production planning, work orders, stage-wise processes, quality inspection, document control, PDI and dispatch.
The same groundwork, clean production and quality data and controlled documents, is what makes analytics and AI useful later. AI work is scoped separately, starting from a specific task such as making SOPs, drawings and work instructions searchable.
Common challenges
Work order status lives on paper and whiteboards
Supervisors walk the floor or phone around to find out where an order is, and the answer is out of date by the time it reaches planning.
Quality is recorded late or separately
Inspection results sit in a register or spreadsheet that isn't linked to the order, so a defect is found at dispatch instead of at the stage that caused it.
Drawings and SOPs drift out of date
Operators work from printed drawings or instructions that may not be the latest revision, and nobody can say for sure which version was used.
Stages start before the previous one is done
Without a rule that blocks the next stage, parts move ahead of inspection and problems travel further down the line.
Traceability is hard
Answering which batch, which machine and which operator for a given part means digging through several records.
What we build for manufacturing
What a production and quality system covers
Each area below is part of Budve SmartFlow, the production and quality system we built for a manufacturing unit.
Production orders and planning
Orders are created once and planned into work orders, so the floor, planning and management work from the same plan instead of separate copies.
Work orders and WIP
Work orders move through the shop's processes, and work in progress is tracked in the system rather than counted by walking the floor.
Stage-wise quality and PDI
Quality checks are built into the stage-wise workflow, and pre-dispatch inspection is the final check before dispatch.
Documents and revisions
SOPs, work instructions, drawings and quality documents are kept under revision control in the same system as production and quality.
Traceability
Batch and lot tracking and production IDs, in a format such as PROD-2026-000001, identify production records, with a QR or barcode workflow for the floor.
Dashboards, reporting and machine utilisation
The dashboard shows production progress by stage and work-order status, reporting is a module of its own, and machine utilisation is tracked alongside production.
Example workflows
From production order to dispatch
- 1A production order is created and planned into work orders.
- 2Each work order moves through the shop's processes, for example bending, pressing, welding and painting.
- 3Work is identified on the floor, for example with a production ID and a QR code or barcode.
- 4The next stage stays blocked until the previous one is complete.
- 5Pre-dispatch inspection (PDI) is carried out before the order is released for dispatch.
Controlled documents on the shop floor
- 1Drawings, SOPs, work instructions and quality documents are kept in one place, each with its revision.
- 2When a document changes, the new revision becomes the current one.
- 3Production and quality teams work from the current revision, not an old printed copy.
How we approach a manufacturing project
- 01
Walk the line
We follow an order through every stage with the people who run it, and note where information is written down, copied or lost.
- 02
Model the stages
Stages, checks, documents and roles are modelled as they really are, including the exceptions.
- 03
Start where it hurts most
The first release covers the stages and records that cause the most delay or rework, then expands.
- 04
Use it on the floor
Screens are tested with operators and supervisors on the devices they actually use, including phones.
Things to get right
Our view on what matters most for manufacturing businesses.
Production Quality Catch defects at the stage, not at dispatch
The earlier a check is recorded, the cheaper the fix. Stage-by-stage quality data also shows which step actually creates the rework.
Operations Connect the floor to planning
Plans built on yesterday's spreadsheet drift from reality. When the floor reports progress live, planners can adjust before a delay turns into a missed delivery.
Common questions
What processes can manufacturing companies automate?
Stage-to-stage hand-offs, blocking a stage until the previous one is complete, quality check records, document revision control, dispatch paperwork, and production reporting.
Can the system follow our own production stages?
Yes. Stages, checks and roles are modelled on your process, so a shop that runs bending, pressing and welding sees those stages rather than generic ones.
Can operators use it on the shop floor?
Yes. Screens are designed for phones as well as desktops, and a QR or barcode workflow can be used to identify work on the floor.
Do we have to replace our existing ERP?
Not necessarily. A production and quality system can sit alongside existing software and exchange data with it where needed.
Related reading
- Manufacturing quality management: from production stages to PDI
- Production tracking by stage: how manufacturers improve shop-floor visibility
- Production orders vs work orders: what's the difference?
- What is WIP in manufacturing? A practical guide to work-in-progress tracking
- Quality checks before dispatch: stage inspection and PDI
- What is pre-dispatch inspection (PDI) in manufacturing?
- Document and revision control on the shop floor
- Why spreadsheets stop scaling
Other industries we work with
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