Shop floor management software is designed to enhance manufacturing operations and keep production ahead of the curve. We’ve used our in-depth software review methodology to test dozens of the top shop floor management systems, helping you choose the perfect solution to boost productivity and meet business goals.
- DELMIAWorks: Best Overall
- Katana MRP: Best for Small Businesses
- MachineMetrics: Best for Predictive Analytics
- Rover ERP: Best for Customization
- MRPeasy: Most User Friendly
- QT9 ERP: Most Under The Radar
- MasterControl: Best for Compliance
- Global Shop Solutions: Best for Manufacturing ERP
A Quick Overview of the Best Shop Floor Management Software
Here’s a quick rundown of the top shop floor management software available:
- Best Overall: DELMIAWorks
- Best for Small Businesses: Katana MRP
- Best for Predictive Analytics: MachineMetrics
- Best for Customization: Rover ERP
- Most User Friendly: MRPeasy
- Most Under The Radar: QT9 ERP
- Best for Compliance: MasterControl
- Best for Manufacturing ERP: Global Shop Solutions
1 DELMIAWorks - Best Overall
Why We Chose It: Our top pick DELMIAWorks is known for its efficiency-enhancing capabilities. As a manufacturing execution system (MES) developed by Dassault Systèmes, we found it offers a comprehensive range of features such as inventory barcoding, customizable reporting, and shop floor control. What sets DELMIAWorks apart is its ability to provide real-time visibility into the manufacturing process, enabling manufacturers to easily identify bottlenecks and optimize production for maximum efficiency.
However, some users have reported drawbacks with DELMIAWorks, such as its reliance on Microsoft Remote Desktop for application access and the lack of a web interface. Despite these minor cons, the software remains a top choice for businesses seeking a solution that streamlines manufacturing operations while providing real-time insights.
2 Katana MRP - Best for Small Businesses
Why We Chose It: For small and medium-sized manufacturers seeking a software solution tailored to their needs, Katana MRP is an optimal choice. This specialized manufacturing software offers real-time inventory management, production optimization, and data-driven insights to help businesses reduce manufacturing costs and improve efficiency.
One of the standout features of Katana MRP is its custom API integrations, which allow for seamless communication with various tools, including:
- E-commerce platforms
- Accounting software
- CRM systems
- Reporting tools
- Automation software
With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, Katana MRP is the top choice for small and medium-sized manufacturers looking to streamline their operations and make data-driven decisions.
3 MachineMetrics - Best for Predictive Analytics
Why We Chose It: MachineMetrics, a manufacturing analytics platform, provides real-time insights into machine performance, earning its place as a standout performer in shop floor management software. By collecting and analyzing machine data, including:
- Performance
- Health
- Breakdowns
- Changeovers
- Quality loss
- Downtime
MachineMetrics enables manufacturers to optimize their operations and reduce downtime.
The platform’s predictive analytics capabilities are particularly valuable, allowing manufacturers to anticipate maintenance needs and prevent costly breakdowns. While pricing information for MachineMetrics is not readily available, its impressive features and real-time data analysis make it a top choice for businesses seeking to optimize their manufacturing processes and stay ahead of the curve.
4 Rover ERP - Best for Customization
Why We Chose It: Rover ERP, a cloud manufacturing software known for its customizability, offers a broad range of features and modules to streamline and automate business processes, distinguishing itself in the shop floor management software market. With Rover ERP, businesses can:
- Track inventory
- Manage sales and purchases
- Handle financial transactions
- Generate reports for better decision-making
The software’s high level of customization enables businesses to tailor the system to their specific needs, making it an excellent choice for companies with unique requirements.
Key features of Rover ERP include:
- Advanced inventory management
- Production scheduling
- Quality control
- Reporting and analytics
- Integration with other business systems
While Rover ERP may require some training for new users and falls on the higher end of the price spectrum, its powerful features and customization options make it a top choice for businesses seeking a robust and adaptable shop floor management solution.
5 MRPeasy - Most User Friendly
Why We Chose It: MRPeasy, a versatile player in the shop floor management software market, provides small manufacturers with comprehensive functionality and a user-friendly interface. Some of the key features of MRPeasy include project management, production planning, inventory management, CRM, and procurement.
With these features, MRPeasy streamlines production processes, tracks manufacturing costs, and improves overall efficiency by effectively managing production data.
One of the standout features of MRPeasy is its seamless integration with popular accounting systems like Xero and Shopify, making it easy to manage all aspects of the manufacturing process and eliminate manual data entry. With its user-friendly design and powerful features, MRPeasy is an excellent choice for small businesses looking for a comprehensive manufacturing software solution.
6 QT9 ERP - Most Under The Radar
Why We Chose It: QT9 ERP, a lesser-known entity in the shop floor management software market, offers a host of benefits and features waiting to be tapped into by businesses. Designed for life sciences, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries, QT9 ERP consolidates various business processes and provides comprehensive features in inventory and supply chain management, sales management, and value-added services.
Users have praised QT9 ERP for its:
- User-friendliness
- Logical navigation
- Workflow capabilities
- Integration of multiple systems
Although it may not be as well-known as some of the other options on our list, QT9 ERP is certainly worth considering for businesses seeking a powerful and versatile shop floor management solution.
“Hot Links” for quick navigation
7 MasterControl - Best for Compliance
Why We Chose It: MasterControl, known for its focus on compliance, offers a top-tier Quality Management System (QMS) designed specifically for the Life Sciences industry, cementing its place in the shop floor management software market. With a comprehensive set of features and tools, MasterControl helps organizations streamline their quality processes and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
One of the standout features of MasterControl is its seamless integration between the Documents and Training modules, allowing for efficient collaboration and ensuring that employees are properly trained and qualified. Although some users have reported issues with system upgrades and a lack of a complete training compliance report, MasterControl remains a top choice for businesses in the Life Sciences industry seeking a powerful and efficient QMS solution.
8 Global Shop Solutions - Best for Manufacturing ERP
Why We Chose It: We picked Global Shop Solutions because it is a manufacturing ERP with shop floor management functionality. One of the main benefits we found was its extensive integration capabilities. It can support a wide range of third-party integrations like ADP GlobalView Payroll, SAP Concur, Microsoft 365, and Salesforce CMS. It’s a good fit for small to medium-sized manufacturers in various industries including automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and medical devices.
What is Shop Floor Management Software?
Shop floor management software maintains production data and documentation through batch records, calibrations, and recipe management. Also known as shop floor control software, this type of demand planning software streamlines visual scheduling that lets you track shop floor operations such as production data, standard operating procedures (SOPs), change controls, quality control, traceability, and more.
This visual front-end provides manufacturers with increased performance control. When linked with a manufacturing execution system (MES) software, workers on the plant floor will be able to stay more informed through real-time access to shop floor activities. This includes identifying production inefficiencies, SPC data, inventory adjustments, downtime reporting, label printing, and work order details.
By integrating shop floor management capabilities directly with your material resource planning (MRP) software, you’ll be able to manage shop floor operators, manage upcoming manufacturing order tasks, reassign tasks based on priority, manage time spent on each step of the work order, and more. Through equipment calibration, tasks can be routed to the appropriate personnel for audits or inspections that may be required before completing important jobs.
Navigating the Shop Floor Software Market
Examining the features, pricing, and user reviews of various solutions will help you pinpoint the best software for your business, paving the way for a seamless production process.
When selecting a shop floor management software, it is important to consider aspects such as:
- Functionality
- Real-time data
- Integration
- User-based permissions
- Scalability
- Cost
Each software option listed above offers unique advantages and features designed to cater to different manufacturing needs. By comparing these options and considering your specific requirements, you can make an informed decision and invest in a software solution that will help your business grow and thrive.
By meticulously assessing your business needs, comparing features, pricing, and user reviews, and contemplating the unique advantages of each software solution, you can zero in on the ideal shop floor control software.
Implementing a shop floor management system will help streamline your manufacturing processes, enhance efficiency, and boost your profit margins by effectively utilizing shop floor data.
Features of Shop Floor Management Software
- Production Monitoring: Monitor production performances and identify production inefficiencies. Define performance and measurement parameters for each item or tooling configuration. Receive job-specific statistics or entire work center performance efforts. Break down production feedback into total parts created, production time, downtime, scrap, rejects, parts remaining to be produced, and more.
- Production Planning: Plan production on your shop floor by determining the need for materials and capacity in order to complete a manufacturing production order. Create a highly detailed master production schedule that accounts for resource, staffing, and inventory needs in order to complete and optimize production.
- Inventory Management: Track finished goods and material availability by allocating raw materials to production orders or finished goods to sales orders. Move inventory to and from locations depending on need.
- Bill of Materials: Specifies the raw materials, parts, and sub-assemblies needed to manufacture each specific product. Make automatic inventory adjustments and help calculate manufacturing costs.
- Task Management: Create to-do lists and assign tasks to various departments or specific employees. Optimize time and resources by giving full visibility of the project lifecycle and who is responsible at each step of the way within a manufacturing work order.
Benefits of Shop Floor Management Software
The top benefits and functionality of shop floor management software include:
Manage and Reduce Manufacturing Costs
Manufacturing production systems such as shop floor management software can only perform as well as the data entered into it.
- Older systems required a hefty amount of manual data entry–meaning the solution would only be as beneficial to your business as quickly as you could key in data. And there’s plenty of paperwork and spreadsheets.
- Newer systems tend to alleviate these production costs through automation tools–meaning your workers are spending less time entering data and identifying areas where productivity needs improvement. Digitizing records allows for paperless operations, further decreasing on-the-job waste.
Run “What If” Analysis Scenarios
What-if scenarios let manufacturing managers analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and visualize production scheduling outcomes and look for any potential disruptions.
Examples of disruptions include a lack of supply–meaning the scenarios take a good look at inventory management, facility capacity, and your overall supply chain. When production schedules can be visualized before being implemented, you’ll be able to test out different variables and choose the best production scheduling method.
Accurate demand planning in shop floor management is beneficial for short-term and long-term planning, as this helps visualize and locate disruptions in your production and offers cost-effective methods to complete your processes. This involves collecting historical data on metrics like order volumes and inventory turns while mixing it with continually updated forecasts from your sales personnel.
Maintain Shipment Dates
Shop floor control systems allow you to quickly identify your projected ship dates for manufacturing orders. This is a huge asset when taking new orders–giving you a date you can quote to a customer and a promise you can live by.
With late shipments come paying overtime to employees to meet deadlines or breaking promises to customers with late shipments–which could negatively impact future business.
Real-time production data tracking can release WIP orders by knowing when they will be complete. When bottlenecks occur in production (which at times are inevitable), adjustments can be made to your production schedule and some jobs can be routed to available resources. Also known as constraint management, this covers activities that are delayed due to resource capacity and/or material availability limits.
Integrate with ERP Systems
Shop floor management systems are a great addition to your existing manufacturing ERP software environments. Integration wizards are included in a few shop floor control solutions and may aid with data collection for other systems, such as CRM software.
Other times, an SFM software vendor may specialize in integrating their solution with a specific ERP or MES. The biggest benefit of having complete integration with other business management systems is to have a complete view of your operations.
Anytime you receive new sales orders, hire new workers, or purchase new machines, businesses will want to avoid duplicate entries or having to transfer data from one system to another. Businesses will want a system that can seamlessly transfer data from the planning and scheduling phase into their ERP solution.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shop Floor Management
What is shop floor software?
Shop floor software enables businesses to automate their production processes, optimize resource utilization and track inventory levels, making it a powerful tool for managing their manufacturing operations on the shop floor.
How do you manage a shop floor?
Shop floor management requires gathering accurate data, making effective planning decisions, installing regular communication protocols, empowering and qualifying staff, implementing a continuous improvement process (CIP), and scheduling resources and operations in order to properly route materials, channelize processes and procedures, and create an efficient workflow.
What is shop floor management setup?
Shop floor management setup involves ensuring the proper routing of materials, channeling processes and procedures, and scheduling materials, workforce, resources, and operations. This helps to ensure efficiency on the shop floor.
How can shop floor management software improve my manufacturing processes?
Shop floor management software can streamline and optimize your production processes, automate planning, track inventory levels, monitor machine performance, and provide real-time analytics, helping you make data-driven decisions and improve efficiency.
What factors should I consider when selecting a shop floor management software?
When selecting a shop floor management software, consider aspects such as functionality, real-time data, integration, user-based permissions, scalability, and cost to ensure the right fit for your company.
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