ERP Solutions for Metal Fabricators

To stay ahead of the competition, metal fabricators need streamlined operations, optimized workflows and efficient resource management. This is where Genius ERP comes into play: Our ERP solution integrates various business processes and provides real-time insights to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and maximize profits — empowering metal fabricators to thrive in a competitive market.

Metal fabrication manufacturers need tailor-made features for their distinct needs.

Metal fabrication transforms raw metal materials into finished products through cutting, shaping, bending, welding and assembling. It is a precision-based industry that requires material availability, workforce skills and production schedules to be in sync to meet customer expectations. Managing the cost of raw materials and minimizing waste is a significant challenge for metal fabricators, as metal prices can fluctuate, affecting overall production costs.

Optimizing production efficiency and streamlining workflows is another constant challenge for metal fabricating manufacturers. Efficiently scheduling and sequencing jobs, coordinating machine utilization and minimizing downtime are critical to meet project deadlines. Balancing production capacity, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring smooth workflow execution are also all critical factors for optimizing efficiency for metal fabricators.

In an industry characterized by narrow profit margins and exacting specifications, meticulous attention to detail is extremely important. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software plays a vital role in managing and optimizing day-to-day operations for metal fabricators by leveraging real-time data insights and streamlining operations to ensure a consistent and high-quality output.

Many generic ERP solutions that offer a standard set of features are available in the marketplace today, but metal fabricators will outperform their competition if they choose an industry-specific ERP software solution specifically tailored to their precise requirements. These solutions come equipped with built-in features designed to help metal fabricators manage capacity, control job costs, strengthen their supply chain and streamline shop floor operations.

Eight Features Metal Fabricators Love in Genius ERP

1. CAD Integration

Metal fabricators need to produce accurate BOMs — and quotes — based on CAD drawings. Genius ERP’s exclusive CAD2BOM feature automatically converts 3D CAD models into a BOM, providing an accurate list of all the components required to fabricate a product, including the quantities, part numbers and suppliers. Our CAD-to-BOM integration also ensures any modifications made during the production process are accurately reflected in the material requirements and instructions. With all information contained in a single system, CAD2BOM makes it easy to handle changes and ensures everything is always up-to-date.

2. Inventory Management

Good inventory management is crucial for metal fabrication manufacturers to minimize material waste, prevent stockouts and ensure on-time project completion. Genius ERP provides comprehensive inventory control functionalities, including accurate tracking, real-time visibility and an automated reordering functionality. This enables you to optimize stock levels, streamline procurement and avoid costly production delays.

3. Production Planning and Scheduling

Efficient production planning and scheduling are fundamental to helping metal fabricators meet customer demands and minimize downtime. Genius ERP offers advanced features like capacity planning, job sequencing and real-time production monitoring to simplify shop floor planning. Our robust shop floor scheduling system schedules work centers, personnel, required parts and tools based on both your BOM and your shop’s actual workload and capacity. These powerful planning capabilities ensure smooth workflow execution, optimize resource allocation and minimize bottlenecks.

4. Quoting

Metal fabrication manufacturers need accurate cost estimation and quoting to maintain profitability. Genius ERP includes comprehensive estimating tools that help you create accurate quotes based on multiple factors such as raw materials, labor, overhead expenses and machine utilization. By streamlining the quoting process and providing accurate cost projections, we help you make informed pricing decisions, win more contracts and avoid underestimating project costs.

5. Bill of Materials Management

Metal fabrication manufacturers often outsource work to partner companies, meaning managing BOMs and ensuring they are always accurate and complete is essential. Genius ERP makes it easy to create and manage multi-level BOMs: We give you the ability to define the materials, components and subassemblies required for each product, providing clear specifications to both internal and external stakeholders.

6. Supply Chain Management

A streamlined supply chain is vital for metal fabrication manufacturers to secure the timely delivery of raw materials and manage subcontracting efficiently. Genius ERP has excellent supply chain management capabilities, including supplier management, purchase order tracking and subcontractor collaboration. By optimizing your supply chain, you can reduce lead times, minimize inventory holding costs and enhance overall operational efficiency.

7. Job Costing

Knowing actual job costs is crucial for metal fabricators as they often operate on razor-thin margins. Genius ERP includes robust job costing features that calculate precise costs for all your jobs, factoring in labor, materials, equipment,sub-contracting and overhead expenses. You can easily break down and analyze your costs to gain valuable insights into your financial performance, as well as compare job costing estimates to actual costs to identify which of your jobs are truly profitable.

8. Real-time Reporting and Analytics

Accurate and timely data-driven insights are invaluable to metal fabrication manufacturers for making informed business decisions. Genius ERP has comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities that provide you with real-time visibility into key performance indicators (KPIs) such as production efficiency, material utilization and profitability. By leveraging these insights, you can identify areas for improvement, optimize processes and make better-informed strategic decisions that drive your business forward.

Conclusion

In the competitive world of metal fabrication, having the right ERP system with tailored features can make a significant difference in operational efficiency and profitability. By implementing an ERP solution that covers essential aspects such as CAD integration, production planning, cost estimation, quality control, supply chain management and real-time reporting, metal fabrication manufacturers can enhance their productivity, reduce costs and maximize profits.

Request a demo of Genius ERP today to see all of these features and more — including how our best-in-class production planning features can set you ahead of the competition. Leveraging the power of Genius ERP will position you for long-term success in the precision-based narrow-profit margin industry of metal fabrication manufacturing.