ERP and MRP for Small Manufacturers
MRP vs ERP explained, selection criteria, real pricing, implementation timelines and the signs you've outgrown QuickBooks.
Manufacturing Software & Operations
Pick the right software.
Pick the right software.
Run a tighter shop.
Vendor-neutral guidance on ERP, MES, CMMS, QMS, production planning and lean operations for small and mid-size manufacturers — with real prices, real trade-offs, and worked examples.
Our approach
Vendor-neutral, number-first, no pay-to-play
Manufacturing software advice is dominated by SaaS vendors writing self-serving "best-of" lists and review sites with pay-to-play rankings. We do something different.
1
Transparent selection criteria
We state how we chose, what we checked, and who each option is not for. No mystery rankings.
2
Published prices, dated and sourced
Every price is a real published list price with a date and a source. We say "as of Month YYYY" and we update when things change.
3
Implementation cost and time reality
Software costs are only part of it. We cover data migration, training, consultant fees, and how long it actually takes to go live.
4
Worked examples with real numbers
OEE calculations, capacity planning, safety stock formulas — with actual inputs and outputs, not theory.
Topics
What we cover
Seven topic areas, each with a full guide, selection criteria, pricing data and worked examples.
MES and Production Tracking
What MES software does, when a small shop needs it, shop-floor data collection and machine monitoring without a six-figure bill.
CMMS Software Selection
CMMS features, pricing per user, implementation checklist, and how CMMS differs from EAM. Software only — maintenance methods are a separate topic.
Quality Management Systems
ISO 9001 basics for small firms, NCR vs CAPA explained, SPC charts with worked examples, and QMS software options.
Production Planning and Scheduling
Finite vs infinite scheduling, job-shop methods, capacity planning and inventory calculations — with the formulas and the numbers.
Lean Manufacturing and Operational Metrics
OEE, takt time, kanban, 5S, SMED and value stream mapping — each with worked numbers, not just definitions.
Manufacturing Briefings
Monthly plain-English explainers on regulations, standards changes, trade/tariff shifts and major industry moves — with links to primary sources.
Free tools
Calculators and references
Original tools you can use in the browser. No sign-up, no export fee, no upsell.
OEE Calculator
Enter availability, performance and quality to get your OEE score with a full loss breakdown.
Takt Time & Line Balancing
Calculate takt time from demand and available time. Compare workstation cycle times to find bottlenecks.
Manufacturing Software Pricing Tracker
Published starting prices for ERP, MES, CMMS and QMS software — dated, sourced, updated quarterly. Coming soon.
Downtime Cost Calculator
Estimate the true cost of unplanned downtime — labour, lost throughput, scrap and overhead. Coming soon.
Who this is for
Written for the people who actually run the plant
ShopFloorWeekly is for plant managers, operations managers, owners of small manufacturing businesses, production planners, quality managers and IT generalists inside manufacturing companies.
The job to be done: pick the right software without being sold to, measure and improve output, and keep up with the changes — tariffs, regulations, standards revisions — that affect your business.
Content is written as if by an operations manager who has survived two ERP implementations: practical, sceptical, clear about trade-offs, and careful about what they claim to know.
About ShopFloorWeekly