Who this is for

ShopFloorWeekly is written for the people who actually run the plant: plant managers and operations managers, owners of small manufacturing businesses, production planners, quality managers, maintenance managers, and IT generalists inside manufacturing companies.

The job to be done is one of three things:

• Pick software without being sold to. The ERP, CMMS, MES and QMS software markets are dominated by vendors writing self-serving content and review aggregators with pay-to-play rankings. You need a buyer's perspective, not a vendor's.
• Measure and improve output. OEE, capacity planning, takt time, scheduling — the methods that actually move the needle, with worked examples and real numbers.
• Keep up with changes that affect the business. Standards revisions, trade policy changes, regulatory shifts — explained plainly, with links to the primary sources, without hype.

What we cover

Seven topic areas, each with a pillar guide, in-depth articles, and where relevant, free calculator tools:

• ERP and MRP for Small Manufacturers — selection, pricing, implementation, product comparisons
• MES and Production Tracking — MES basics, shop-floor data collection, machine monitoring, electronic work instructions
• CMMS Software Selection — CMMS features, pricing, implementation, product comparisons (software only; maintenance methods at PlantUptime)
• Quality Management Systems — ISO 9001 for small firms, NCR/CAPA, SPC, QMS software
• Production Planning and Scheduling — capacity planning, finite scheduling, job-shop methods, safety stock formulas
• Lean Manufacturing and Operational Metrics — OEE, takt time, kanban, 5S, SMED, value stream mapping — with worked examples
• Manufacturing Briefings — monthly explainers on regulations, standards, trade and industry changes

What we don't cover

ShopFloorWeekly stays out of these topics, which belong to sister sites in the same group:

• PLC and controls engineering, HMI/SCADA, safety systems (ControlsBench)
• Robots, cobots, grippers, AMRs, robot ROI (CobotFloor)
• CNC machine tools, laser cutting, press brakes, cutting tools (ShopSpindle)
• Compressors, pumps, motors, predictive maintenance techniques, lubrication (PlantUptime)

When an article needs context from one of these areas, we link to the relevant page rather than covering it here.

How content is produced

Content is produced by the ShopFloorWeekly Editorial Team. We do not use individual bylines or author profiles — we are a small team and we believe the work should stand on its own sourcing and evidence rather than individual credentials.

Our research process:

1. Live research before writing. Before any article is written, we search for the current state of the topic: new product versions, price changes, discontinued products, revised standards, new regulations. We record the research date on every article.
2. Primary sources first. We link to vendor documentation, regulatory agency publications, standards bodies and peer-reviewed research — not to other content sites that might themselves be wrong.
3. Fact-check pass. Every factual claim maps to a source URL. Claims that cannot be verified are removed — we do not write around uncertainty by softening language.
4. No invented data. We do not invent prices, specifications, benchmark figures, case studies or testimonials. If we cannot verify it, we do not publish it.
5. Software pages: no hands-on testing claims. We do not claim to have personally tested every product we cover. We base software coverage on vendor documentation, published pricing, public user reviews, and where available, independent benchmarking. We say so on every software page.

Corrections and updates

Manufacturing software changes fast. Prices change, products are discontinued, standards are revised. We maintain a corrections log and update articles when facts change. The "Last updated" date on each article reflects the date content materially changed — not a cosmetic touch.

If you spot an error, outdated price, or a factual claim you believe is wrong, please contact us. We investigate every report.

Affiliate links and commercial relationships

ShopFloorWeekly does not currently have affiliate relationships with any software vendor. If this changes, we will disclose it at the top of every page with an affiliate link. We do not accept sponsored content, paid placements or payments for product rankings. Our commercial model is based on advertising revenue from the site's organic audience — not on vendor fees.

Contact

To report an error, suggest a topic, or ask about republishing: contact us here.