The Top 20 Best Discrete Manufacturing Software Solutions of 2023
For the discrete manufacturing industry, there are a lot of different software solutions out there. Some focus on the tools that companies need to communicate, plan, and organize while employees are off in the field. Others focus on accounting and other financial management tools. But the best discrete manufacturing software systems? They focus on everything—communication, accounting, inventory, projects, HR, CRM, and more.
But just because a discrete manufacturing software solution has all of these features doesn’t necessarily mean that every software is right for every business, especially small and growing businesses. Lots of software contains all of the features that manufacturing businesses need, but not every one of these software solutions can mold to fit the needs of small and growing businesses—especially at the right price.
When it comes to finding the right discrete manufacturing software solution for your business, here are some features that you should look for:
Quoting and Contracts
Scheduling & Dispatch
Mobile Friendly
Document Storage
Inventory Control
Estimates & Work Orders
Quality Management
Custom Reporting
Production Metrics
E-Signature
Time Tracking
Skills Match
For a lot of small and growing businesses, it can be a daunting and difficult process finding the right manufacturing software. With so many choices out there, it can be hard to know which discrete manufacturing software really fits the unique needs of your business.
Don’t worry, there’s good news—finding the right software for your growing business has never been easier.
We’re here to help. Our software experts have compiled a comprehensive breakdown of the The Top 20 Best Discrete Manufacturing Software Solutions.
*Note: Our discrete manufacturing industry software reviews are for informational purposes only. We encourage you to perform research and demo systems to achieve the most comprehensive comparison.
1. Striven
Striven is an ERP software solution built for the manufacturing industry that combines production, inventory management, accounting, CRM, project management, HR, operations, and more into one, easy to use interface. Striven is a diversely capable software solution that supports both front and back-office personnel.
Highlights:
Detailed financial and productivity reports generated in seconds
Scheduling & dispatch route planning capabilities
Project, task, and time management w/ interactive calendars
Full CRM dashboard
Customer and vendor portals
Inventory and document management
Customizable dashboards for each employee
E-signatures on mobile friendly interface
What Sets It Apart: Striven’s expert team of business analysts personally see to your success. From training and onboarding, technical support, and business-specific customizations, the Striven support staff is available 24/7. On top of that, Striven’s automation capabilities allow you to work more efficiently.
Pricing: Free trial and custom demo, packages begin at $35/user.
More info: Striven Earns #1 Spot On G2’s Momentum leader ERP Report
2. SAP Manufacturing Execution
SAP Manufacturing Execution allows a manufacturer to digitally control, monitor, and automate manufacturing operations to enable a production lot size of one.
Digitize manufacturing processes and integrate business systems using a cost-effective, high-quality, and resource-efficient methodology based on Industry 4.0 technology. You can improve operational visibility with near real-time information that increases reliability and product traceability using solutions based on the Internet of Things (IoT).
Highlights:
Cloud and on-premises deployment
Flexible production of one-process modeling
Detailed production visibility
What Sets It Apart: Strong integration with SAP ERP for seamless production planning and execution.
Pricing: Contact SAP for pricing information.
3. Plex Manufacturing Cloud
The Plex Manufacturing Cloud is a software as a service (SaaS) or cloud application ERP that manages the manufacturing process and supports the functions of production, inventory, shipping, supply-chain management, quality, accounting, sales, and human resource departments, in addition to the traditional ERP roles of finance/accounting, procurement, human capital management, etc. Plex is targeted towards manufacturing industries with rigorous traceability, quality and food safety requirements, including automotive, aerospace, food & beverage, and life sciences or medical manufacturing. The system must be accessed using a web browser, making its functions available from anywhere with an Internet connection. The software is designed to provide managers and engineers with real-time visibility to production data.
Highlights:
Real-time production monitoring
Supply chain management
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Cloud-based platform that provides end-to-end visibility and control over manufacturing operations.
Pricing: Contact Plex for pricing information.
4. Infor CloudSuite Industrial
Discrete and process manufacturers worldwide rely on Infor® CloudSuite Industrial to efficiently manage their end-to-end operations, from the shop floor to the top floor. The cloud-based industry suite contains last-mile functionality built in, for seamless visibility to company-wide processes and systems.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory management
Quality control and traceability
What Sets It Apart: Configurable platform that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of discrete manufacturers.
Pricing: Contact Infor for pricing information.
5. Oracle Manufacturing Cloud
With Oracle Manufacturing, see how you can transform your manufacturing processes with automated, insightful, and connected manufacturing software that’s written for the cloud.
Adopt manufacturing practices with technologies such as the Internet of Things and adaptive intelligence to increase business agility and sustainability and enable insightful decision-making.
Highlights:
Real-time production monitoring
Supply chain planning and execution
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Robust analytics and reporting capabilities for better decision-making.
Pricing: Contact Oracle for pricing information.
6. DELMIAWorks Manufacturing ERP (formerly IQMS Manufacturing Software)
Whether you are a small business or a start-up manufacturing company, you are probably using a system of basic accounting software and/or multiple spreadsheets to track your production. Unfortunately, your current system can become more of a burden than a solution. As your business continues to expand, you need a manufacturing software platform like DELMIA that can expand and grow with you.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory control
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Comprehensive ERP system that includes manufacturing-specific functionality.
Pricing: Contact DelmiaWorks for pricing information.
7. Epicor Advanced MES
Discrete manufacturing is a complex business. Epicor has powerful software solutions with the functionality to manage that complexity—available in the cloud, on premises or as a managed service.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory management
Quality control and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Modular platform that can be customized to meet the specific needs of manufacturers.
Pricing: Contact Epicor for pricing information.
8. Fishbowl Manufacturing
Connecting all the steps, parts, and people throughout the manufacturing process has never been easier. From material handling to tracking production to projecting capacity, Fishbowl manages all your manufacturing operations in real time from a single platform.
With fully customizable bill of materials (BOMs), you can build what you need when you need it, and in the most efficient way possible. Fishbowl allows you to define and manage simple or configurable builds, use sub-assemblies in your order of operations, and create unique BOMs for a single part, giving your workflows maximum flexibility.
Highlights:
Scheduling and dispatching
Customer management
Invoicing and payments
What Sets It Apart: QuickBooks integration for seamless financial management.
Pricing: Contact Fishbowl for pricing information.
9. MIE Trak Pro
MIE Trak Pro is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that manages all areas of your business. MIE Trak Pro seamlessly integrates everything into one complete solution: quoting, purchasing, inventory, work orders, scheduling, shipping, and more.
Our automation system anticipates and solves problems by minimizing human error. MIE Trak Pro will boost redundancy and allow for growth by dynamically organizing employees, machines, and work centers.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory control
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Includes modules for CRM, HR, and accounting, in addition to manufacturing functionality.
Pricing: Contact MIE Solutions for pricing information.
10. JobBOSS2
Gain complete control over your shop with JobBOSS², a full quote-to-cash solution for small and medium-sized manufacturers manufacturers
JobBOSS², provides all the tools and functionality job shops need to stay on top of their day-to-day responsibilities and long-term goals. You can find many exciting product improvements.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory control
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Streamlined user interface for easy adoption and use.
Pricing: Contact JobBOSS for pricing information.
11. Global Shop Solutions One-System ERP
Global Shop Solutions. ERP software to simplify your manufacturing. Job Costing, AR, AP, Payroll, Human Resources, financial statements, and more.
From quote to cash and everything in between, our ERP software will become the most valuable asset at your company.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory control
Quality management and traceability
What Sets It Apart: End-to-end system that includes CRM, HR, and accounting functionality, in addition to manufacturing.
Pricing: Contact Global Shop Solutions for pricing information.
12. Aptean Made2Manage
At Aptean, we have decades of industry-specific experience across a full range of sectors, ensuring we not only understand your particular businesses needs right now, but also maintain our expertise as trends and requirements evolve. We understand your operational pain points. We talk your language. We share your goals.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory control
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Robust customization capabilities for creating workflows and processes unique to the business.
Pricing: Contact Aptean for pricing information.
13. Sage 100cloud
Sage 100cloud is more powerful than accounting software, and more nimble than a traditional ERP. It is a total business management solution that is built to last and meet your business needs as you grow.
Tear down data silos, decrease errors, and throw away those spreadsheets. Manage all your business processes in one place so you can spend less time on process, and more time on growth.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory management
Quality control and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Scalable system that can grow with the business.
Pricing: Contact Sage for pricing information.
14. Infor Visual ERP
Infor VISUAL® lets manufacturers stop guessing so they can start delivering consistently profitable results. VISUAL delivers a complete, end-to-end, ERP solution that enables order-driven manufacturing companies to maintain a competitive advantage by delivering quality products on time.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory control
Quality management and traceability
What Sets It Apart: Strong financial management capabilities for comprehensive business management.
Pricing: Contact Infor for pricing information.
15. Exact ERP
Exact ERP software gives you a single solution for your manufacturing processes, order, stock, relationship management and accounting. If you are a start-up manufacturing company or if you need software to support your international operations, choose the future-oriented Exact ERP software.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory control
Quality management and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Easy to use interface for rapid adoption and user engagement.
Pricing: Contact Exact for pricing information.
16. MRPeasy
MRPeasy is a seriously powerful and easy to use manufacturing software. It gives you everything you need to manage your manufacturing and distribution.
No more spreadsheets! Ensure seamless communication between sales, production, warehousing, procurement, administration, and finance.
Highlights:
Inventory management and tracking
Bill of materials management
Production scheduling and planning
What Sets It Apart: User-friendly and intuitive interface that allows for quick adoption and ease of use.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per user per month.
17. Rootstock Cloud ERP
Accelerate Business Growth with Manufacturing ERP Software. From sales to customer service, engineering to production, supply chain to inventory, Rootstock’s Cloud ERP is broad and deep–designed by and for manufacturers.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory management
Quality control and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Customizable platform that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of manufacturers.
Pricing: Contact Rootstock Software for pricing information.
18. Acumatica Cloud ERP
Acumatica’s adaptable Production Management system supports make-to-stock, make-to-order, engineer-to-order, configure-to-order, repetitive, batch process, and project-driven manufacturing environments.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory management
Quality control and compliance
What Sets It Apart: Cloud-based platform that allows for easy collaboration and real-time data sharing.
Pricing: Contact Acumatica for pricing information.
19. xTuple ERP
An ERP system that grows with your business. For nearly 20 years, xTuple has been helping manufacturers of all sizes and levels of complexity grow to their next level. xTuple ERP integrates disparate systems into a single management platform, automates tedious manual tasks to help eliminate human error and helps increase productivity and savings to reduce waste across operations.
Make more informed decisions. xTuple gives you critical visibility — from the shop floor to the C-suite — to help you make it better. If you’re using QuickBooks Desktop, there is no need to disrupt your accounting process, xTuple is integrated.
Highlights:
Production planning and scheduling
Inventory management and tracking
Quality management and traceability
What Sets It Apart: Open-source platform that allows for customization and development by users.
Pricing: Contact CAI Software for pricing information.
20. ProShop ERP
You don’t need to struggle with an ERP which isn’t designed for your business. ProShop dramatically improves efficiency because it focuses on improving the execution of manufacturing shop processes. The result – dramatic labor and cost savings, both in the shop and the office. That can be used to cut costs or to scale and grow. It’s your choice.
Highlights:
Production scheduling and planning
Inventory management and tracking
Quality management and traceability
What Sets It Apart: Includes CRM and shop management capabilities for comprehensive business management.
Pricing: Contact ProShop for pricing information.
Contact a Manufacturing Management Software Expert
Over the years, our software support team has helped business owners and their employees hit the ground running. The small business analyst team at Striven has decades of experience in a variety of industries, including discrete manufacturing software. It’s your business, and you’re the expert—our team is here to assist you in any way we can. Just like every car needs a trusted mechanic, every software needs a dedicated support team.
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