Current consulting focus · Manufacturing
I am talking with established manufacturers about planning, quoting, integration, and exception work that still depends on spreadsheets and manual handoffs. I help determine what to change and can build the missing software when that is the practical answer.
Your ERP is usually the right home for customers, orders, inventory, purchasing, work orders, costing, and financial transactions. I do not replace or implement ERPs.
I look at the work happening around that system. Planners may revise MRP output in a spreadsheet. Estimators may keep pricing rules in their own files. Employees may export records, clean them up, and enter them somewhere else. Those routines are worth examining when they take too much time or fail too often.
I check the available options with the people doing the work. Depending on the problem, the answer may be:
Custom work makes sense when the available products leave an important gap and the benefit is worth the cost of maintaining software.
A small application can handle one troublesome workflow while the ERP remains the system of record.
Company-specific software
For example, it might collect the information needed for a quote, send approved data to the ERP, and put uncertain records in a review queue. Each piece of information should still have one clear owner.
These are examples of problems I am researching with manufacturers, not client case studies.
Example / Quoting
The ERP holds customers, products, costs, and order history, while estimators keep pricing and configuration rules in spreadsheets. I would first check the ERP and available CPQ products. If neither can handle the rules, a separate quoting tool may be worth considering.
Example / Integration
Employees export ERP data, fix or reconcile it by hand, and enter it into another system. A standard connector may solve the problem. If it cannot handle the required mapping, validation, or review process, a custom integration may be appropriate.
We spend 30 minutes on the current process, the systems involved, and the cost of leaving it as-is. I will tell you if the problem is in my area and whether I think another step is worthwhile.
If the answer is unclear, a paid assessment documents the process, reviews the options, and ends with a written recommendation. You keep the findings and can use them with another provider.
If I recommend custom work, I scope it as a separate phase with a price, acceptance checks, ownership terms, and a maintenance plan.
