ERP for manufacturers, built around your shop floor.
A manufacturing ERP puts quotations, work orders, production stages, stores and dispatch on one record, so the office and the shop floor see the same picture. Helmsman builds it around your own production routes, and Tally can stay for the accounts.
- A single module
- from $3,000
- First part live
- in 6 to 10 weeks
- The code
- yours, once paid
Sound familiar?
What we hear most from manufacturers:
- Job cards live on paper or in Excel, and the office hears about delays late.
- Nobody can say quickly what is pending, in production, packed or dispatched.
- Stores issue material without linking it to the job, so job costs are a guess.
- Every order is made to the customer's own part, and ready-made ERPs don't fit.
- Tally keeps the books well, but the factory runs outside it.
What we build
- 01
Quotation to work order
One order, entered once
A quotation becomes a proforma and a work order without re-typing, with the customer's own part, size, material and rate.
- 02
Production routes & QC
Every order, stage by stage
Each order follows its own route through the shop floor, with quality checks at the stages you choose.
- 03
Stores & material issue
Material issued against the job
Stores issue against the work order, so stock and job cost stay true.
- 04
Purchasing
Buying what production needs
Requisitions, purchase orders and goods received, tied to the jobs and the stock they serve.
- 05
Packing & dispatch
Out of the gate, on record
Packing lists, the transporter and the consignment note, recorded against the order.
- 06
Dashboards
Pending, made, packed, dispatched
Management sees the whole order book on the same day, and each person sees their own part of it.
- 07
Accounts link
Invoices across to Tally
Invoices go across to Tally or your accounts package, so the accountant keeps the tool they know.
What is a manufacturing ERP?
A manufacturing ERP runs the factory and the office from one record: orders, production, stores, purchasing, dispatch and the numbers behind them. It replaces the job cards, spreadsheets and phone calls that sit between your accounts package and the shop floor.
Do we have to leave Tally?
No. Many manufacturers keep Tally for accounts and GST, and let the ERP run the factory. Invoices go across to Tally, so nothing is typed twice. We have built exactly this for an industrial manufacturer.
Can it handle make-to-order work?
Yes. That is where a custom ERP earns its place. Each order can carry the customer's own part, size, material and rate, and follow its own production route, which ready-made products often cannot do without heavy customisation.
How long does it take?
The first part is live in 6 to 10 weeks; the rest follows in stages, each with a date agreed in writing. We usually start with work orders and production tracking, because that is where the time and money are lost.
What does a manufacturing ERP cost?
A single module starts at $3,000. Bigger systems are built in parts: you agree the price of each part before it starts and pay for one working part at a time. Adding users is free.
After go-live, support is optional, at a fixed 15 to 20% of the build a year.
- A single module
- From $3,000
- Bigger systems
- Built and paid one working part at a time
- Adding users
- Free
- Support after go-live, if you want it
- 15 to 20% of the build a year
Every price is agreed in writing after we have studied how your business runs.
Software for manufacturers, answered.
What is the best ERP for a small manufacturer?
The one that fits how your factory works. If your process is standard, a ready-made product can be enough. If every order is made to the customer's part or follows its own route, a custom ERP fits better, and a single module starts at $3,000.
Can a manufacturing ERP work with Tally?
Yes. The ERP runs orders, production, stores and dispatch, and sends invoices across to Tally, so your accountant keeps working in Tally.
Can the ERP track production stage by stage?
Yes. Each work order follows its production route, with quality checks at the stages you choose, so you can see where every order is.
Do we own the ERP you build?
Yes. Once the build is paid in full, the source code is yours, with the database and the documents. There are no user fees.

