Fabrication
ERP software for engineering and fabrication units
Quotations that become orders and invoices, a bill of materials and work order for every fabricated item, steel stock in kilograms and metres, and payroll for welders and fitters.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for engineering and fabrication units. Quotations convert to sales orders and tax invoices, work orders consume sheet, angle and pipe at average cost, and purchases, payroll and machine depreciation post to one ledger.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
A day in a fabrication unit
A fabrication shop lives between the enquiry and the delivery truck: what to quote, what steel is on the floor, and what the job really cost.
An enquiry comes in from Summit Interiors for forty cable trays and a set of storage racks. The owner works out the steel on a calculator and sends a rate on letterhead. The order is confirmed on the phone, and the quotation is lost in a sent folder.
On the floor, galvanised sheet bought from the steel stockholder at three different prices this quarter is cut, offcuts pile up and two fitters stay back to finish. Nobody knows what the trays cost until the books close.
SimpleERP puts the job on two documents: a quotation that converts into the sales order and then the tax invoice without retyping, and a work order that records the steel actually used and the trays actually made. Completion moves the stock and fixes the real unit cost.
Sales and billing
From quotation to tax invoice without retyping a line
A quotation carries the lines, prices and tax you offered, and once accepted it converts into a sales order or straight into an invoice. The invoice issues stock, posts the cost and writes the tax at the rate on each product.
- Revise, don't overwrite. A sent quotation is frozen; revising copies it into a new draft.
- Expiry dates on quotations, with expired ones marked when you open them.
- A tax summary by rate on the A4 print, with your bank details.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
Bills of materials and work orders
Know what each fabricated item costs before you quote
A bill of materials lists the sheet, angle, pipe and consumables for one batch, with scrap and labour, and SimpleERP rolls them up into a unit cost. A work order plans, starts and completes the job; only completion moves stock.
- Scrap per component. Offcut allowance on sheet raises the planned quantity and the cost.
- Versions. A changed design is saved as a new BOM version; finished jobs keep their plan.
- Make to order. Create a work order from a confirmed sales order line.
- Actual cost on completion. Components leave at average cost; the output enters at real unit cost.
| Line | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanised sheet 1.6 mm | 62 kg @ $1.20 | $74.40 |
| Scrap on sheet | 3% of 62 kg @ $1.20 | $2.23 |
| Coupler plates | 20 pcs @ $0.25 | $5.00 |
| Welding rod 3.15 mm | 1.5 kg @ $3.00 | $4.50 |
| Labour and overhead | per batch | $36.00 |
| Batch cost | $122.13 | |
| Unit cost | ÷ 10 | $12.21 |
Purchase and inventory
Steel stock in kilograms and metres you can trust
Sheet is counted in kilograms, pipe and angle in metres and finished items in numbers, all in one stock ledger at weighted average cost. Supplier bills receive steel at the bill price; work orders draw it down.
- Purchase orders and supplier bills to steel suppliers, with their tax number and the tax you can reclaim.
- Low stock list turns shortfalls into purchase orders, grouped by supplier.
- Stock adjustments after a physical count, with a reason on every change.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
People and payroll
Pay welders and fitters from attendance, overtime included
Mark attendance for the floor in one screen, and the monthly payroll run reads paid days and loss of pay from it, with your deductions on every payslip.
- Shifts with grace minutes and weekly offs, so late marks are consistent.
- Overtime as an earning. Add it as a component in the salary structure or as a line on the payslip.
- Advances recovered through the payslip, month by month.
- Payroll posts to the books when you approve and pay.
Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, Allowances, Bonus and net pay of 4,440.
Fixed assets
Machines depreciate in the books every month
Record the press brake, shearing machine and welding sets as fixed assets, and the monthly depreciation run posts the expense to the ledger. A sale or scrapping is recorded as a disposal.
- Plant and machinery category seeded, straight-line by default, declining balance if you prefer.
- Maintenance records per machine, with dates and cost.
- Book value always current, from cost less accumulated depreciation.
Illustration of a fixed asset card with a monthly straight-line depreciation schedule.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the routine parts when you sign up, so the first job is about your drawings, not about configuring software.
- A chart of accounts with inventory, cost of goods sold, fixed asset and depreciation accounts mapped.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product or service.
- Units such as pieces, kilograms and metres, and document numbering on your financial year.
- Salary components for your country and a default shift.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service, to copy and adjust later.
By job
Engineering and fabrication by job
Inventory for fabricators
Beams, channels, plate and pipe in kg or running metres, consumables in their own store, offcuts in a scrap bay, all at average cost.
Read moreAccounting for fabricators
Steel bills, stage payments, gas and crane hire in one double-entry ledger, with margin per job and a monthly close for a fabrication unit.
Read morePayroll for engineering workshops
Welders, fitters and site teams paid from attendance, with site allowance, agreed overtime and advances on the payslip.
Read moreProduction for fabricators
Shop drawings as BOMs with offcut allowance, work orders that draw steel from the yard, and the actual cost of every fabricated frame.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A completed work order writes stock movements and a journal; the invoice for the finished job writes the sale, the cost and the tax.
Manufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See howFixed assets
An asset register with monthly depreciation, custodians, maintenance and disposal.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for fabrication units yet
We would rather you know now than find out in month two.
- Job-work dispatch notes for material sent to or received from another unit for galvanising or machining.
- Routing, machine scheduling or shop-floor capacity planning.
- Partial completion. A work order completes once, so split long jobs into several work orders.
- Serial numbers. Stock is tracked by product and warehouse; type a serial into the invoice line description if a customer needs it.
- E-invoicing or transport documents filed through a government system.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Import your steel sections, consumables and finished items from a CSV file, with kg or metres as the unit and opening stock per warehouse. Then build the BOM for your most common item.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which tax rate applies to fabricated steel items?
Usually your country's standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate, with the product code your tax authority expects where it asks for one. You set the rate on each product and every invoice line applies it. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Can I send sheets out for galvanising or laser cutting?
There are no job-work dispatch notes yet. Many units record material sent out with a stock transfer to a warehouse named for the job worker, and record the job worker's bill as a purchase. Ask your accountant how to treat it for tax.
Can I keep steel in kilograms and sell finished items in numbers?
Yes. Each product has its own unit, so sheet is in kg, pipe in metres and trays in pieces. The work order turns kg and metres into finished pieces at actual cost.
Is it suitable for a unit with ten to fifty people?
Yes. Members are unlimited, and seven ready-made roles keep store, sales and accounts to their own screens. Workers see their attendance, leave and payslips through employee self-service in a phone browser.
We use spreadsheets and an old accounting app today. How do we move?
Start on the first day of your financial year or of a month. Import products with opening stock, customers and suppliers from a spreadsheet, and bring in opening balances, including what each party owes, from your trial balance.
Related
Keep reading
Manufacturing
BOMs with scrap and cost roll-up, work orders that move stock, and payroll for shop-floor staff.
Read moreBricks and blocks
Bricks in thousands by yard, batch costs from a BOM, truckload invoices and builder credit.
Read moreFurniture
BOMs per design, work orders, workshop and showroom stock, and counter invoices paid on the spot.
Read moreStore & purchase teams
Low stock to purchase order, supplier bills, counts, transfers and work orders.
Read moreWeighted average cost
How weighted average cost values stock and cost of goods sold, with the formula, a worked example and how it compares with FIFO.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.