ETO Manufacturing Software

What is ETO manufacturing software?

Engineer to order (ETO) manufacturing software is software that helps engineering teams manage engineering projects. ETO manufacturing software helps organize the business side of engineering projects--such as price quoting, billing, and inventory management--so that engineering teams can focus on the engineering side. This helps teams reduce waste and operate more efficiently by using more accurate information.

Completing an engineer to order (ETO) project can take from days to decades. While managing an engineering project can be daunting, usually the real challenge is managing the business of engineering. Asking engineers to design widgets is one thing; persuading them to complete the necessary paperwork (or electronic work, as the case may be) is another thing entirely.

There are hundreds of products designed to assist engineers with critical business functions. We’ve created this guide to help prospective buyers understand ETO systems and how they factor into the larger manufacturing market.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is ETO manufacturing software?
Common Features of ETO Software
Key Purchase Considerations
Benefits of Using ETO Software

Common Features of ETO Software

In evaluating software, engineer to order manufacturers should consider the following functions to meet their unique requirements:

Key Purchase Considerations

With the expanse of engineering systems on the market, it’s important to keep the following considerations in mind when selecting a system that fits the needs of your company:

Deployment: Most ETO manufacturing software installations are on-premises. Software as a service (SaaS) options are available. The attractiveness of a cloud-based alternative is primarily based on the information technology infrastructure already in place in the firm.

Integration: ETO systems generally include manufacturing resource planning (MRP) functions and often directly interface with manufacturing execution systems (MESes).

Other critical business applications that impact ETO software include:

• Payroll: The ETO system should handle bonuses based on production goals and automatically calculate any performance-based bonuses (or penalties) for the project and for individual employees. Project bonuses and penalties are transferred to accounts receivable and employee bonus information is transferred to payroll.
 
• Workforce/overtime management: The payroll system must track overtime and compensatory time (comp time) for workers. The estimating system should account for current work in progress when calculating costs, including overtime costs as necessary. Overtime and comp time should be automatically charged against the correct projects.
 
• Accounting: General ledger and accounts payable are standard. The accounts receivable system should be able to create bills based on the terms of bids and should be able to process performance-based payments. It should also convert the terms from an accepted bid/order into an account receivables entry. It should correctly calculate and post performance-based payments.
 
• Customer management: Customer relationship management (CRM) systems should track each customer’s historic sales against recent sales to gauge trends. It should track recent RFQs and the winning bids for any opportunity that the firm sought. The CRM should also store the specifics of all winning proposals for failed bids for later analysis.
 
• Project management: The ETO system should integrate with the project management system to track overall performance of the project. Any discrepancies between accounting data and project management data should be highlighted. It is important that ETO planning allow for more than 100 percent utilization of equipment and personnel, for example, for double shifts, weekend or holiday work.

Benefits of Using ETO Software

The following are just a few benefits you can expect from implementing an ETO system:

Increased accuracy: Because of the nimble nature of most ETO projects, the ability to create fast and accurate quotes, bids and requests for quotations (RFQs) is crucial. Converting quotes to orders and bills of material (BOM) is also critical.

p>In order to give accurate quotes, the inventory system, including costs and quantities, must be current. In addition, there must be up-to-date information on vendors and components, with costs and lead times, to support make-versus-buy decisions for subassemblies.

ETO software helps engineers automate these workflows, increasing the accuracy of quotes, reducing the time required to answer RFQs and simplifying the process of converting quotes to orders.

Improved planning and resource allocation: An ETO system can offer a wealth of data and insight into critical business functions. Learn the true costs associated with inventory, equipment and personnel. Track historical performance and use trends analysis to predict high volume times of the year or low revenue days. Measure the time it takes to progress through the various engineering stages with the goal to reduce the time needed for planning and production.

Decreasing waste and reducing production time are pivotal lean manufacturing principles. And lean manufacturing, developed in the mid-20th century from the Toyota Production System, is a proven system for greener operations and improved customer satisfaction. Ultimately, ETO software can help engineers increase efficiency and maximize profits, thus growing their business.