Key Takeaways
- As an ETO manufacturer, it’s important to find an ERP that integrates with Autodesk Inventor and other popular CAD systems. That integration allows you to work with Dynamic BOMs, which means less paperwork and less double-entry for engineering.
- When working with an “Inventor MRP”, engineering and purchasing become much more efficient. The BOM can be built in a hierarchy rather than a flat BOM and is displayed in a flexible graphical user interface.
- By eliminating redundant steps in your ETO workflow, Integrators, Panel Shops, and OEMs will reduce downtime and clerical work, and increase profits.
Below: a few Custom Machine Builders that increased efficiency, accuracy, and profitability by integrating Total ETO with Inventor.
Sometimes referred to as the “Inventor MRP “, Total ETO improves efficiency, accuracy, and profitability for Custom Machine Builders.
Is there an ERP that integrates with Autodesk Inventor?
It’s a question many engineers have wondered, especially Custom Machine Builders. The answer is “YES”!
Total ETO is an affordable ERP/MRP that integrates with Autodesk and is easily tailored for Integrators, Panel Shops, and OEMs.
Previously known as “Questica ETO”, our ERP/MRP has been helping Custom Manufacturers for over 20 years. Finding an ERP system that integrates with Autodesk Inventor and can be customized to fit your organization will likely save time and money in every department.
Less Work for Engineers
Engineers, in particular, LOVE how well Total ETO integrates with Inventor’s Autodesk and other popular CAD systems. Our ERP/MRP makes your bill of materials (BOM) dynamic, so they’re always correct and up-to-date… In other words, your team has a real-time view of all projects and their BOMs. Dynamic BOMs require a lot less paper work and double-entry for engineering. Your designers can begin work on a system and release parts to procurement in stages. That allows you to save time and money when ordering parts. If your subsequent design changes any previous work, Total ETO helps to manage those changes. When downtime and clerical work like this are eliminated, it allows Custom Machine Builders to scale more efficiently.
As Kevin Marrick, President at Zeta Group Engineer said;
“Total ETO tightly connects engineering, procurement, and accounting. The support has been top notch along with active meaningful improvements”.
With such a dynamic approach, your team needs an ERP/MRP that integrates flawlessly with CAD systems. That’s why you need more than an ERP built for manufacturing, you need a solution that is truly Engineer To Order.
Integrating your ERP with CAD
Total ETO comes with a team of professional engineers and former Custom Machine Builders and we work with you every step of the way. We have faced the same unique challenges of your ETO business; that’s how we’re able to match your workflow and provide you with first-class infrastructure; your business will be better able to handle the growth and changes ahead.
Increasing your Current Teams’ Profitability
Handling Specialty, a Canadian manufacturer, has experienced the results your team is hoping for. In less than five years of using our ERP/MRP solution, they doubled their sales. Handling Specialty also decreased their design and shop hours by 10.3%, leading to a six-fold increase in profits. The case study included in this white paper shines a spotlight on their gains. It also demonstrates some of the problems they faced, which led them to search for an ERP in the first place. As an ETO manufacturer, you can probably relate…
- During and occasionally after the design phase, customers ask for changes to the order. Purchasing and design time are usually negatively affected.
- In order to meet deadlines, engineering usually has to pre-release components for procurement. Managing the bill of materials as it flows between departments requires extra work.
- Employees may also spot areas where the design has to be altered. Engineering must change the BOM and the drawings for this. Moreover, procurement must then modify the material orders.
If these challenges sound familiar and you love using Autodesk, you’ll be happy to hear that its integration with Total ETO is seamless. Our official partnership with Inventor saves your engineers time and your purchasing department money. More so, as you can see in the following case study, it also improves morale.
About Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk, by Inventor is changing how the world is designed and made. Their technology spans architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and more. This is software that empowers innovators world wide to solve challenges. The software’s popularity and impressive history in our industry are why Total ETO became an official certified Inventor partner.
Total ETO is known as the “Autodesk ERP” or “Inventor MRP” for a reason! This ERP/MRP solution for Integrators, Panel Shops, and OEMs is unique in how well it integrates with Inventor. Total ETO makes it easy for a Custom Machine Builder to continue using their CAD without sacrificing any of the benefits of working with a well-customized ERP.
Total ETO Features that Autodesk Users LOVE
An ERP/MRP system that works with Autodesk comes with a lot of perks, including:
- Efficient Engineering: True CAD and Autodesk integrations make it easy to bring your BOMs in, without leaving CAD or any double entry.
- Proper Data: By copying parts from a past project’s BOM to a new BOM, your team saves time and reduces the risk for errors. Sales reps can also provide more accurate quotes.
- Increased Visibility: Any department can track changes to the BOM at any stage of the project. You’ll also get access to dozens of predesigned reports or you can customize your own.
- More Savings: Designers can cost out the BOM before it’s sent to procurement. This allows purchasing to find quality parts for a better price. It’s also simple to reuse parts already in the shop. Total ETO makes it easy to search the system for previously used parts and their complete history.
- Less Clerical Work: No need to export your Autodesk BOM to a spreadsheet. You can, if you prefer, but Total ETO users always appreciate that our ERP reduces these redundant steps.
- Growth: With total visibility of the shop floor and your business processes, your management team can better find and solve problems, as well as identify opportunities for growth.
- Cost: Total ETO fits the budget for many small-medium Custom Machine Builders. Starting from $7,500/year for 5 users, which also includes human-guided implementation and training.
Autodesk Inventor is Awesome!
Many of our team here at Total ETO have worked with Inventor for years, including building custom machines. So, we understand why you love it. We can also understand how frustrating it is to not find an ERP solution that smoothly integrates with your CAD, while still catering to your unique workflow.
And even though Autodesk is the CAD of choice for many Custom Machine Builders, we’ve learned numerous users have no idea what data is available. They simply aren’t leveraging it. Total ETO makes accessing such important data incredibly easy. This information can go a long way when growing your business.
As Suren Moodley, COO at Foodmach said;
“Within weeks of implementation, we were seeing a 31% improvement in our value added work”.
As an OEM, you can probably relate to this classic Engineer To Order workflow:
By eliminating redundant steps, Custom Machine Builders will reduce downtime and clerical work, while increasing profits. As you see, using an MRP that integrates with Inventor comes with many benefits.
Total ETO Benefits
Total ETO goes above and beyond project management software for the manufacturing industry. And it allows for more customization than most ERPs. We’re an official Autodesk partner, making integration seamless. When you hear an engineer refer to an “Autodesk ERP”, it’s likely they’re talking about Total ETO. Some benefits your team will enjoy include:
- Dynamic processes: Procurement is easy when information is interconnected with engineering, receiving, and the shop floor.
- Increased Quality: When you know where your parts are during fabrication, you are better able to track inspections. It’s also easy to record and follow up on quality issues.
- Knowledge is Power: With complete project visibility, you can keep a close eye on each project and see reporting metrics at every stage.
- Clever Organization: Reserve inventory by project and see remaining availability.
- No Double Entry: Easily copy parts from a past project’s bill of materials to a new BOM.
What Other Custom Machine Builders are Saying
“Total ETO allowed the existing staff to handle an increase in business that would not have been possible with the previous methods of Production release and Purchasing.”
Stan McLean, Engineering Manager, Macrodyne
“I like that with Total ETO, common sense is always involved and implemented. It makes it easier for the customer to understand and work with.”
Gary Jakob, Vice President of Operations, Keltour Controls
“Total ETO has streamlined our Purchasing process and saved us the cost of one full time purchasing agent.”
Nate Hinks, Former Director of Sales, Farason
Additional reviews and case studies are available here.
You can see why engineers love Total ETO, but what about the rest of your organization? Check out our solutions page to see how Total ETO connects engineering with sales, procurement, manufacturing, accounting, and analytics. One solution that improves the visibility into each stage of your business.
Packages start at $7,500/year for 5 users and include human-guided implementation and training.
Total ETO is a Totally Better ERP/MRP software, providing better efficiency, accuracy, and profitability for Custom Machine Builders. Not only does our ERP integrate with Inventor, but our software is easy to implement and use, affordable, and backed by a team of industry experts with a passion for the success of every client.
FAQs About Using an Inventor ERP and MRP
1. How does data flow throughout Total ETO?
Total ETO has a logical graphical user interface that mimics the business flow of a typical Engineer To Order organization. Commonly accessed areas like sales, engineering, and manufacturing are easily accessible from a main menu, with quick access to all reports and separate administrative functions to fine-tune your setup. And with such a tight integration with Inventor, your ERP is almost like a natural extension of your CAD
Benefits to you:
- Staff is more effective when the workflow is logical, easy to follow, and mimics current procedures.
- Better user experience with a natural flow of screens and data.
- Drastically reduce user training time with an intuitive interface that is easy to learn.
2. How does Total ETO manage my Bill of Materials?
Total ETO, an ERP that integrates with Inventor, provides a separate engineering screen to manage entire projects and individual jobs. A bill of materials (BOM) can be built in a hierarchy, rather than a flat BOM, and is displayed in a flexible graphical user interface. By displaying the BOM visually, designers have greater flexibility to break down assemblies and more easily manage changes to an assembly quantity or parts within the assembly.
Benefits to you:
- Total ETO was built by engineers for engineers and understands your need for a structured BOM.
- Fewer setbacks as engineers can logically break up complex machinery into a series of nested sub-assemblies.
- Designers and engineers are more efficient as a structured BOM provides them with a quick and organized means of finding materials and managing change requirements.
3. Once I’ve released parts from my BOM, can I still make changes, or is the BOM now static?
Engineer To Order companies know their BOM needs to be fluid. In Total ETO, your BOM is never locked down. Total ETO allows engineers to change and release their BOM as needed, even items they’ve previously released. This includes changes to previously released parts, assemblies and even the entire BOM. When your ERP/MRP system integrates with Autodesk, it will communicate any material changes to procurement for you. It’s one of many added bonuses when you work with Dynamic BOMs.
Benefits to you:
- Total ETO suits your business processes instead of you trying to adjust your business to suit your ERP.
- Engineering maintains total control of their BOM, even if items have been procured.
- Engineers can release assemblies or individual items more quickly since Total ETO will handle over or under-procured items.
- Procurement is immediately notified of items that need their attention, giving them time to resolve issues quickly and saving you money on unnecessary materials or extra shipments.
4. Does Total ETO integrate with my CAD system?
Yes, of course we do! Having an ERP that integrates with Autodesk, SOLIDWORKS, and other popular CAD systems. Since we’re partners with Inventor, Total ETO provides integrated 3D CAD linking within popular systems, embedding our controls in their CAD systems, allowing designers to easily push BOM information to Total ETO.
For other CAD systems, our BOM Import tool can quickly import a BOM file exported from applications such as SOLIDWORKS Electrical, E-Plan, and Solid Edge, among many others, eliminating double entry, and possible data entry mistakes.
Benefits to you:
- Designers can view and edit the BOM in ONE central location, giving complete control on the BOM’s development.
- Staff gains flexibility, power, and versatility in creating, modifying, and controlling the flow of information to and from Purchasing.
- By integrating your BOM with your 3D CAD, we eliminate duplicate data entry and speed up the engineering process.
5. Can I track Non-Conformances in Total ETO?
Total ETO’s Non-Conformance (NC) system allows users to raise NCs from several different areas within the system and allows users to track various causes of the issue, such as defective parts, drawing or design errors, and manufacturing errors. Non-conformances are attached to Jobs and can have both labor and material costs associated to them. Coupled with powerful searches and powerful reporting, our Engineer To Order software solution provides the ability to identify the causes of non-conformances and allows users to prevent them from occurring on similar future projects.
Benefits to you:
- Engineer To Order manufacturers are constantly faced with non-conformances and need a simple system to deal with the complexity of this process.
- Knowing how to avoid certain errors in the future will affect your company’s bottom line and improve product quality.
It might sound too good to be true; finding an ERP/MRP system that integrates with Autodesk. That’s why we’d like to invite you to book a demo and experience it for yourself.
Written by Steve Williamson.