Manufacturers managing complex product lifecycles face a unique set of operational challenges. Whether they’re working with multi-level bills of materials (BOMs), navigating constant engineering change orders, or ensuring accurate work instructions on the shop floor, the intricacies of production require precise coordination across systems.
However, a common obstacle arises when these processes are supported by disconnected tools or generic systems. Many discrete manufacturers focused on assembly find themselves relying on a patchwork of applications that don’t communicate well with one another. As a result, critical data becomes siloed, slowing down workflows and increasing the likelihood of errors.
To compensate, businesses often turn to extensive customization in an attempt to make their systems “fit.” But these custom solutions can be costly to maintain, difficult to scale, and prone to breaking with every software update. In the end, what starts as a workaround becomes a long-term barrier to efficiency and growth.
Better Together
Yes, your ERP is critical, but it can’t do it all.
While ERP and MES systems are essential for managing enterprise resources and shop floor operations, they often fail to meet the specific needs of manufacturing and industrial engineering teams. These systems are typically designed for broad operational oversight rather than the detailed, dynamic processes required for engineering-driven production environments.
As a result, manufacturers are frequently forced to rely on home-grown tools, spreadsheets, or costly custom integrations to bridge critical gaps in areas such as:
- Engineering Change Management – Limited revision control and collaboration tools slow down change implementation.
- Process Planning – Generic systems lack the depth to define and adapt complex processes.
- Line Balancing – Inadequate modeling tools make it difficult to optimize task distribution.
- Digital Work Instructions – Manual creation and delivery lead to inconsistency and errors on the floor.
- Part Traceability – Fragmented data makes it hard to track components accurately across stages.
To address these challenges, forward-thinking manufacturers are turning to specialized platforms that are purpose-built for engineering and manufacturing operations. These solutions offer the integrated functionality traditional systems lack, reducing reliance on manual workarounds and enabling greater efficiency, accuracy, and agility across the production lifecycle.
Custom Builds Add More Cost Than Value
Trying to customize software to do something it wasn’t designed for often ends up costing more—both financially and operationally—than it’s worth. While it might seem like a shortcut or a budget-friendly solution at first, the long-term drawbacks usually outweigh the benefits:
- Hidden Costs: Custom work often requires specialized developers, extensive testing, and ongoing maintenance—driving up costs quickly.
- Unintended Complexity: Most software is built for specific use cases. Stretching it beyond its purpose introduces unnecessary complexity and technical debt. In fact, businesses can lose 30–40% of productive hours when using rigid, off-the-shelf software that doesn’t align with their workflows.
- Temporary Fixes: Customizations often act as workarounds rather than true solutions, leaving the core problem unresolved.
- Poor User Experience: Modified systems can create clunky workflows, slow performance, and frustration for users.
- Update Conflicts: Vendor updates can break custom features, resulting in downtime, data errors, or costly fixes.
- Security Gaps: Custom code may introduce vulnerabilities not covered by standard vendor testing or support.
- Scalability Issues: Over-customized systems often struggle to grow with your business and can become unsustainable.
- Long-Term Risk: Teams can become dependent on unsupported tools, eventually facing full system overhauls or replacements.
Instead, investing in the right tool from the beginning—designed for your needs—offers a more reliable, scalable, and cost-effective path forward.
Do-it-Yourself or Manual Processes? Not Worth the Cost
Building a home-grown software solution or relying on manual tools like Excel may seem like a smart short-term decision. These approaches offer the appeal of low upfront costs, full customization, and quick implementation. But over time, they often introduce serious limitations that can hold a business back.
Hidden Complexity and Maintenance Burden
What begins as a simple internal tool can quickly turn into a tangled web of code or spreadsheets that require constant attention. Without dedicated development resources or proper documentation, these systems become fragile and hard to maintain—especially when key team members leave or processes evolve. In fact, software maintenance can consume up to 90% of a software’s total cost of ownership, especially for homegrown systems lacking dedicated support teams.
Error-Prone and Inefficient Workflows
Tools like Excel are powerful in the right context, but they’re not built for managing high-volume, complex, or collaborative workflows. One incorrect formula or a copy-paste error can compromise entire datasets. These kinds of mistakes are hard to detect and can have serious financial or operational consequences. Especially when you consider that more than 90% of spreadsheets contain errors, with 50% of those used in large businesses having material defects.
Poor Integration and Lack of Visibility
Home-grown tools and spreadsheets typically don’t integrate well with other business systems. This leads to siloed data, manual double-entry, and inconsistencies across teams. As a result, decision-makers lack real-time visibility and may act on outdated or incomplete information.
Scalability and Compliance Risks
As the business grows, these ad hoc solutions often fail to keep up. They struggle to support increased data volumes, user demands, and regulatory requirements. What once worked well for a small team can quickly become a liability—creating risks that are costly to fix later.
Rather than relying on stopgap solutions, investing in a scalable, professionally supported software platform from the start positions your business for long-term success. It ensures better reliability, smoother operations, and allows your team to focus on strategic goals—not troubleshooting outdated tools.
Purpose-Built for Assembly Planning & Operations
For assembly-centric manufacturers, choosing the right software isn’t just about features—it’s about finding the right fit for how your operations actually run. Discrete manufacturing demands precision, coordination, and adaptability. Before investing in any solution, ask yourself:
- Can it handle complex, multi-output BOMs and routing logic?
- Does it support engineering change management across multiple products and lines?
- Can it generate accurate, version-controlled digital work instructions?
- Is it equipped for mixed-model line balancing and time studies?
- Does it enable seamless collaboration between engineering, operations, and quality teams?
- Can it integrate with my current solutions?
These aren’t extras—they’re essential for maintaining product quality, ensuring compliance, and achieving operational excellence.
Many ERP or PLM systems are too broad to meet these specific needs. Instead, look for a purpose-built platform designed for discrete assembly manufacturing. These systems are tailored for industries like:
- Electronics and appliances
- Agricultural and construction machinery
With a dedicated solution that aligns with your workflows, you gain:
- Faster adoption and implementation
- Better collaboration across departments
- Tools that scale with your business
- A true strategic advantage—from the shop floor to the top floor
Value That Lasts
As Richard Branson famously said, “In a competitive market, it’s not always the lowest price that wins but the best value.”
The future of your operation depends on the tools you choose today. Don’t let sticker shock stop you from unlocking your full potential. Ready to eliminate inefficiencies in your assembly operations?
Explore how a purpose-built solution can simplify your PLM, streamline your engineering processes, and give you a competitive edge.