Automation for small manufacturers: stock, production and orders in one system
We build one system for the work between an order and an invoice at a small manufacturer: stock and materials, recipes and product costs, production, orders from your shop and your partners, shipping labels and invoices. Shop orders arrive by themselves, AI prepares drafts that a person approves, and everything runs on servers in the EU. You can start with one module and add the rest in stages.
Get a free written planInventory: a stock screen (sample data)
Where small manufacturers lose hours
Most small manufacturers start with Excel, and that is a fine start. Hours start to disappear when several people, shops and partners depend on the same files.
- Stock in one spreadsheet, recipes in another, and nobody is sure which is current
- Orders from the online shop or from partners retyped into the warehouse list
- Product costs worked out roughly, not from the materials actually used
- Shipping labels and invoices created by hand, one by one
What the system covers: stock, recipes (bills of materials), production, orders, invoices and labels
One system for the work between an order and an invoice. It is built in modules, so you can start with the one that costs you the most hours and add the rest later.
- 01
Stock and materials by barcode
- 02
Recipes (bills of materials) and the real cost of each product
- 03
Production records
- 04
Orders from your own shop and your partners' shops
- 05
PDF invoices from the right company, including combined weekly invoices
- 06
Shipping labels (FedEx) and tracking e-mails
Shop orders straight into stock and production
In Inventory, the system we built for a manufacturing company, orders from partners' shops and from an API arrive by themselves, including from a WooCommerce shop through a webhook. That is around 2,500 orders a month across all channels (October 2026). Only products with the company's own SKU are saved, so the warehouse sees exactly what it has to pack. Shopify and other order sources can be connected on request.
Read the full case study: Inventory, a custom warehouse and production system.
How an order travels
- Partners' shops
- The company's own shop (WooCommerce)
- API
- Order ready for the warehouse to pack
- FedEx label
- Tracking e-mail to the partner
- No retyping of shop orders
- FedEx labels created from the order
- Tracking e-mails sent to partners
- A product feed for each partner with their own prices
AI helpers that prepare drafts and wait for your approval
AI prepares reply drafts and invoices, but it works only through the system's API, and every write waits for a person's approval. Nothing is sent or changed by itself.
Nothing leaves without a person
- 1
AI prepares a draft
- 2
A person approves
- 3
Only then it is sent
- Reply drafts in the built-in e-mail CRM
- Invoice drafts for you to check
- Usage limits and a log of every AI request
- Your approval before anything is sent
Custom system or ready-made software?
Honestly: if your process is standard, ready-made production or inventory software can be cheaper, and we will tell you so. A custom system pays off when your process is unusual — your own recipes, several companies issuing invoices, partners with their own prices — or when ready-made tools don't connect to your shop or carrier.
- Ready-made software: fine when your process already matches it
- Custom: when you would otherwise bend your process to the tool
- Custom: when you need your own integrations
- Your Excel data moves in with one import, so you don't start from zero
For other kinds of business, see custom business software to replace Excel.
Process audit first
Before we build anything, we review how your business actually works — orders, stock, invoices, approvals — together with Audit Academy, so the system fits your real processes, not the other way round.
Who builds your system: about Kaspars Naglis.
Start small: automatic quote follow-up and faster first replies
You don't have to automate everything at once. A good first step is the work that starts when a customer asks for something and ends when they either say yes or go quiet. We build this first step for your business on request, and you can add stock, production and the rest later.
- A quick first reply: when an enquiry arrives, the customer gets an acknowledgement and your team gets a ready draft answer to check
- An estimate: the quote is prepared from your own prices and rules, and a person approves it before it goes out
- An automatic follow-up: if the customer goes quiet, a polite reminder is prepared at the time you choose, so a request doesn't get forgotten
- A nudge about regular customers: if a customer who orders often has gone quiet, you get a note to reach out
Tell us which process takes most of your time and get a free written plan.
What it costs
A custom system starts from €5,000. Larger systems are built in stages on top of the base package, and you get a written plan with stages, dates and the agreed price before any work begins.
- A written plan with stages and dates before work begins
- Up to 3 core modules, e.g. stock, orders and invoices
- Up to 3 user roles, each with its own access rights
- 1 import of your existing data from Excel or CSV
- 1 external integration, e.g. Stripe, WooCommerce or your carrier (such as FedEx)
- Code and data are yours after the final payment
If chasing unpaid invoices is your main manual job, you may not need a full system — start with automatic invoice reminders for small UK businesses.
Questions
What is manufacturing automation for a small manufacturer?
It means moving one time-consuming process — stock, recipes, orders, shipping labels or invoices — out of Excel and e-mail into one system that does the routine steps by itself. You don't have to automate everything at once: you can start with one module, such as orders and stock, and add the rest in stages.
Do we need an ERP, or is a custom system enough?
If your process is standard, ready-made software can be cheaper, and we will say so. A custom system fits when your process is unusual or when ready-made tools don't connect to your shop, partners or carrier. It is built around how you already work, starting with the modules you need most.
Can orders from our online shop reach stock and production automatically?
Yes. In Inventory, orders arrive through a WooCommerce webhook and from partners' shops, and only products with the company's own SKU are saved, so nothing is retyped by hand. Shopify and other order sources can be connected on request.
Can you move our Excel stock lists and recipes into the system?
Yes. One import from Excel or CSV is included in the base package, so your products, materials, recipes and stock levels move in and you don't start from zero. Migration from an old system is quoted by volume.
How much does it cost and who owns it?
A custom system starts from €5,000 for up to three core modules, three user roles, one data import and one integration. You get a written plan with stages, dates and the agreed price before any work begins. After the final payment the code is yours, and the data always was.
Where do the hours go in your workshop?
Tell us how orders, stock and invoices move today. We reply within 1 working day with a first idea and a price range.
Get a free written planRelated services and work
- Case studiesInventoryA warehouse and production system for a group of two companies: orders, invoices, FedEx labels, WooCommerce orders and AI assistants with owner approval.Read the case study
- ServicesCustom business softwareStock, orders, registrations and invoices in one system instead of Excel and copy-paste. Built around how you already work, hosted in the EU. From €5,000.Learn more
- ServicesAI integrationAdd AI to your website, shop or system for one repeating job: answers, descriptions, social posts. Human approval, usage limits, EU servers. From €1,500.Learn more
- ServicesHosting and care on HetznerWebsite maintenance plans from €49/month: EU hosting on Hetzner, SSL, daily backups, uptime monitoring and updates. Data stays in the EU; cancel monthly.Learn more
Tell us about your business
Tell us what slows you down. We'll reply with a concrete suggestion and a price range — free of charge.
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