What is the best ERP for job shops?

A job shop rarely makes the same thing twice. Each order carries its own drawing, routing and material, so a bill of materials built for repeat production is only a starting point. The question that pays the bills is whether the quote was right, and you can only answer it by comparing the quoted cost with the real cost after the job closes. Generic ERPs assume a standard cost per product and treat differences as variances. That is fine for a plant making the same part all year. For a job shop it hides the margin on every order.

Six things separate a job shop system from a general one.

• A routing on each work order, with work centres and steps you can change per job.
• A printed job card with a barcode, so operators log labour without a keyboard.
• Material issued to the job at the cost actually carried in stock, with returns handled.
• Subcontract steps, with material sent out and received back on the same job.
• A job cost per unit on the day the job closes, not at month end.
• A quote versus actual view so estimators learn from the last job.

These are the names that come up most for job shops, with what each is generally known for. Confirm the checklist above in a demo with your own orders rather than relying on the label.

Bring one finished job with its quote, drawing, material used and hours. Ask the vendor to enter it from scratch, then show the job cost and the difference from the quote. Watch whether material cost came from stock or was typed in. Watch whether labour came from a work-centre rate or from a guess. Ask how a subcontract step is recorded and how its invoice reaches the job. Finally, ask for the job exported to a file. A vendor who can do all that in an hour has a system that fits a job shop.