Service · Software development

Custom manufacturing software development.

Custom software for manufacturing companies: MES, quality and planning modules, operator apps, PLC and SCADA integrations and ETO configurators. We do not replace your SAP, Dynamics, IFS or Infor LN, but build the specific layer around them that follows your process rather than the other way round.

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Software for manufacturing companies is rarely a single package; it is a landscape.

A typical manufacturer now runs on a collection of systems that partly overlap and partly leave gaps: an ERP for finance and purchasing, a MES that drives the shop floor, a CMMS for maintenance, a QMS for quality, a WMS for the warehouse, PLCs and SCADA on the installations themselves, plus spreadsheets for whatever falls in between. For most of these layers a standard package works well: SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS, Infor LN or Plex on the ERP side, Siemens Opcenter, Aveva or Tulip on the MES side.

We do not replace those enterprise platforms. We are candid about this: there is no sense in rebuilding a working SAP or Dynamics implementation. In manufacturing we are brought in for the layer that your standard ERP does not cover well: a MES layer that fits your specific production process, a configurator for engineer-to-order work, a tablet operator app, a quality flow that follows your standards, or a planner that accounts for your actual capacity and setup times.

The result is software that follows your process, not a package you have to bend your process around. Code, infrastructure and knowledge stay with your organisation, and all integrations with your existing ERP, PLCs, IoT sensors and external systems are explicitly designed, documented and tested.

Our position in four points.

Process first

We model your production and quality flow before we design

ERP respect

SAP, Dynamics, IFS, Infor and Plex remain the source of truth

OT friendly

PLC, SCADA and industrial protocols are in our toolbox

Ownership

Code, infrastructure and knowledge stay within your organisation

The custom projects we build for manufacturing.

Software for manufacturing companies covers a wide range. We are most often asked for three patterns, and most projects combine two or more of them.

Engagement 01

MES layer on the shop floor

Production control, andon boards and OEE tracking

A Manufacturing Execution System that fits your process exactly. Production orders from the ERP translated into work orders per machine or workstation, real-time status information via PLC or SCADA integration, andon boards on the shop floor, and OEE tracking (availability, performance and quality), measured from actual production rather than manual timesheets.

Many off-the-shelf MES packages are designed for one type of production: discrete assembly or process industry, not both. For businesses that sit somewhere in between, such as batch production followed by assembly, or metalworking with highly varied routings per order, we build a MES layer that follows your actual flow. For the broader context of what we do in software development, see our homepage.

Production ordersWork order routingPLC/SCADA integrationAndon boardsOEE trackingReal-time dashboards

Engagement 02

Operator app, quality and planning

Shop floor tools around your existing ERP

Three modules that come up in almost every project. An operator app on a tablet or rugged industrial handheld, letting production staff open work orders, check material availability, carry out quality checks and report deviations, directly linked to ERP and MES with no Excel step in between. A quality module with First Article Inspection, First Pass Yield reporting, a Non-Conformity Report flow and calibration management. And a production planner that takes set-up times, tooling availability and staff capacity into account.

A detailed planner alongside your standard ERP is a classic: SAP and Dynamics can create orders and schedule them roughly, but for detailed scheduling at machine level, taking sequence-dependent set-up times, shift patterns and downtime into account, they often fall short. We build that layer to measure and connect it two ways with the ERP. For service organisations that need similar field tooling, see also our work on a maintenance management system.

Operator appFAI / FPYNCR workflowCalibrationSet-up-aware planningCapacity planning

Engagement 03

ETO/CTO configurator and customer portal

Make-to-order and engineer-to-order with a rules engine

For manufacturers who don't sell a stock product but deliver configurable or engineering-led work: machine builders, special equipment suppliers, capital goods and custom subcontracting. A product configurator with a rules engine that safeguards valid combinations, automatically generates BOM and routing, performs price calculation and, for engineer-to-order, passes input on to engineering for the specials.

Often there is also a customer portal in which the end customer can track order status, download technical drawings and manuals, view order history and place new orders based on previous configurations. For outsourced processes such as galvanising, laser cutting or heat treatment, a subcontractor portal lets suppliers view their part of the order, report progress and upload quality certificates. For the broader enterprise context, see also our enterprise software page.

If you work with flammable substances or your processing generates dust, you need a zone classification with equipment approved for each zone. How to record that and keep it aligned with the installation is covered under ATEX software.

Product configuratorRules engineAutomatic BOMAutomatic routingCustomer portalSubcontractor portal

What you have at the end.

Working software in production, plus everything around it so you can manage and develop it yourself.

Production + staging

Two environments, hosted in your own cloud or with us — your choice.

Web and operator app

Planner dashboard in the browser and operator app on a tablet or handheld.

Codebase + documentation

Full source code, build instructions, architecture and integration map.

Key-user training

Sessions for planners and production engineers, video for operators.

Managed service (optional)

Monitoring, backups, security patches and ongoing development.

When custom development pays off in manufacturing.

Four patterns where a standard package falls short and targeted custom software adds real value, based on the projects we see in practice.

Process deviation

Your production flow doesn't fit the standard

Standard MES and ERP modules assume generic discrete or process manufacturing. Hybrid flows (batch followed by assembly, highly variable routings, custom components in series production) rarely fit neatly. This often ends in heavy customisation of the standard package, which demands attention with every upgrade. Custom software in a separate layer, connected to the ERP through a clean API, is structurally cheaper.

ETO/CTO

Engineer-to-order or configure-to-order work

For manufacturers who design or configure to order (machine building, special equipment, capital goods), a configurator with a rules engine is almost always custom work. Your product logic is your own intellectual property and doesn't fit a standard CPQ package designed for catalogue products. Custom development is what turns quotes that take hours into quotes that take minutes rather than days.

OT integration

PLCs, SCADA and IoT sensors need to talk to the system

When maintenance or production must be driven by real-time data from the installation itself (running hours via PLC, alarms via SCADA, condition via vibration or temperature sensors), standard packages usually end up relying on manual import. A bespoke integration, built on standard protocols such as OPC UA, Modbus or MQTT, gives direct triggers in the right workflow.

Compliance

Specific quality and regulatory requirements

Production under ISO 9001, GMP for pharma, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 for regulated markets, FSMA for food, AS9100 for aerospace or GDP for logistics requires audit trails, electronic signatures and validation flows that standard packages only support through expensive customisation. Custom development follows your standard rather than forcing a generic implementation.

Modules that come up in almost every manufacturing project.

The building blocks we draw on. The combination and depth vary from project to project.

Production

MES layer and work order control

Production orders from the ERP translated into job tickets per machine, workstation or operator. Routing based on operations, material availability, tooling and staff. Status progress fed by PLC signals or manual entries in the operator app.

Quality

QMS module with FAI, FPY and NCR

First Article Inspection, First Pass Yield reporting, Non-Conformity Report workflow with root cause analysis, CAPA logging and calibration management for measuring equipment. Includes electronic signatures where the standard requires them and structured reporting for auditors.

Planning

Production planner alongside your standard ERP

Detailed scheduling at machine and shift level, taking into account sequence-dependent set-up times, tooling availability and staff capacity. What-if analysis for rush orders, automatic rescheduling when something fails, and a two-way integration with the ERP for delivery date commitments.

Operators

Operator app on tablet or handheld

Open work order, check material and tooling availability, carry out quality checks, report deviations, feed back status. Suited to industrial tablets and rugged handhelds, with barcode scanning and optional digital signature.

Maintenance

CMMS and predictive maintenance

Asset hierarchy, preventive schedules based on running hours or condition, and a technician app with an offline mode. For predictive maintenance: integration with vibration, temperature and acoustic sensors via OPC UA or MQTT, baseline detection and automatic work order creation when a deviation occurs.

Configuration

ETO/CTO configurator with rules engine

A product configurator that enforces valid combinations, automatically generates the Bill of Materials and routing, performs price calculation and, for engineer-to-order work, passes input on to engineering. Includes version control per customer configuration and history for repeat orders.

Customer portal

Order status and technical documents

White-label customer portal where your clients can track order status, download technical drawings and manuals, review order history, retrieve certificates and test reports, and place new orders based on previous configurations.

Subcontractors

Subcontractor portal for outsourced work

For outsourced processes such as galvanising, laser cutting, heat treatment and surface finishing: a portal where suppliers can review their part of an order, report progress, upload quality documentation and complete work within agreed deadlines.

Integration

ERP integration as the backbone

Two-way integration with SAP S/4HANA, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS, Infor LN or Plex via their standard APIs. Clear contracts and documented mappings so that your own IT team can maintain the integrations after our involvement ends.

How a manufacturing project works.

01Introduction→ 02Process and systems analysis→ 03Build in sprints→ 04Rollout and support

Step 01

Introduction

A no-obligation conversation with your production management, production planners and IT. Which bottleneck are we solving, which systems are in place, and what does the landscape look like?

Step 02

Process and systems analysis

We model your production, quality and planning flows, observe on the shop floor and in production planning, and map out the existing systems and integrations. End result: a scope document.

Step 03

Building in sprints

Working modules delivered in two-weekly sprints. Production planners and operators test from the first pilot workstation, and schedulers from the first sprint. Direct feedback, direct adjustments.

Step 04

Rollout and management

Phased rollout to production: first one line, one hall or one product group, then scale up. Ongoing support, further development and expansion with new modules.

What we integrate with and build.

For each project we choose what fits your existing landscape. We are not dogmatic about one framework or one ERP. For the broader context of where this type of project fits, see our main page on custom software development; for the technical work around it, our API integration page.

Industrial & OT

OPC UAModbusMQTTSiemens S7RockwellSCADA integrationLoRaWANIO-Link

ERP & back office

SAP S/4HANADynamics 365IFSInfor LNPlexAFASExactNetSuite

Stack & mobile

Next.jsNode.jsPythonPostgreSQLTimescaleDBReact NativeSwiftKotlinGCP/AWS

Frequently asked questions.

Do you replace SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, IFS or Infor LN with bespoke software?

For large enterprise organisations that already have a working SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics 365, IFS or Infor LN implementation, the answer is no. Those platforms have been developed over decades, cover finance, procurement, sales and supply chain comprehensively, and rebuilding them would not make sense. We are more often asked in two situations: first, by mid-sized manufacturers for whom an enterprise licence is disproportionate and the package does not properly reflect the actual shop-floor workflow; second, as a layer alongside the existing ERP, such as a MES, a planner or a configurator, while the core stays in the current system. We advise transparently on which route will deliver the most value in your situation, even if that means a standard package is the better choice.

Build or buy a MES layer: what do you recommend?

For standard discrete or process manufacturing there are good MES packages (Siemens Opcenter, Aveva, Tulip, Critical Manufacturing), and these are often the logical choice. We build custom MES when your production process is hybrid (batch and assembly), when routings vary strongly from order to order, when there are several production lines with differing logic, or when the integration with your ERP, configurator or quality system needs to go deeper than a standard package allows. We are honest about this: for 60% of manufacturers a standard MES is the better route, and we advise in that direction too.

How do you handle IoT, PLC and SCADA integration?

Industrial integrations are one of our core strengths. We work with the standard protocols: OPC UA for modern installations, Modbus for older equipment, MQTT for sensor data, and sometimes directly through Siemens S7 or Rockwell APIs. We typically connect via an industrial gateway that separates OT and IT and passes data on to a time-series database. From there we feed MES, dashboards, predictive models or the ERP. One key principle: we do not touch the PLC logic itself unless strictly necessary. We listen in and send commands through agreed command channels, with clear fallback scenarios.

What exactly do you do for engineer-to-order or make-to-order work?

For ETO/CTO companies, we build a product configurator with a rules engine that safeguards valid product combinations, automatically generates a Bill of Materials and routing, carries out price calculation and — for engineer-to-order — passes input on to engineering for the specific special requirements. The configurator is connected to your ERP (for master data and order creation), to your CAD or PDM system (for drawings and parts lists) and often to a customer portal in which the end customer configures within agreed parameters. The product logic itself is your own IP and is explicitly modelled in collaboration with your engineering and commercial teams.

What about our quality and compliance requirements?

A quality module with First Article Inspection, First Pass Yield reporting, a Non-Conformity Report flow, root cause analysis and CAPA registration is standard within our scope. For regulated markets, we support audit trails, electronic signatures where ISO 9001, GMP, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, FSMA, AMS certification or GDP require them, and validation documentation that your auditor expects. We are familiar with the practice of CE marking and can help think through how software components fit into your technical file.

What determines the cost of such a manufacturing project?

Scope (which modules: only the operator app, or MES, planner, configurator and customer portal together), depth of integration (how many external systems and which industrial protocols), number of sites and users, and the complexity of your product and process logic. A standalone operator app alongside an existing ERP is a different project from an end-to-end platform with MES, planner, quality module and PLC integrations across multiple sites. After the scope document, we give you an honest estimate. We don't publish a price list upfront, because without your context any number would be a guess.

How long before we can go live?

A self-contained module, such as only an operator app, a configurator or a quality flow, can go live within a few sprints. A broader project with MES, planner, configurator and ERP integrations takes several sprints. We always phase the work: first the core goes live with one pilot line or pilot product group, then we scale up to the full operation. Only once the core runs stably do we unlock the next layer.

Do you work together with our internal IT and existing ERP supplier?

Almost always. In a manufacturing project we will almost certainly touch your ERP, whether SAP, Dynamics, IFS, Infor or Plex, and often your CAD/PDM system, MES package or existing integration layer. We communicate transparently with your IT team and, where necessary, with your existing vendors. Clear API contracts, documented integrations and an incident runbook are standard. Code, infrastructure-as-code and knowledge stay with you, so you never become dependent on a single agency.

Talk to us about your manufacturing software.

A thirty-minute introductory call, no obligation. We listen to your production process, your existing systems and the bottleneck you want to solve, and we give you direction you can use, even if it turns out a standard package is the better route.

Schedule an introductory call Email fabian.vandijk@appfront.nl