Production is a complex multi-layered business process that calls for precision and tight control every step of the way. Neither the scrappy pen & paper nor the spreadsheets approach could ever give the quality control and automation manufacturing requires. To better cater to the needs of companies that not only distribute but also produce goods, HandiFox Online has been upgraded with the new manufacturing functionality. If your business falls under this category, read on to find out what you can gain by using Manufacturing in HandiFox Online.
HandiFox Online is designed to break any data silos that play havoc with business processes and undermine their efficiency. Inventory management, purchasing, order fulfillment, and sales are centralized in one system while the link to the accounting side of your businesses is maintained through a two-way synchronization with QuickBooks Online. This way you don’t have to deal with a financial mess as a direct by-product of disintegrated inventory control and accounting. The new manufacturing module is fitted into the system and works in alignment with all the other parts, which means you can:- Track final goods and raw materials
- Keep an eye on and automate the replenishment of component items
- Manage manufacturing processes across multiple locations
- Inform your manufacturing decisions based on item availability and the influx of customer orders
- Sync back to QuickBooks Online
Now, to give you a better idea of the app’s production-related functionality, here is a quick walkthrough of the main features.
Creating presets
Presets are production recipes used to automate and save time while manufacturing final goods. Each preset includes component items required to manufacture an output product. Find Manufacturing in the left-sidebar and go to Presets to create one. It’s worth a mention, that one preset can result in more than one output product.
Generating a manufacturing order
Manufacturing orders are work orders required to get started with the production of goods. Creating a manufacturing order is an easy 3-step process in HandiFox Online. Go to the left-sidebar, Manufacturing → Orders → 
.
Step 1 Choose a preset or proceed without one
Step 2 Add or edit component items
Next, you need to populate this order with information. Choose the site (location) where you are producing an item, and start/end date. After that, put the quantity to produce - the ingredients will multiply according to the selected preset. At this stage, you can also unlink the preset to change component items.
If you opt for using a preset on this order, the system will automatically calculate the maximum quantity of goods you can produce with the current QOH values of the ingredients.
While working on a manufacturing order you can consult available quantities to get the confidence that you have enough to manufacture a good or you can choose to reorder some ingredients and finish this order up later.
Once a manufacturing order has been created, the Reserved for Manufacturing and Expecting from Manufacturing quantities change.
Step 3 Start manufacturing
You can head over to production right from the manufacturing order you’ve just created, or go to Manufacturing → Orders, find the required order there and click on Man. Order in the right-most Action column.
If the manufacturing process stalls for some reason, you can save the progress and the status of this manufacturing order will change from “Not started” to “In progress”. As soon as the item is produced, the status changes to “Completed”, the output product’s and the component items’ quantities on hand get updated in the system.
Integration with QuickBooks Online
Inventory deductions after production will appear as inventory adjustments in QuickBooks Online while invoices will be pushed there seamlessly.
Using the manufacturing feature for kitting
If you sometimes sell your products as kits, you can find the manufacturing functionality of HandiFox Online very handy. Let’s say you sell office supply products as well as calligraphy starter kits. You can create a preset with the component items of a calligraphy kit and use this preset on a manufacturing order.
Wrap-up
At the start, manufacturing companies often operate under the illusion that spreadsheets or paper & pen inventory control and production management actually work for them, and hesitate to digitize processes. After a while, things start coming apart at the seams as the inability to know the exact quantities on hand in real-time and be sure that the data is accurate complicates the already complex production process. You can nip these efficiencies in the bud early by taking a trial of HandiFox Online.