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FIG 01 · Manufacturing Software Development

Manufacturing software development for the plant floor and the ERP

Work orders, traceability, quality and OEE apps for small and mid-size manufacturers, built for the gap between your ERP and your machines.

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Production manager checking a production dashboard on a rugged tablet on the factory floor

FIG 02 · Quick answer

What is manufacturing software development?

Manufacturing software development is building custom tools for production: work orders, traceability, quality checks, maintenance and machine data. Elgrith builds MES-style apps that sit between your ERP and the shop floor, using ISA-95 levels to define each system’s job and OPC UA or MQTT to read data from new and older machines.

Work orders, quality, maintenance and machine data in one plant data model
ERP → machine
Projects delivered since 2015
1,000+
Clients across the USA, UK and India
250+
Your code, repository and IP
100%

FIG 03 · Why it matters

Most manufacturers are small. Their software should fit.

Manufacturing in numbers, from the National Association of Manufacturers (figures updated 13 Oct 2026) and the UK Office for National Statistics, read on 23 Oct 2026.

FIG 04 · ISA-95 levels

ERP vs MES: where custom software fits

ISA-95 (also published as IEC 62264) splits a manufacturing business into levels and is mostly about the line between the business systems and plant operations. This is our own plain-English summary of the levels, not the standard’s text.

ISA-95 levels, the systems that usually live there and where custom software fits
LevelWhat happens thereTypical systemsWhere custom software fits
Level 4: business planningOrders, planning, purchasing, inventory value and financeERP, MRP, accounting, CRMYour ERP plans the work but can’t see what the floor is doing: we connect it to Level 3
Level 3: manufacturing operationsDispatching work, tracking production, quality, maintenance and genealogyMES, MOM, quality and maintenance systemsNo MES fits your process, or a full MES is too big: a custom MES-style layer for the jobs you actually run
Level 2: supervisory controlWatching and supervising the process in real timeSCADA, HMI, historiansWe read data from here; we don’t replace control systems
Levels 0–1: the process and its controlsSensors, actuators and the controllers that run machinesPLCs, drives, sensorsOlder machines with no data out: edge gateways and retrofit sensors

We read machine data; changes to PLC control or safety logic stay with your controls engineers or integrator. ISA-95 is an ISA standard; get the standard itself from ISA for the full model.

ERP is the gap? ERP development

FIG 05 · What you get

Custom manufacturing software we build

Custom manufacturing software for the jobs your ERP does badly on the floor. Every module shares one plant data model, so a work order, a lot and a machine mean the same thing on the tablet, the dashboard and the ERP.

Machined steel parts and calipers in front of a tablet showing a production schedule
Manufacturing Software Development · built in-house

01

Work orders and routing

Work orders released from the ERP, routed by operation and work centre, with start, stop, scrap and quantities captured at the station.

02

Lot and batch genealogy

Which material lots went into which batch, serial or shipment, traced forwards and backwards in seconds when a customer calls.

03

Quality and SPC

Inspection plans, measurements, control charts and non-conformance records, with out-of-limit results flagged as they happen.

04

OEE dashboards

Availability, performance and quality by machine, line and shift, from machine signals rather than end-of-shift guesses.

05

Maintenance (CMMS-style)

Planned and run-hour maintenance, work requests from the floor, spare parts and the history of every asset.

06

Operator tablets

Big-button screens for gloves and noise: the job, the drawing, the checks and a way to report a stop in two taps.

07

Production scheduling

A visual schedule by machine and shift that respects capacity, changeovers and material, and pushes changes to the floor.

08

Supplier portals

Purchase orders, delivery dates, certificates and quality data from suppliers in one portal, not a shared inbox.

Deliverables

11

deliverables, in writing

Included in every build, written into your fixed quote before work starts.

FIG 06 · Machine data

Connecting machines: OPC UA, MQTT and older PLCs

Most plants mix new machines with ones that are decades old. We read data from both through edge gateways and publish it once, so every app reads the same values. We claim no membership of the OPC Foundation, OASIS or any standards body.

  • PLCs and machines
  • OPC UA servers
  • Retrofit sensors
  • Operator apps
  • OEE dashboards
  • Your ERP

  • OPC UA

    What it is
    A platform-independent, service-oriented standard for industrial data; the OPC Foundation says it was released in 2008
    How we use it
    Read tags, states and alarms from machines and controllers that expose an OPC UA server

  • MQTT 5.0 and a unified namespace

    What it is
    A light publish/subscribe messaging protocol; version 5.0 has been an OASIS Standard since 7 Mar 2019
    How we use it
    Machine events published once to a broker, organised by site, line and machine, for every app to read

  • Older PLCs and machines

    Typical source
    Controllers with older protocols, or machines with no data port at all
    Approach
    An edge gateway that translates to OPC UA or MQTT, or retrofit sensors for cycle counts and power
    IoT App Development

  • OT and IT kept apart

    Risk
    Plant networks exposed to office networks and the internet
    Approach
    Outbound-only gateways, read-only access by default and your OT team owning the plant side

  • ERP sync

    Data
    Work orders, bills of materials, routings, completions, scrap and material consumption
    Where
    Your ERP’s published APIs, in both directions
    ERP Development

FIG 07 · Decide

When ERP is enough, when MES, when a custom layer

We don’t sell MES licences, so we can tell you when you don’t need custom software at all.

05principles

  • ERP is enough

    One site, simple routings and paper on the floor that nobody needs to search. Use your ERP’s shop-floor module well.

  • An MES product fits

    Many lines, standard processes and a team ready for a long rollout. An off-the-shelf MES may be the right buy.

  • A custom layer wins

    Your process is your edge, an MES is too big or too rigid, or you need two or three jobs done well, not fifty.

  • Odoo manufacturing

    Already on Odoo? Its manufacturing apps can be extended instead of replaced.

    Odoo development

  • Budgeting ERP work too?

    What drives ERP implementation cost in 2026, item by item.

    ERP implementation cost guide

FIG 08 · Data and AI

Data, dashboards and AI on plant data

Plant data is only useful once it is clean, timestamped and joined to the work order. We build that first, then the dashboards and models on top.

04principles

  • Data pipelines

    Machine, quality and ERP data joined in one store, with time series kept at the resolution you need.

    Data engineering

  • Production dashboards

    OEE, scrap, downtime reasons and schedule adherence by line and shift, for the floor and the office.

    Data visualization

  • Predictive maintenance

    Models trained on vibration, temperature and run-hour data to flag failures early, with a person deciding on the work order.

    AI development

  • Vision checks

    Camera-based inspection for defects you can photograph, with every reject reviewed before the rule is trusted.

FIG 09 · Regulated production

Audit trails and electronic signatures for regulated plants

Food, pharma and medical device plants need records they can defend. We build audit trails and electronic signatures designed to support FDA 21 CFR Part 11; your quality team validates the system. General guidance from public sources, not legal advice; your counsel confirms what applies to you.

05principles

  • Audit trails

    Who changed what, when and why, recorded by the system and never editable by users.

  • Electronic signatures

    Signatures linked to their record, with the meaning of each signature (reviewed, approved) stored with it.

  • Access control

    Unique logins, roles by job and site, and limits on who can change recipes, specs and limits.

  • Electronic batch and device records

    Batch or device history records built from the steps operators complete, not typed up afterwards.

  • Validation support

    Requirements, test scripts and traceability documents your QA team uses in its own validation.

Need buyers as well as plant software?

Winning orders is a different job.

Websites, B2B SEO and marketing for manufacturers live on our manufacturing industry page.

Manufacturing marketing

FIG 10 · Process · 6 steps

Walk the floor, pilot one line, then scale

A free call, a fixed written quote, then sprints with a demo every week: discovery on the floor, a plant data model, a pilot on one line or one cell, and rollout. You own the code, the data and the IP.

Book a call
  1. Step 01

    Free call

    Tell us which lines, machines and systems are involved, and where work orders, quality records or machine data get lost today.

  2. Step 02

    Floor discovery

    We map how work really moves: stations, routings, checks, paper forms and which machines can share data.

  3. Step 03

    Data model and fixed quote

    One plant data model for orders, lots, machines and checks, plus a written scope and a fixed quote, before any build starts.

  4. Step 04

    Pilot line

    One line or cell built in sprints, with a demo every week and operators testing on real jobs.

  5. Step 05

    Rollout

    More lines and sites, ERP sync switched on, training for operators and supervisors, and a staged switch-over from paper.

  6. Step 06

    Support and change

    New products, new machines and new checks, covered under terms agreed in your written scope.

FIG 11 · What you get

Everything included

Written into your fixed quote, so you know exactly what you are paying for before work starts.

11items

  • Written scope and fixed quote
  • Floor process and data-flow map
  • Plant data model for orders, lots, machines and checks
  • Work order, quality, maintenance or OEE modules in scope
  • Operator tablet app
  • Machine connectivity through OPC UA or MQTT gateways
  • ERP integration through published APIs
  • Dashboards for the floor and the office
  • Audit trail and e-signatures, if in scope
  • Training and runbooks
  • IP assignment: code and data are yours

FIG 12 · Tech & tools

The tools behind the work

Proven, well-supported tools, chosen for your project and set up in accounts your business owns.

  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Node.js
  • Python
  • .NET
  • PostgreSQL
  • TimescaleDB
  • Redis
  • OPC UA
  • MQTT 5.0
  • Docker
  • REST APIs
  • Flutter
  • React Native

FIG 13 · Who it’s for

Manufacturing software for plants that make things, not slides.

Small and mid-size manufacturers in the US and UK, each with different machines, products and rules.

4 audiences

Discrete

Jobs, routings and parts you can count.

Machine shops, fabricators and assemblers who need work orders, routings and scrap captured at the station.

  • Work orders and routing
  • Operator tablets
  • OEE by machine
  • Serial tracking

FIG 14 · Working with us from the USA and UK

Built in New Delhi. Run on your hours.

Every project gets a point of contact in New York or London and an engineering team in New Delhi. Here is how today’s working days line up, live.

Three ways to work together

  1. 01

    Fixed-scope project

    A written scope, one fixed price and a dated plan. Suits websites, apps and MVPs.

  2. 02

    Dedicated team

    Designers and engineers on your roadmap every month, billed monthly.

  3. 03

    White label

    For US and UK agencies: our work, your brand, unbranded deliverables.

Every engagement

  • Fixed quote in USD, GBP or INR after a free 30-minute call
  • NDA before discovery. You own all code, designs and content
  • A working demo every sprint, not status slides
  • Reply within one business day, calls inside your hours
Book a call

Calls on ET or UK hours

FIG 15 · Rules and dates

Standards and rules that shape plant software (checked 23 Oct 2026)

The standards and rules we design from, checked on 23 Oct 2026 at their publishers’ own pages.

Standards and rules that shape plant software (checked 23 Oct 2026)
Standard or ruleWhat it coversStatusWhat it means for your software
ISA-95 (IEC 62264)How enterprise systems and plant control systems fit together, in levelsCurrent ISA standard; also published by IECClear jobs for ERP, MES and control systems, so data has one owner
OPC UAPlatform-independent exchange of industrial dataReleased 2008 (OPC Foundation)Machine tags, states and alarms read without vendor lock-in
MQTT 5.0Light publish/subscribe messaging for connected devicesOASIS Standard since 7 Mar 2019Machine events published once, read by every app
FDA 21 CFR Part 11Electronic records and electronic signatures in FDA-regulated workCurrent FDA regulationAudit trails, signatures and access controls designed to support it; your QA validates

General guidance from public sources, not legal advice; your counsel confirms what applies to you. We claim no ISA certification and no OPC Foundation, OASIS or MESA membership.

Stock, not production? Inventory management software

FIG 16 · Decide

Off-the-shelf MES vs your ERP’s shop-floor module vs a custom layer

Custom isn’t always the answer. This is how we compare the routes with you, before any quote.

Off-the-shelf MES vs your ERP’s shop-floor module vs a custom layer
Off-the-shelf MESERP shop-floor moduleCustom MES-style layer
Best forLarger plants with standard processesSimple routings on one sitePlants whose process is their edge, or who need a few jobs done well
Fit to your floorYou adapt to the productLimited to what the ERP offersBuilt around how your floor works
Code and dataThe vendor’s product; your data under their termsInside your ERP licenceYours
Main riskLong rollout and licence costOperators work around it on paperBuilding what a product already does well

Many plants end up with a hybrid: the ERP for planning and money, and custom apps for the few floor jobs that matter most.

Need a bespoke system? Custom software development

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers about Manufacturing Software Development with Elgrith.

It is software built for your own production process instead of bought as a product: work orders, routing, lot genealogy, quality checks, maintenance, OEE and operator screens, connected to your ERP and your machines. It usually covers the few jobs where a packaged system doesn’t fit how your floor works.

FIG 17 · Related

Keep exploring

All services

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Build plant software your operators actually use.

Tell us which line, record or machine causes the most pain. After a free call you get a written scope and a fixed quote, starting with one line or one cell.

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