Machine manufacturing ERP software is a solution that integrates quotation, bill of materials, routing, capacity planning, purchasing, subcontracting, assembly, shipping, and after-sales service processes into a single system for machine manufacturers engaged in custom or mass production. The Premium package of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central includes production and service management as standard, allowing machine manufacturers to manage both manufacturing and on-site service operations on the same dataset.
According to Microsoft, production bills of materials (BOMs) represent components, routing represents operations, and work centers and machine centers model capacity and cost. Routing is fundamental to process scheduling, capacity scheduling, and material requirements timing. Routing link codes link components to specific operations, ensuring that materials are consumed when the relevant operation begins, not when the production order is opened (just-in-time feeding). Machine centers represent operators and machines; they are organized under work centers and work center groups. Each level's calendar determines gross capacity with information on working days/hours, shifts, holidays, and absences.
A production order compiles material consumption, operation time, output, and finished product receipt processes into a single document. Orders can be created individually from the Production Order page, from the Sales Order Planning screen within a sales order, or collectively via the Planning Worksheet . Consumption, output, waste, and operation time can be manually recorded in production logs, or partially automated through feeding methods (flushing) and warehouse activities.
The MPS system, run in the Planning Worksheet, calculates the master production schedule based on actual demand and demand forecasting; the MRP system calculates the material requirements at the component level. The system clarifies demand and supply, generating action messages : create a new order, change the quantity/date, or cancel the order. The Order Tracking page shows the demand-supply relationships established by planning; thus, the question "which customer order is this purchase for?" can be answered.
Business Central allows the definition of a supplier-assigned subcontracting work center ; this work center is used as an operation in the route, and the cost is determined at the route or work center level. The work center cost can be calculated based on production time or a fixed rate per unit — this is important because subcontractors often charge per unit. The Subcontracting Worksheet f