A practical guide for subcontract machine shops
In February and March we ran two free webinars for manufacturers thinking about moving off spreadsheets and paper. Most of the questions were the same, so here is a summary of what we covered.
Most machine shops know they need to digitalise. In our experience, the hardest part is knowing where to start.
Three myths that hold shops back
"It's too expensive"
Digitalisation used to mean a large upfront investment. Today you can pay a monthly subscription, start with the core modules and add more as the business grows.
"It will disrupt production"
Implementation runs alongside your existing processes, in phases. You don't need to stop the shop floor to go live.
"We don't have the IT skills"
You can run Tricorn in the cloud or on your own server, and we handle the technical side either way. Training is included, and support comes from a UK team who understand manufacturing.
Start small, scale when you are ready
Most machine shops begin with a core package that covers the job from quote to invoice:
- quote management
- works orders, with job cards and travellers that can include photos
- stock control
- purchase orders
- invoicing
- records that support ISO 9001, AS9100 and IATF 16949
When you are ready, Fitfactory MES adds live machine status with Machine Monitoring, visual capacity planning with Scheduler, and digital job booking with SFDC. You can use one MES module or all three, alongside Tricorn MRP or your existing system.
What onboarding needs from you
We do the heavy lifting, but a few things on your side make the biggest difference:
- A champion who owns the project internally.
- A willingness to standardise some processes.
- Patience with a learning curve that is real but short.
Common questions
What if we are not ready?
Start with a demo. There is no commitment.
What about our existing data?
We help you migrate the data that makes sense to bring across.
How long does it take?
Most customers are fully operational within weeks.
Take the first step
Book a demo with our team. We will look at how your shop runs today and show you where to begin.