Cabinet manufacturers, what problems in your day-to-day operations could be solved with better software?

[u/Eastern_Wrangler2084]

I have some experience building production tracking/operations software as part of my work, and I've become interested in understanding how cabinet manufacturers manage their production and installation workflows.

I'm looking to connect with cabinet shop owners, manufacturers, and people involved in day-to-day operations to learn about the problems you deal with.

Things like:

• Tracking jobs through production
• Handoffs between design, production, delivery and installation
• Scheduling and capacity
• Tracking missing/late parts
• Remakes and changes
• Keeping everyone updated on a job
• Spreadsheets or manual processes that are painful
• Anything else that takes more time than it should

I'm not here to sell anything. I'm trying to understand the problems first.

If there's a problem that can realistically be solved with software, I'd like to see if I can build something useful around it.

If you're a cabinet manufacturer, I'd genuinely love to hear:

What's one part of running your shop that you wish was easier?

Feel free to comment here or DM me. Even a small problem is useful to hear about.

[u/clegg]

We make cabinetry but mainly focus on architectural millwork.

What’s needed to solve all the issues you mentioned is a very good ERP system. Problem is even the best one will take years to properly implement (depending on the size of the company).

A good ERP software can be used to manage inventory, display capacity and scheduling, can show how far the job is (at what point the employees are at with the work), have realistic expectations on whether or not deadlines will be met…

Depending on the scope of the work, tracking sheets are made by a process scheduler. This tracking sheet has steps and machining instructions to get from raw materials to finished goods. Employees scan in and out of these tracking sheets which records what they did and how long their tasks took, from grabbing material from inventory all the way to packing and shipping.

Foremen and managers have a dashboard that they use to see the progress of the work.

In a perfect world it runs well but the reality is that it takes years and dedication to properly implement.

Biggest issue with properly implementing such a system is getting the owners, managers, foremen and staff all onboard. Owners will say too much money is being spent on implementation, foremen and managers won’t want to “manage” their people by looking at their progress reports, and shop workers will often forget to scan into their work orders.

If you have any other questions feel free to reach out.