How do I get each order's specs from sales to the workshop without writing them again?

2026-11-05 | Intagya ERP

The salesperson stands with the customer at the villa entrance and writes on a scrap of paper: 300 by 220, two leaves, hinges, black. Back at the office he types the figures into the quotation. In the workshop the foreman asks: does the width include the frame? The salesperson calls the customer, who says: by the way, I'd like it grey.

Nobody made a mistake. But the same spec was written four times, and each copy is slightly different from the last.

Why do specs get lost between sales, the workshop and the customer?

Because they don't live in one place. In a factory that makes every piece to order, gates, kitchens, aluminium or furniture, no two pieces are alike. The product name on a manufacturing order tells the workshop nothing. What matters is the size, the colour, the opening type and the drawing.

Every extra copy of that data is a chance for an error: two digits swapped, a colour forgotten, an old drawing still pinned to the workshop wall.

In my view the problem isn't your staff. It's that the spec is written on the quotation and then copied by hand everywhere after it. Write it once, and have everyone read it from the same place.

How do I type the specs only once?

In Intagya ERP you turn on Manufacturing to custom designs in the manufacturing settings, then build a spec template for each product category. A gate template might hold: width and height with a lowest and highest value, number of leaves, opening type, colour, build notes and an attachment for the drawing.

The salesperson then adds the gate to a quotation as usual. The line shows a Specs button with the number of fields filled, such as 0/5, and under it the missing fields by name. Nobody has to remember what to ask the customer.

If you like, the system works out the unit price from the sizes with a rule you write in the template, for example width × height ÷ 10000 × 1800 + product price. The salesperson can still change the price by hand while the order is a quotation.

Can the customer approve the sizes before I start making anything?

Yes, and this is the part that saves the most arguments. Once the specs are complete, the salesperson presses Send specs for approval and the customer gets an e-mail with a link. On the phone they see the sizes, the choices, the drawing and the files, then sign and press Approve, or press Request a change and write a note.

If the customer agreed over the phone, the salesperson presses Approve on behalf of the customer. While approval is switched on, the order cannot be confirmed before it, and a clear message says why.

After approval the order confirms itself, one manufacturing order is created for each custom product on it, and an activity goes to the person responsible for that manufacturing order. When the customer comes back a month later saying they never asked for that colour, you have their signature and the date.

How do I know how much material a one-off piece needs?

You write the rule once in the template, and the system works out the quantity for each order from its sizes. Rules use the field names themselves, in Arabic or English:

• Frame tubes = ceil( (width + height) × 2 × leaves ÷ 600 )
• Hinges = leaves × 3, only when the opening type is hinges
• Paint by colour: black adds black paint, grey adds grey paint

On the manufacturing order, a Source column shows where each line came from: from the sizes, from the bill of materials, or added by production. Production can still change any line by hand. The rule saves the arithmetic; it doesn't stop an experienced foreman from correcting it.

Start with rules for your two or three most expensive materials only, and check the results on real orders before you add the rest.

What happens when the customer changes their mind after work has started?

The change is saved as a new version, and the manufacturing order does not change by itself. This happens all the time: cutting is done, welding is under way, and the customer calls to change the colour.

A bar at the top of the manufacturing order says what changed and which stages have not started, with two buttons: Compare the two versions and Apply the new version. An activity goes to the person responsible. Applying works out the components again and cancels the lines no longer needed, such as the black paint in our example.

The decision stays with the production manager. The difference is that he makes it knowing exactly what changed.

How does the worker see the right size without paper?

From the Worker screen button on the manufacturing order or on a work order row. The screen suits a tablet: sizes in large type, the notes, the drawing, and a tab for each stage, such as cutting, welding, painting and inspection.

Each stage can have checks the worker ticks before finishing it, such as overall size matches the drawing. The Finish button stays disabled until every check is ticked, and a check that needs a photo opens the camera.

Don't put checks on everything. Put them where mistakes actually keep happening.

Is this worth it for a small factory?

If every order you take differs in size, colour or shape, yes. You need the Sales and Manufacturing apps and a bill of materials for the product. If you make standard products for stock, this option adds nothing for you, so leave it off.

The manufacturing order it creates is a normal one, so it shows on order tracking with its stages and deadline like any other. Turn the option off later and its buttons disappear, while saved specs stay.

Tomorrow, pick one product you sell often. Build its template with five or six fields, use it on your next quotation, and send the link to a customer you know well. The steps, with pictures, are in the user guide.

Manufacturing to custom designs, step by step