Sound familiar?
These are the calls, checks and workarounds that fill the day. Open a problem to see where software can help.
Stock↘
The ERP says it’s there. The godown says it isn’t.+
Material leaves the rack for an urgent job, but the entry happens later. Sales quotes stock that has already moved.
What we can build
Record receipts, issues and transfers where they happen, with a quick scan and the person responsible.
Nobody trusts the stock figure without counting it.+
Part-used bundles, returns and cutting losses leave a gap between the books and the floor. The annual stocktake becomes a shutdown.
What we can build
Count small sections regularly, compare actual quantities with recorded stock and review each adjustment.
There’s a usable offcut. Somewhere.+
A 6-metre bar is cut for an order. The remaining length goes back on a rack without a label, and the next job opens a fresh bar.
What we can build
Give the remnant its own length, grade, heat number and location. Show suitable leftovers when planning the next cut.
The calculated weight and scale weight don’t match.+
The order is in pieces, stock is in kilograms and billing follows the agreed weight basis. One quantity field cannot explain all three.
What we can build
Keep pieces, theoretical weight, actual weight and invoice weight separately. Flag differences against your agreed tolerances.
That stock was already promised to someone else.+
The system shows 100 tonnes on hand. It does not make it obvious that 85 tonnes are committed or that part of the balance is on QC hold.
What we can build
Show on-hand, reserved, QC hold, incoming and available quantities separately before anyone confirms a delivery.
Sales↘
The margin looks fine—until you buy the next lot.+
Yesterday’s purchase cost makes today’s quote look profitable. Replacing that stock at the current metal rate tells a different story.
What we can build
Show historical cost and estimated replacement cost separately, including conversion, freight and the margin you need.
The customer accepts an old quote after rates move.+
A quote stays in a WhatsApp chat for two weeks. Copper moves, but the customer expects the original price.
What we can build
Put agreed validity and price-basis terms on the quote. Require a fresh rate check when it expires or its price conditions change.
Every price needs a call to the owner.+
Sales waits while someone checks the base rate, conversion charge, freight and discount in a spreadsheet.
What we can build
Give the team an approved price calculator, customer terms and a clear route for below-margin or special-rate approvals.
What rate did we give this customer last time?+
Different customers have different terms. The last agreed rate is buried in a salesperson’s phone or an old Excel file.
What we can build
Keep quotation history, discounts and payment terms against the customer, with a clear distinction between old rates and current offers.
“Same material as last year.” Which order was that?+
The customer remembers the job, but not the grade, size or quotation number. Your team searches messages one by one.
What we can build
Find past RFQs, quotations, POs and invoices by customer, product and dimensions. Confirm the specification before reordering.
Dealers call all day for stock and rates.+
The same availability and price questions interrupt your team while serious enquiries wait for a reply.
What we can build
Give approved dealers a login for their prices, available stock, orders and documents. Keep sensitive rates private to each account.
The exhibition ends. The leads disappear.+
Business cards become a spreadsheet. Product interest and follow-up promises are forgotten before anyone calls back.
What we can build
Scan cards, review the details, tag the event and requirement, assign an owner and track follow-ups through to quotations and orders.
Quality↘
Which heat did this bundle come from?+
A coil is slit, cut, repacked or sent for processing. The original heat number must still follow the material to the customer.
What we can build
Keep parent-to-child batch links through every split, processing step and dispatch, so a quality query can be traced both ways.
The material is ready. The MTC is missing.+
Someone searches emails and folders for the mill test certificate while the vehicle waits. A similar grade is not the same heat.
What we can build
Link reviewed certificates to the correct heat and batch at receipt. Check that the right documents are attached before dispatch.
Purchasing↘
Three vendor quotes. Three different formats.+
One rate includes freight. Another has different payment terms. Someone copies every line into Excel before a comparison is possible.
What we can build
Extract quote lines for review and compare material, taxes, freight, delivery and payment terms on a consistent basis.
The material shortage appears when production starts.+
An incoming PO looks like enough stock until existing reservations and a delayed supplier are taken into account.
What we can build
Compare job requirements with usable stock and confirmed incoming material. Give purchase a dated shortage list before the job starts.
Production↘
Good output, scrap, offcuts. Where did the rest go?+
Metal keeps its value after cutting. Without a record of returns, rejects and scrap, the loss is hard to explain.
What we can build
Reconcile input weight with finished output, reusable remnants and scrap by job and grade. Investigate the unexplained balance.
We know the order is late. We don’t know why.+
The delay could be material, a machine, inspection, an approval or transport. Everything ends up labelled ‘production delay’.
What we can build
Record when work stops and why. Give the owner an exception view that shows what is waiting and who can move it forward.
Only one person knows how this job is done.+
Settings, drawings and workarounds live in someone’s memory. When that person is away, the team has to guess or wait.
What we can build
Keep approved instructions, drawing revisions, photos and past issues against the product and process, available at the workstation.
One urgent order throws off the whole schedule.+
A rush job goes in first. The effect on other delivery promises, machine time and material availability is worked out afterwards.
What we can build
Review the jobs and commitments affected before changing priorities. Use capacity estimates as planning guidance, with a manager making the decision.
Dispatch↘
The weighbridge slip gets typed in twice.+
The scale prints a slip, dispatch enters it and accounts enters it again. A mistyped digit travels all the way to the invoice.
What we can build
Where the scale supports it, capture gross, tare and net weight against the vehicle and order, with a review for exceptions.
“Dispatch hua? LR bhejo. Truck number?”+
Customers keep calling because they cannot see what has happened. Sales becomes the messenger between the customer and dispatch.
What we can build
Share approved order updates, transporter details and LR documents through a portal or consent-based WhatsApp notifications.
See how the pieces fit together.
Detailed examples of quotations, stock traceability, dispatch and more.
Explore the breakdownsOr tell us what your team is dealing with