The Engineer-to-Order World: Integrating Inventor and SyteLine
Traditional ERP systems were developed for repetitive, make-to-stock manufacturers where there is a clear line between design and production. In the Engineer-to-Order (ETO) world, such a line doesn’t exist because engineers no longer just hand-off their designs to the production team.
Typically with the engineered-to-order approach, production information and specifications constantly move between the ETO manufacturer and the customer. Critical product data like design specifications, part numbers and engineering changes are often updated several times while engineering changes might even occur as the product is in production.
ETO companies rely on their BOM to carefully manage their product data, which is created in CAD and not in the ERP. As a result of an environment where change is the norm, a seamless flow of data between design engineering (CAD) and production (ERP) is critical.
Make engineering changes in both ERP and CAD at one time.
CAD systems like AutoDesk’s Inventor focus on the unique needs of ETO companies. Especially noteworthy though is that industry leaders like Inventor (CAD) and Infor SyteLine (ERP) do not directly link with each other.
Integrated CAD-ERP software, like QBuild’s CADLink for SyteLine, changes everything.
CADLink allows ETO companies to pass data between CAD and ERP to handle engineering changes in both systems at one time. CADLink takes CAD data directly from Inventor and pushes it directly to SyteLine through a SyteLine CAD interface and SyteLine BOM import. With CADLink, engineers can also create Item Master Records and perform BOM imports directly to SyteLine and back to CAD.
As a result of integrating Inventor and SyteLine, companies can expect:
- Reduction in the number of clerical data errors
- Significant improvements in production speed, on-time shipments, and accuracy of SyteLine engineering data
- Reduced engineering costs, scrapped parts, and shop floor confusions
- Improved communication between departments
CADLink frees up your engineering staff to do more engineering and reduce your engineering costs. The less time spent inputting data across multiple platforms, the more time available for revenue producing projects and designs. CADLink is compatible with all CAD software, including AutoDesk Inventor, to guarantee identical engineering data with your shop floor.
CADLink product features include:
- Direct ERP and CAD integration
- Ability to assign critical fields such as product code, material type and unit of measure
- Live comparison lets you visually review BOM changes before committing to save
- Create item and BOM records identical to your drawings in one click
- Visual interface designed to highlight data discrepancies and automatically update both your Inventor files and SyteLine ERP data
QBuild Software is first and foremost an engineering company. Our CAD-ERP integration software was built by engineers for engineers. As a result, we pride ourselves that our software comes equipped with the features engineers need the most. The majority of implementations can be done in less than a month. CADLink training takes less than an hour!
QBuild’s CADLink software works with all of the popular systems, including SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, Inventor, Creo, Solid Edge and, of course, your ERP Infor SyteLine. Set up a free demo to see QBuild’s CADLink in action!
