The Discrete Manufacturer’s ERP Buying Guide

12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign Anything

You’ve been running your shop on the same system for years and maybe that works for the most part. Or maybe “works” is being generous, and what you actually mean is: your team has learned to work around it.

Either way, you’re here because something is changing and growth is on the horizon. Whether that be an acquisition or the one person who knew how to pull a report dropped their two-week notice. Maybe a customer audit exposed how laggy your processes really are.

Whatever the reason, you’re now in the market for an ERP. Welcome! And if you’ve started talking to vendors, you’ve probably already noticed that they all say the same things. “Seamless.” “Scalable.” “Best-in-class.” “Trusted by thousands.”

None of that tells you whether the system will actually work on your shop floor.

That’s why we decided to put this guide together specifically for the people responsible for keeping things in motion: plant managers, operations leaders, owners. These are the people who will live with this decision long after the ERP salesperson moves on.

 

Here are 12 questions you should be asking before you sign anything.

1. Does it actually understand how we manufacture?

Not manufacturing in general, but manufacturing at your shop specifically.

There’s a meaningful difference between a system built for process manufacturers (think chemicals, food, continuous flow) and one built for discrete manufacturers (think fabricated metal parts, assemblies, work orders, BOMs, routings). If you’re a sheet metal fabricator, a job shop, or an assembly operation, you need ERP that understands work orders, routing sequences, and multi-level bills of materials.

Ask your vendor: Can you show me a live demo of a work order from quote to close, including routing and BOM management?

2. How does it handle job costing?

For most discrete manufacturers, job costing is mission-critical. You need to know, job by job, what you planned to spend and what you actually spent on material, labor, overhead, and outside processing.

A surprising number of ERP systems handle job costing poorly, or require heavy customization to get there. Find out before you buy.

Ask your vendor: Walk me through how actual vs. estimated costs are captured at the work order level. Where does that data come from, and how current is it?

3. What does shop floor data capture actually look like?

This is where a lot of ERP implementations start to lose their footing. The system might have great reporting, but if your operators can’t (or won’t) use the data entry interface on the floor, the data doesn’t get in and the reports are useless.

Ask your vendor: about the shop floor interface. Is it touchscreen-friendly? Does it work on tablets or shared terminals? Does it require logging in and out for every entry? A system your team won’t actually use is not a solution.

4. How does scheduling work and how does it handle changes?

In theory, every ERP has a scheduling module. In practice, many of them are rigid, slow to update, or require a dedicated person to manage.

Ask your vendor: When a job gets moved, a machine goes down, or a customer calls with a rush order, how long does it take the schedule to reflect reality? Can a plant manager make that change, or does it require an IT request?

5. What’s the true total cost of ownership?

The license fee is only the beginning. Ask your vendor for a full breakdown:

• Implementation and data migration
• Training (initial and ongoing)
• Annual maintenance and support fees
• Customization costs, now and in the future
• Upgrade costs, and how often upgrades happen

Many manufacturers are surprised by what implementation alone costs. Get a detailed estimate in writing, and ask what’s not included.

6. Who actually implements this? Is it the vendor or a partner?

This matters more than most people realize. A software vendor and an implementation partner are not the same thing. The partner is who will be on-site (or on calls) during the actual deployment. Their experience with your industry, their methodology, and their project management approach will determine whether your go-live is smooth or painful.

Ask your vendor: Who will be our primary point of contact during implementation? How many similar manufacturers have they implemented this system for?

7. How long does a typical implementation take, and what makes it go longer?

The honest answer to this question will tell you a lot about a vendor. If they tell you “it depends” without explaining what it depends on, that’s a yellow flag.

Common factors that extend timelines: data cleanup, customizations, integration with other systems (quality, payroll, shipping), and internal resource availability.

Ask your vendor: for a reference from a manufacturer of similar size and complexity, and for a bonus question, ask that reference what surprised them.

8. What does the integration story look like?

Your ERP doesn’t exist in isolation. You likely have other systems: a CRM, a quality management system, a shipping platform, a payroll system. Some of these integrations are standard, but others will require custom development.

Ask your vendor: Get clarity upfront on what integrates out of the box, what requires configuration, and what will require a third party.

9. What happens when something breaks?

Support is an afterthought during the buying process. It becomes a top priority at 7 AM on a Monday when the system is down before first shift.

Ask your vendor: Is support included in the maintenance fee, or is it billed separately? What are the response time SLAs? Do we get a dedicated contact, or a ticket queue? Is support handled in-house or outsourced?

10. How does the system handle growth, and what does “scalable” actually mean?

Vendors love to say their system is scalable. Press them on it. Scalable in what direction?

• More users?
• More locations or plants?
• More complex product lines or configurations?
• Higher transaction volume?

Ask your vendor: for a specific example of a customer who grew significantly after implementation and how the system supported that growth.

11. What does training look like, and how do you handle turnover?

Most ERP implementations include some upfront training. What happens when your operations manager leaves two years after go-live? Do you pay for training again? Is there a learning management system? Self-serve documentation?

Turnover is a reality in manufacturing and any good ERP partner builds for it.

12. Can we talk to someone who said no to you?

This is the question most people don’t think to ask. Every vendor has reference customers. Those references were chosen because they’re happy.

Ask for a reference from a deal that didn’t go well. For example, a customer who ran into problems, a project that went over timeline or budget. If a vendor refuses or can’t produce one, that tells you something. If they can, and that customer is honest with you about what happened and how it was resolved, that tells you something better.

 

The Bottom Line

Buying an ERP is one of the most significant operational decisions a discrete manufacturer makes. The wrong system, or the right system with the wrong partner, costs your organization more than money. It can cost time, morale, and sometimes even customers.

The questions above won’t guarantee a perfect outcome. But they’ll help you separate vendors who are selling you a system from partners who are selling you a solution.

Ready to evaluate your options? Download the free ERP Buying Guide: a printable, shareable workbook built for discrete manufacturers, with scoring worksheets, red flag checklists, and a vendor comparison framework.

 

Acuvera Tech is an Epicor Platinum Partner specializing in ERP implementation for mid-size manufacturers and distributors. We help growing companies get the most out of Epicor Kinetic and Prophet 21, from initial setup to long-term optimization. If you’re ready to see what modern ERP looks like for your operation, we’d love to talk.