Manufacturing and Production

Comprehensive Manufacturing functions and processes supported by Planning and Scheduling, Bills of Materials functions and Abel’s Financials.

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Manufacturing

Abel’s manufacturing functionality supports a wide range of production processes, giving you the flexibility to manage everything from simple assembly to complex, multi-stage manufacturing. Abel gives you the tools for planning, scheduling, costing, and reporting. With integrated planning, Bills of Materials, and real-time financials, Abel helps you streamline operations, reduce waste, and respond quickly to changing demand.

Core Features

Flexible Manufacturing Documents Choose from a range of manufacturing processes to suit your operational needs, including Make to Order (MTO) for Customers, Make to Stock (MTS), Assemble-to-Order (ATO), External Manufacturing, Production Orders (process one raw material into multiple finished products), Jobbing, Shop Orders (group multiple manufactures together), and Make Orders (simple manufacture or disassembly).
Work Centre Scheduling Schedule jobs with clear visibility of start, due, and required by dates across work centres.
Factory Floor Touch Screens Use Windows® touch screens for daily job lists, material consumption, job status, label printing, drawings, and file attachments.
Mobile Warehouse App Process real-time stock movements and manufacturing closes directly from the warehouse or factory floor using Android® handheld devices.
Flexible Costing Methods Choose from average, standard, or batch tracked costing to suit your financial reporting needs.
Real-Time Work in Progress (WIP) Track materials, labour, and overheads in real time for accurate WIP management.
Comprehensive Reporting Plan, budget, and compare actuals with variance reporting to support decision-making.
Multi-Level Bill of Materials (BOMs) Manage complex assemblies with multi-level Bills of Materials, BOM versioning, and BOM options.

External Manufacturing

Abel supports external manufacturing processes carried out by third-party providers. Whether you’re sending your materials, or storing materials off-site, Abel gives you the tools to manage external operations with full visibility and control.

Core Features

Off-Site Processing Send materials off-site and capture the value of added services performed externally.
Flexible Stock Consumption Use your own stock or the external manufacturer’s stock, depending on your process.
Service & Material Tracking Track service charges and materials sent to external manufacturers.
Off-Site Storage & Consumption Store materials off-site and consume them on demand as needed.
Integrated Scheduling Include external manufactures in scheduling processes and group them in Shop Orders with related manufactures for coordinated planning and management.

Shop Orders

Abel’s Shop Order functionality is designed for high-volume or complex production runs – especially where machine capacity is a limiting factor. Whether you’re blending, batching, or assembling, Shop Orders give you the control and visibility to plan, execute, and monitor large-scale manufacturing with ease.

Core Features

Lot Size Management Break down large production runs into manageable lot sizes that align with plant or machinery capacity.
Bulk Raw Material Staging Stage raw materials in bulk for multiple manufacturing jobs under a single Shop Order.
Pre-Production Planning Plan large-scale manufacturing as a single line item, then split into lot sizes just before execution.
Material Availability Overview View raw material availability across all manufacturing jobs within the Shop Order to inform planning and management of materials.
Centralized Document Visibility Monitor the status of all related manufacturing documents from one screen.

Rework

Abel’s Rework functionality helps manufacturers manage jobs that require correction, reprocessing, or quality assurance. Whether it’s a returned item, a production error, or a quality issue, Abel ensures that rework is properly tracked, costed, and authorized before completion.

Core Features

Rework Cost Capture Record all costs associated with rework jobs, including parts, labour, and overhead.
Serial and Batch Tracking Trace item history through serial and batch movements to identify issues and support traceability processes.
Quality Check and Release Apply quality control processes and authorize completion before reworked items are returned to stock or delivered.

Shortage Management

Abel’s Shortage Management features help manufacturers identify and resolve material shortages before they impact production. With real-time visibility, Abel ensures you can respond quickly, adjust plans, and keep your operations moving.

Core Features

Abel helps planners and controllers manage shortages across locations, jobs, and inventory types:

Advance Shortage Visibility View potential shortages of materials for manufacturing jobs ahead of time.
Real-Time Demand-Driven Data Use shortage information from manufacturing documents to inform decision-making.
Focused Exception Management Focus on areas of concern without needing to review the full workstream each time.
Confirmed vs Unconfirmed Orders View all purchase orders, or filter to exclude on-time confirmed orders and focus on those needing follow-up.
Shortage Reporting View shortages by job, item, or location to understand impact and urgency.
Shortage Filters Filter shortage lists by manufacturing branch, inventory type, or keyword for targeted analysis.
Linked Document Visibility See which jobs, orders, or manufacturing documents are affected by shortages.
Cross-Team Visibility View key dates and shortage insights across sales, purchasing, and planning teams to improve coordination and response.
Multi-Location Shortage Tracking Monitor material shortages across warehouses with consolidated views for better oversight and planning.

Stock Movements for Manufacturing

Abel provides stock movement processes that align with your manufacturing workflows. From staging raw materials to replenishing supplies, Abel helps you manage inventory with precision and efficiency.

Core Features

Staging Divide raw materials into lot sizes ahead of manufacturing to streamline production flow and to meet capacity constraints, for example mixer size in a blending process.
Picking Gather materials from warehouses and bins in preparation for manufacturing, ensuring the right components are ready when needed.
Replenishing Replace raw materials and packaging in their original staging or picking locations to maintain production flow and avoid delays.

Weighing and Dispensing

Abel provides specialized processes for accurate, traceable handling of weighed and dispensed raw materials – ideal for blending, batching, and other manufacturing processes.

Core Features

Warehouse and Factory Integration

Abel works with a range of supported devices and interfaces that integrate with your warehouse operations and factory floor processes to help improve efficiency and reduce manual work.

Core Features

Touchscreens Use Windows® touch screens on the production line or warehouse floor for job management, daily job lists, record material consumption, job status, print labels, and access drawings and attachments.
Mobile Warehouse Integration Process real-time stock movements and manufacturing closes directly from the warehouse or factory floor using Android® handheld devices.
Material Usage & Traceability Record material usage in real time for traceability and compliance.
Inline Scanners Scan barcodes during production to trigger part closes, and record material usage automatically.
Scale Interfaces Connect desk or floor scales to Abel to capture weights and generate labels.
Forklift Integration Equip forklifts with touchscreens to support warehouse operations such as stock movements, picking, and staging.
Pallet Management Track and manage pallet movements and contents throughout the manufacturing and warehouse processes.
Label Design and Printing Software Integration Use supported third-party labelling software to format and print labels using data from Abel.

Production Orders

Abel’s Production Orders are designed for manufacturing processes that produce multiple outputs from a single input — ideal for industries that process primary produce or raw materials into a range of finished goods. With full traceability and flexible costing, Abel helps you manage complex production processes with confidence.

Core Features

Multi-Output Processing Produce many outputs from one input, with expected yields and cost distribution.
Primary Produce Processing Manage processes that convert one raw material into multiple finished goods.
Batch Tracking Maintain full traceability by passing the batch number of the input through to all related finished goods.
Cost Allocation Split costs across multiple finished goods based on yield, value, or other configurable rules and allow for wastage.

Make Orders

Abel’s Make Orders offer a fast and flexible way to manage simple manufacturing tasks. Whether you’re assembling products, converting items, or dismantling stock, Make Orders help you stay productive and in control.

Core Features

Tracking Dual Inventory Track both consumed and produced items in each Make Order for full visibility of your manufacturing flow.
Dismantling Capability Break down inventory items into individual parts for reuse, resale, or reprocessing.
Item Conversion Easily transform one inventory item into another, ideal for repackaging, rebranding, or product updates.
Optional BOM Integration Optionally define components using Bills of Materials (for structured, repeatable cases).

AspectPL® Interface

Abel interfaces with AspectPL, an advanced Manufacturing Execution System (MES), designed to give manufacturers greater control, visibility, and efficiency across their production operations.

Core Features

Send Jobs & Schedule data Abel pushes job details and production schedule data directly to AspectPL, for scheduling within AspectPL.
Capture Start & End Times AspectPL sends actual machine start and finish times back to Abel, improving scheduling accuracy, informing material date required, and providing operational insights.
Job Performance to Plan AspectPL monitors and interprets machine speeds and performance metrics, providing visibility of a job as it runs, and if it is going to finish on time.
Track Completions AspectPL sends completion counts back to Abel for accurate production tracking and inventory management.
Full Process Visibility Monitor jobs, machines, and production progress in AspectPL as it happens.
Smarter Decision-Making Use accurate, up-to-date production data to reduce waste, improve throughput, and respond to change more quickly.