Manufacturing Industry Categories And Examples

Industry categories configure the generic Manufacturing service for the tenant's actual production line. They are not separate runtime services. Users still work in Production, Inventory, Inspections, Documents, Billing, Payments, Reporting, and Accounting.

Use this page to choose terminology, examples, and setup patterns for the tenant's type of manufacturing.

Core Rule

The runtime stays generic:

Layer	Responsibility
Manufacturing Service	Enables the tenant's shared manufacturing capability.
Production Workspaces	Capture setup, planning, execution, quality, dispatch, costing, and reports.
Production Profile	Grants shared permissions for product designs, BOMs, routings, production orders, shop-floor work, and costing.
Industry Category Pack	Adds templates, terms, examples, labels, inspection plans, report presets, and default setup data for an industry.

The practical rule is: Manufacturing is the service, Production is the runtime, and industry categories configure the runtime for the tenant's type of manufacturing.

Do not create a separate Garments, Food, Plastics, Roofing, or Automotive runtime unless that industry has a genuinely unique process that cannot be represented by shared Production records.

What Category Packs Should Add

Category Pack Adds	Category Pack Should Not Add
Default product-design categories, item templates, document types, inspection plans, labels, presets.	A separate service or duplicate production order workspace.
Industry terms such as style, recipe, formulation, profile, model, assembly, grade, gauge, or finish.	Separate procurement, sales order, quotation, dispatch, billing, or costing flows.
Examples that help users understand setup and operations.	A separate production order workspace for one industry.
Category-specific report presets or dashboards.	New reports when shared Production reports can answer the same question.

Category Examples

Category	Product Design Term	BOM Meaning	Routing Examples	Special Setup Examples
Apparel/Garments	Style, size/color variant	Fabric, trims, thread, label, package	Cutting, sewing, branding, QC, packing	Size/color matrix, measurement specs, bundle labels.
Food Processing	Recipe, SKU, pack size	Ingredients, packaging, additives	Mix, cook, cool, pack, label, inspect	Shelf-life, batch expiry, allergen checks, yield variance.
Plastics/Rubber	Product design, mold profile	Resin, colorant, additive, packaging	Mix, mold/extrude, trim, inspect, pack	Mold/tool references, regrind, machine setup parameters.
Fabricated Metal	Design, drawing, grade	Steel, fasteners, paint, consumables	Cut, bend, weld, grind, paint, inspect	Material grade, drawing revision, dimensional inspection.
Roofing	Profile, gauge, coating, length	Coil, coating, packaging	Slit, roll-form, cut, stack, inspect, pack	Gauge/profile defaults, length tolerance, coil traceability.
Furniture/Wood Products	Design, finish, size	Timber, board, hardware, finish	Cut, join, sand, finish, assemble, inspect	Cut lists, finish templates, joinery quality checks.
Automotive/Assembly	Model, trim, assembly	Components, kits, subassemblies	Stage, assemble, test, inspect, serialize	Serial traceability, staged gates, component genealogy.
Machinery/Equipment	Machine model, build tier	Assemblies, controls, manuals, spares	Fabricate, assemble, wire, test, commission	ETO release, commissioning packs, serial handover.
Primary Metals	Grade, heat profile	Scrap, alloying inputs, flux	Charge, melt, cast, roll, heat treat, lab QC	Heat traceability, chemistry tests, mill certificates.
Nonmetallic Minerals	Mix design, grade	Aggregate, cement, clay, additives	Weigh, mix, form, cure, kiln, inspect, pack	Strength tests, cure/kiln controls, batch certificates.
Custom Manufacturing	Tenant design, configuration	Tenant materials and components	Prepare, make, inspect, sign off, dispatch	Customer specs, revisions, trace packets, handover gates.

Form Reference

Use these form explanations when training users. Industry categories may rename labels, but the underlying meaning should remain the same.

Form Or Workspace	What The User Captures	Good Examples
Product Design Category	The grouping for production-ready designs.	School Uniforms, Bakery Products, Water Tanks, Roofing Sheets, Metal Gates, Furniture.
Product Design	The sellable or makeable design, style, recipe, model, profile, or assembly.	Green Valley Shirt, 500g Bread Loaf, 1,000L Tank, 28 Gauge IBR Sheet, Sliding Gate.
Product Design Variants	Controlled differences that change material, routing, pricing, label, or output.	Size, color, fabric, flavor, pack size, gauge, length, finish, model trim.
Stock Item Category	Inventory accounting and stock grouping for raw materials, WIP, finished goods, consumables, and packaging.	Fabric, Ingredients, Resin, Steel, Finished Uniforms, Finished Bread, Finished Roofing.
Stock Item	The actual material, component, WIP item, finished good, packaging item, or consumable tracked in Inventory.	White Fabric, Wheat Flour, HDPE Resin, Steel Coil, Buttons, Bread Wrapper, Paint.
BOM	The materials, components, packaging, scrap allowance, yield assumptions, and quantity basis needed to produce one output.	Fabric meters per shirt size, flour per loaf batch, resin per tank, coil meters per sheet.
Routing	The operation sequence, input/output stock status, resource requirements, time assumptions, and quality gates.	Cutting -> Sewing -> QC, Mixing -> Baking -> Cooling, Extrusion -> Cutting -> Packing.
Resource Type	The class of constrained resource used in routing or execution.	Work Center, Production Line, Machine, Tool, Mold, Labor Pool, Oven, Welding Bay.
Resource	The actual resource used by production work.	Sewing Line 1, Bakery Oven 2, Injection Molder A, Roll Former 1, Welding Bay East.
Quality Standard	The inspection definitions used during operation or finished-goods checks.	Measurement tolerance, allergen check, leak test, coating thickness, weld quality.
Quotation	The commercial offer before confirmed demand.	Quoted quantity, product design, variant, unit price, delivery date, terms.
Sales Order	Confirmed customer demand that can drive MRP and production planning.	Customer, product, quantity, variant, due date, delivery location, linked quotation.
Production Planning / MRP Run	The planning scope used to calculate shortages and suggestions.	Business unit, horizon, warehouse, item scope, include sales orders, include reorder points.
Procurement	Missing material or component purchases created after planning review.	Supplier, material, quantity, expected date, price, receiving location.
Material Receipt	Accepted inbound materials received into stock.	Received fabric rolls, flour bags, resin sacks, steel coils, packaging cartons.
Production Order	The planned or released factory work to make finished output.	Product design, quantity, due date, BOM, routing, location, production line, priority.
Shop Floor	Operation-level execution, scans, material issue, partial completion, scrap, rework, and handoff.	Start cutting, complete batch, move to QC, record scrap, rework failed pieces.
Quality Control	Inspection evidence and disposition for WIP or finished output.	Pass, fail, hold, rework, reject, sample size, defect category, measurements.
Dispatch	Approved finished goods released to the customer or next location.	Packed quantity, delivery note, shipment date, customer, carrier, destination.
Billing	Customer invoice, deposit application, and payment follow-up after commercial or delivery readiness.	Invoice confirmed uniforms, bread supply order, roofing dispatch, metal gate delivery.
HR Payroll	Employee labour settlement after production operator bookings are reviewed.	Cutting, sewing, branding, QC, or packing operator earnings paid through payroll.
Production Costing	Material, labor, machine, overhead, scrap, rework, WIP, finished goods, payroll handoff, and variance review.	Standard vs actual material, labor absorption, scrap cost, rework cost, production variance.

School Uniform Manufacturing Example

This example uses the Apparel/Garments category pack, but the work remains in shared Production.

Scenario

Order Detail	Example
Customer	Green Valley Primary School
Products	Short-sleeve shirt, tunic, skirt, trouser, sweater
Variants	Size 24 to 40, navy blue, white, school-logo embroidery
Delivery	600 pieces before term opening
Controls	Fabric issue, cutting, sewing, branding, QC, packing

Setup Forms

Form	Example Setup
Product Design Category	School Uniforms, Shirts, Skirts, Trousers, Sweaters
Product Design	Green Valley Shirt, Green Valley Tunic, Green Valley Trouser
Variants	Size, color, gender, sleeve type, logo placement
Stock Items	White fabric, navy fabric, thread, buttons, zippers, elastic, labels, packaging, finished shirt, finished tunic
BOM	Fabric meters, buttons, thread, label, packaging, normal waste allowance
Routing	Cutting, sewing, branding, quality control, packing
Quality Standards	Measurement tolerance, stitching defects, logo position, stain checks, packing accuracy
Labels	SKU label, bundle label, carton label, delivery label

Example BOM

Component	Quantity Basis	Notes
White fabric	Meter per shirt size	Size-based consumption can vary by variant.
Thread	Standard quantity per garment	Can be rounded by batch.
Buttons	Count per shirt	Include spare or wastage allowance.
School label	One per garment	Printed or woven label.
Packaging sleeve	One per finished garment	Used at packing or dispatch.

Example Routing

Step	Operation	Input Status	Output Status	Production Meaning
1	Cutting	Raw Material	Cut WIP	Issue fabric to WIP and cut panels by size/color.
2	Sewing	Cut WIP	Sewn WIP	Assemble panels, collars, cuffs, zippers, or buttons.
3	Branding	Sewn WIP	Branded WIP	Apply embroidery, print, heat press, or school badge.
4	Quality Control	Branded WIP	QC Accepted	Inspect measurements, stitching, stains, and branding placement.
5	Packing	QC Accepted	Finished Good	Pack approved garments into bags, bundles, cartons, or dispatch.

Operating Flow

1. Create a quotation from Production -> Operations -> Quotations.
2. Confirm the demand in Production -> Operations -> Sales Orders.
3. Run MRP in Production -> Operations -> Production Planning.
4. Review shortages for fabric, trims, labels, thread, and packaging.
5. Create procurement actions for missing materials.
6. Receive materials through Production -> Operations -> Material Receipts or Inventory receiving.
7. Create and release production orders for confirmed uniform demand.
8. Reserve machines, work centers, or labor pools where capacity planning is enabled.
9. Track cutting, sewing, branding, QC, and packing from Shop Floor or Production Orders.
10. Record scrap, rework, rejected pieces, and approved output.
11. Dispatch approved uniforms to the school.
12. Invoice through Billing, apply the customer deposit, and collect any remaining balance.
13. Review operator labour evidence and complete employee payout through HR Payroll and Payments.
14. Review material usage, labor, overhead, scrap, rework, and variance in Production Costing.
15. Run reporting checks for customer, stock, production, payroll, and GL reconciliation.

For the full school-uniform order closeout from variants through payroll, see Production Order To Dispatch, Billing, And Payroll.

Food Processing Example

Use this pattern for bakeries, dairy processors, grain mills, beverage bottlers, and packaged food manufacturers.

Area	Bread Loaf Example
Product Design	500g White Bread Loaf
Variants	500g, 700g, sliced, unsliced, branded wrapper
BOM	Flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil, water, wrapper, label
Routing	Mixing -> Proofing -> Baking -> Cooling -> Slicing -> Packing -> QC
Quality Controls	Weight check, bake color, foreign matter check, expiry label, allergen validation
Planning	Demand by delivery route, branch, school contract, supermarket order
Costing	Ingredient yield, batch loss, energy, labor, packaging, expiry write-off

Food category packs should add recipe terminology, expiry/shelf-life prompts, batch labels, allergen checks, and food-safety inspection templates. The production order, MRP, receipt, QC, dispatch, and costing flow stays generic.

Plastics Or Rubber Example

Use this pattern for tanks, buckets, packaging containers, rubber products, and molded parts.

Area	Water Tank Example
Product Design	1,000L Vertical Water Tank
Variants	Color, capacity, wall thickness, outlet type
BOM	HDPE resin, colorant, additive, outlet fitting, cap, label
Routing	Material prep -> Molding -> Cooling -> Trimming -> Leak Test -> Packing
Resource Setup	Mold, rotational molder, cooling area, trimming station, leak-test bay
Quality Controls	Wall thickness, leak test, color match, weight check, fitting inspection
Costing	Resin consumption, cycle time, energy, regrind/scrap, mold usage cost

Plastics category packs should add formulation and mold/tool references, but routing operations and WIP statuses should still be configurable through generic Production setup.

Fabricated Metal Example

Use this pattern for gates, doors, frames, tanks, steel structures, brackets, and fabricated components.

Area	Sliding Gate Example
Product Design	4m Steel Sliding Gate
Variants	Height, width, material grade, finish, motor-ready option
BOM	Square tube, sheet metal, hinges, rollers, welding rods, primer, paint
Routing	Cut -> Bend -> Weld -> Grind -> Paint -> Final Inspection
Resource Setup	Cutting machine, welding bay, paint booth, fabrication team
Quality Controls	Dimension check, weld quality, coating finish, movement test
Costing	Steel usage, consumables, labor, machine time, paint, rework

Metal category packs should add material-grade prompts, drawing revision fields, and dimensional inspection templates. They should not introduce separate sales order, procurement, production order, or dispatch logic.

Primary Metals Example

Use this pattern for steel mills, foundries, rolling mills, alloy lines, and heat-controlled primary metal production.

Area	Steel Coil Heat Example
Product Design	Alloy Heat Coil
Variants	Alloy grade, heat number, coil size, temper
BOM	Scrap charge, alloying inputs, flux, labels, mill certificate pack
Routing	Charge -> Melt -> Cast -> Roll -> Heat Treat -> Lab QC
Resource Setup	Furnace, caster, mill stand, lab, certificate pack area
Quality Controls	Chemistry, yield strength, hardness, heat trace, certificate check
Costing	Charge mix, energy, consumables, lab testing, scrap yield

Primary-metal category packs should add alloy and heat tracking, certificate prompts, lab QC, and traceability assets. They should not create separate manufacturing runtime paths.

Nonmetallic Minerals Example

Use this pattern for concrete products, blocks, pavers, precast, ceramics, glass products, aggregates, and other mineral manufacturing.

Area	Concrete Paver Batch Example
Product Design	C25 Interlocking Concrete Paver
Variants	Strength class, color, shape, thickness, surface finish
BOM	Aggregate, cement, sand, pigment, water, additive, pallet wrap
Routing	Weigh -> Mix -> Form -> Cure -> Strength Test -> Pack
Resource Setup	Batching scale, mixer, press/forming machine, curing yard, lab
Quality Controls	Moisture, water-cement ratio, cure duration, strength, surface QC
Costing	Cement and aggregate usage, rejects, energy, curing space, labor

Nonmetallic-minerals category packs should add mix design and strength terminology, cure/kiln controls, batch labels, strength certificates, and traceability reports. They should not create separate production, inventory, inspection, costing, or dispatch flows.

Custom Manufacturing Example

Use this pattern for tenants whose manufacturing does not fit one fixed industry pack, or for mixed factories that need a safe starter configuration before more specialized templates are added.

Area	Customer-Specific Product Example
Product Design	Tenant-Defined Configured Product
Variants	Customer specification, revision, finish, size, certificate need
BOM	Raw material, purchased components, made components, packaging
Routing	Prepare -> Make -> Inspect -> Customer Signoff -> Pack
Resource Setup	Tenant work center, machine, labor pool, test fixture, handover bay
Quality Controls	Trace packet, critical dimension, process value, customer signoff
Costing	Material usage, labor, overhead, rework, project or order variance

Custom-manufacturing category packs should add tenant-defined terminology, configuration/revision prompts, generic QC templates, handover documents, and report presets. They should remain a starter overlay for shared Production rather than a second router or separate runtime.

Roofing Example

Use this pattern for roll-forming, roofing sheets, gutters, flashings, and sheet-metal profiles.

Area	Roofing Sheet Example
Product Design	IBR Roofing Sheet
Variants	Gauge, color, coating, length, profile
BOM	Steel coil, coating/paint where applicable, packaging, labels
Routing	Coil issue -> Roll forming -> Cutting -> Stacking -> QC -> Packing
Resource Setup	Roll-forming line, slitter, cutting station, packing area
Quality Controls	Gauge, length tolerance, profile accuracy, coating defect checks
Costing	Coil consumption, yield loss, machine time, scrap, packaging

Roofing category packs should add gauge/profile defaults, coil traceability, and length tolerance templates.

Furniture Or Wood Products Example

Use this pattern for furniture, cabinetry, timber products, and joinery workshops.

Area	Office Desk Example
Product Design	Two-Drawer Office Desk
Variants	Size, board thickness, finish, handle type
BOM	Board, edge banding, drawer runners, screws, glue, varnish, carton
Routing	Cutting -> Edge Banding -> Drilling -> Assembly -> Finishing -> QC
Resource Setup	Panel saw, edge bander, drill press, assembly bench, spray booth
Quality Controls	Dimension check, finish quality, drawer movement, packaging check
Costing	Board yield, hardware, labor, finishing materials, rework

Furniture category packs should add cut-list templates, finish options, joinery QC, and packaging presets.

Automotive Or Assembly Example

Use this pattern for component assembly, equipment assembly, vehicle accessories, and multi-stage assemblies.

Area	Motorcycle Carrier Assembly Example
Product Design	Rear Motorcycle Carrier
Variants	Model compatibility, finish, mounting kit
BOM	Tubes, brackets, bolts, mounting kit, paint, label
Routing	Subassembly -> Welding -> Surface Prep -> Painting -> Final Assembly
Resource Setup	Welding bay, paint booth, assembly station, test fixture
Quality Controls	Fitment, weld quality, coating, torque check, serial label
Traceability	Component lots, finished serial number, inspection gate history

Assembly category packs should add serial/lot genealogy, stage gates, model/trim terminology, and traceability presets where needed.

Reports And Dashboard Presets

Use shared Production reports and dashboards across all categories:

Report Or Dashboard Area	What To Check
Production Planning	MRP run summary, material shortages, supply suggestions, and exceptions.
Dispatch Schedule	Which orders or operation lines are ready for release, QC, packing, or dispatch.
WIP And Output	Units by operation, status, work center, resource, order, or business unit.
Production Cost Variance	Expected vs actual material, labor, overhead, scrap, and rework cost.
Quality Reports	Defects, failed inspections, holds, rework reasons, and approval history.
General Dashboard Production	Production orders, WIP aging, MRP exceptions, QC/rework, dispatch readiness.

Suggested presets:

Category	Useful Presets
Apparel	School Uniform Orders, Cutting Queue, Sewing WIP, Branding Pending, QC Holds.
Food Processing	Today's Batches, Expiry Risk, Ingredient Shortages, Packaging Shortages.
Plastics/Rubber	Mold Schedule, Resin Shortages, Leak-Test Failures, Scrap/Regrind Review.
Fabricated Metal	Welding Queue, Paint Booth Queue, Dimensional Failures, Steel Shortages.
Roofing	Coil Balance, Roll-Forming Queue, Length Tolerance Failures, Dispatch Ready.
Furniture	Cut List Queue, Finishing Queue, Hardware Shortages, Assembly Rework.
Assembly	Stage Gate Holds, Serial Traceability, Component Shortages, Final Test Holds.
Custom	Order Readiness, Traceability, Quality Blockers, Customer Handover.

User Guidance

• Use Product Design for what users may call a style, model, formulation, recipe, profile, assembly, or design.
• Use Operation-Item Characteristics for configurable option axes such as size, color, flavor, grade, length, finish, pack size, or trim.
• Use Product Design Variants for valid operation-item characteristic combinations that change BOM, routing, price, label, or stock identity.
• Use BOM for what must be consumed.
• Use Routing for the real operation sequence and WIP handoff.
• Use Resources for constrained work centers, machines, tools, molds, lines, ovens, booths, and labor pools.
• Use Production Orders for planned and released manufacturing work.
• Use Shop Floor for execution, partial completions, scrap, rework, and scans.
• Use Inspection Records for quality evidence.
• Use Inventory for raw materials, WIP movements, finished goods, and stock balances.
• Use Billing for invoices and payments. Production should not create a separate receivables ledger.
• Use category terminology to make screens familiar, but keep the underlying records in the shared Production runtime.