Manufacturing
Get engineering data into your ERP without re-keying it.
We connect CAD and PLM systems such as SolidWorks, Inventor, Windchill and Creo to your ERP, so released BOMs, part numbers and drawings reach purchasing and production automatically.
The short answer
How do you get a CAD or PLM bill of materials into an ERP automatically?
You trigger the transfer from the engineering release, not from someone remembering to do it. When a design is released, an integration reads the BOM, part numbers, revisions and drawing files, checks them against your ERP item master, creates or updates the records, and sends anything it cannot match to a named person to resolve.
Where it breaks
Where this usually goes wrong.
BOMs typed twice
Engineering exports a BOM to Excel and someone in purchasing or production types it into the ERP. Every re-key is a chance to get a quantity or revision wrong.
Drawings hunted down by hand
Buyers and the floor chase the latest PDF, DXF or STEP file by email because the ERP does not know where it lives.
Revisions out of sync
A part changes in CAD, but the ERP still holds the old revision, so the wrong version gets bought or built.
New parts stall
New part numbers wait for someone to create them in the ERP before purchasing can quote or order.
How it works
How it works on the Microsoft Power Platform.
01
Release triggers the flow
The integration starts when engineering releases a design or a change, using the CAD or PLM system's API or a watched PDM vault folder.
02
Read the engineering data
BOM lines, part numbers, descriptions, quantities, revisions and attached files are read and normalised.
03
Match to the ERP
Each line is checked against the ERP item master. Existing items are updated, new items are created with the right defaults, and anything ambiguous is held.
04
Attach the files
Drawings and fabrication files (PDF, DXF, STEP) are filed in SharePoint and linked to the ERP item, so purchasing and production always open the released version.
05
Exceptions to a person
Unmatched parts, missing fields or revision conflicts go to a named engineer or planner in Microsoft Teams with the detail needed to fix them.
06
Logged and visible
Every transfer is logged, so you can see what moved, when, and from which release.
Where we start
What a first release looks like.
One product family, one direction (engineering to ERP), BOM and part creation only. File attachment and change handling come in the next increment, once the matching rules are proven.
- Read released BOMs from one CAD or PLM source
- Create and update ERP items and BOMs
- Route exceptions to one named person in Teams
- Prove it in a test environment before production
From our delivery work
Where we have done this.
Client names are withheld for live engagements unless a case study has been published.
Mining equipment manufacturer
We built an integration between SolidWorks Manage and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations to move engineering data into the ERP.
Industrial equipment manufacturer
We are scoping the transfer of engineering BOMs and DXF, PDF and STEP outputs from Windchill and Creo into Ostendo, with our US partner xLM Solutions.
Conveyor components manufacturer
We automated drawing handling alongside an order-to-invoice workflow in MYOB Acumatica.
Questions we get asked
Frequently asked questions.
What is the difference between an engineering BOM and a manufacturing BOM?
An engineering BOM lists the parts and assemblies as designed. A manufacturing BOM adds what the floor needs to build it, such as consumables, packaging, routing and assembly order. Integration usually moves the engineering BOM into the ERP and applies rules to create or update the manufacturing BOM.
Do we need a PLM system to integrate CAD with our ERP?
No. Many manufacturers integrate directly from a PDM vault or from released CAD files. A PLM adds change control and approvals, which makes integration cleaner, but it is not a prerequisite.
Which CAD, PLM and ERP systems can you connect?
We work with SolidWorks and SolidWorks Manage, Autodesk Inventor, Creo, Windchill and Teamcenter, and ERPs including Dynamics 365, SAP, MYOB Acumatica, Epicor and Ostendo. If a system has an API or a reliable export, it can usually be connected.
Does the integration write back to CAD or PLM?
It can, but most first releases are one-way, from engineering to ERP. Write-back, such as returning ERP item numbers or costs to the PLM, is added once the one-way flow is stable.
How is a first integration scoped?
Around one product family and one direction of flow. That keeps the matching rules small enough to test properly, and we prove it in a test environment before anything touches production data.
Related
Where this usually connects.
Engineering change automation
We automate ECR and ECO processes on the Microsoft Power Platform, so every change is captured once, approved by the right people, and pushed to the systems and teams that need it.
RFQ and supplier quote automation
We automate the request-for-quote process: building RFQ packs from your BOM, sending them to the right suppliers, collecting responses and turning the chosen quote into a purchase order.
Production, inventory and job-cost reporting
We bring ERP, scheduling, CRM and spreadsheet data together in Power BI and Microsoft Fabric, so leaders see true job cost, margin, WIP and stock without waiting for month-end.
Show us how engineering data reaches your ERP today.
Bring one recent release to a 30-minute discovery call. We'll map where it gets re-keyed and what connecting it would take.