DBA Manufacturing

Demand-driven planning for small manufacturers

DBA Manufacturing is planning software for small manufacturing businesses. Its maker says it has been available since 1992 and presents it as an alternative to traditional ERP. It is built to work alongside whatever accounting system a company already uses, updating that system rather than replacing it. The stated goals are high throughput, efficient inventory and lean staffing.

The planning method

At its center is a demand-driven planning system, a just-in-time approach that the company says replaces inefficient manual planning, isolated planning silos and custom programs. The vendor argues that training and custom programming cannot repair the weaknesses it sees in traditional planning methods, and that adding staff to disconnected processes does not solve the problem. Priority-based activities are meant to remove the conflicting messages of conventional scheduling, and the company says removing the so-called bullwhip effect lowers complexity across the organization.

Costing and accounting

The software handles labor and overhead costing and tracks work in process, with WIP accounting that adjusts itself and needs no period-end reconciliation. Vouchers for receivables and payables, along with general ledger totals, pass to the existing accounting package. General ledger posting is controlled by settings in an Account Assignments screen, so sales and manufacturing staff never meet accounting setup or posting decisions. Keeping the company's existing general ledger intact is said to simplify startup.

Implementing it

DBA sets out a self-implementation approach. A startup wizard guides a company through a method the vendor describes as proven, and the system is meant to work without outside consultants, onsite training or custom programming. The company says this cuts overhead roles such as programmers, consultants, cost accountants, schedulers and trainers.

Who it targets

The intended customers are small manufacturers that need to compete on efficiency. The claim of the best return on investment in the industry is the vendor's own and has not been compared here with other products.