NetSuite tips and tricks for manufacturing company

Manufacturers face unique challenges—managing raw materials, tracking work-in-progress, ensuring quality, and meeting customer demand on time. NetSuite, as a cloud-based ERP, provides powerful tools to streamline these processes. But getting the most out of NetSuite often requires knowing a few hidden features and best practices. Here are some essential tips and tricks for manufacturers using NetSuite.

Use Work Orders and Assemblies Effectively

NetSuite’s Work Orders and Assemblies functionality lets manufacturers plan, track, and complete builds.

• Multi-Level BOMs: Ensure your bill of materials (BOM) reflects real production needs, including subassemblies.
• Backflushing: Automate component consumption to reduce manual data entry on shop floors.
• Work Order Pick Release: Control when materials are issued to production, reducing waste and improving accuracy.

Leverage Demand Planning and Supply Planning

NetSuite’s planning tools can help balance supply with demand.

• Historical Sales Data: Base forecasts on real sales and seasonal trends.
• Planning Item Categories: Group similar items to simplify forecasting.
• Replenishment Methods: Use min/max, reorder point, or time-phased planning depending on your manufacturing model.

Proper setup ensures raw materials and finished goods are available without overstocking.

Automate Quality Control

Maintaining product quality is critical.

• Historical Sales Data: Base forecasts on real sales and seasonal trends.
• Planning Item Categories: Group similar items to simplify forecasting.
• Replenishment Methods: Use min/max, reorder point, or time-phased planning depending on your manufacturing model.

Proper setup ensures raw materials and finished goods are available without overstocking.

Optimize Shop Floor Efficiency with Work Centers

Work Centers in NetSuite represent specific production resources—machines, labor groups, or processes.

• Define capacities for accurate scheduling.
• Track labor and machine time against work orders for true production costs.
• Sequence operations to avoid bottlenecks.

This helps manufacturers align capacity planning with real-world shop floor conditions.

Monitor Key Metrics with Dashboards

NetSuite dashboards allow managers to see performance in real time.

• Production KPIs: Order completion rates, yield percentages, downtime.
• Inventory KPIs: Stock turnover, shortages, excess inventory alerts.
• Financial KPIs: Actual vs. standard costs, gross margin by product.

Custom dashboards tailored for production managers, planners, and executives make decision-making faster and more data-driven.

Streamline Data Entry with Barcoding

NetSuite integrates with barcode scanning to simplify shop floor and warehouse operations.

• Scan raw materials during picking.
• Capture production completions in real time.
• Reduce manual entry errors across inventory and work orders.

Barcoding not only saves time but also improves accuracy in inventory management.

Don’t Overlook Advanced Modules

As manufacturers grow, additional NetSuite modules can unlock more value:

• WMS (Warehouse Management System): Improves picking, putaway, and transfers.
• MES (Manufacturing Execution System): Tracks shop floor production activities in real time.
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Connects design and production for faster new product launches.

These modules extend core NetSuite capabilities, allowing manufacturers to scale efficiently.

Conclusion

NetSuite provides a strong foundation for manufacturers, but small adjustments and smart use of features can make a big impact. From automating quality control to using demand planning tools effectively, these tips and tricks can help manufacturers increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

If you’re a manufacturer looking to get more out of NetSuite, start by reviewing your current setup against these best practices—you may uncover hidden opportunities for improvement.