The QuickBooks Manufacturing and Wholesale edition can be a valuable asset when it comes to tracking finances, but…
Is the Manufacturing Edition of QuickBooks Right for You?
Can you count on it to take care of all the needs of a manufacturing business like yours? Is it even reasonable to think QuickBooks for Manufacturing can handle everything?
Let’s take a closer look…
What You Need to Know – A Quick Review
QuickBooks Pro – it will handle basic financial tasks like invoicing, bill payment, and financial reports.
Some reasons why QuickBooks Pro may not work for manufacturing businesses:
- It does not have any sales order/backorder functionality
- It does not allow for inventory assemblies or bills of material
- It maxes out at 3 users
QuickBooks Online – like Pro, it also handles basic financial tasks
Some reasons why QuickBooks Online may not work for manufacturing businesses:
- It does not have any sales order/backorder functionality
- It does not allow for inventory assemblies or bills of material
- It knows nothing about shop floor management or work cells
QuickBooks Premier: Manufacturing and Wholesale Edition (aka QuickBooks Manufacturing Edition) – this version has all the tools and features of the Pro version. It also has the ability to use sales orders and assemblies/bills of material.
Some reasons why QuickBooks Online may not work for manufacturing businesses:
- It can only handle up to 14,500 parts (inventory and non-inventory)
- No direct integration with e-commerce sites
- Limited user security
- Higher transaction volume businesses can max out the database size quickly
QuickBooks Enterprise: Manufacturing and Wholesale Edition (aka QuickBooks Enterprise Manufacturing Edition) – this version has all the tools and features of the Premier Manufacturing Edition. It also has the ability to store well over 100,000 inventory parts, 100,000 customers and has a much more robust user security structure.
Some reasons why QuickBooks Online may not work for some manufacturing businesses:
- It only uses average cost (FIFO cost is available in the Platinum Enterprise subscription)
- It has no clue about shop floor planning, production scheduling, EOQ, lead times or advanced bills of materials
What Solution Is Best For You?
Many businesses choose one of the versions of QuickBooks listed above and shoehorn their needs into the available functionality. They usually do a lot of supporting work in Excel.
At the end of the day, this approach works for them – and that’s good.
On the other hand…
Others choose to go a hybrid route – they will pair one of the QuickBooks editions with an add-on for QuickBooks such as:
The add-on then handles the front end of the business (i.e. sales orders, purchasing, inventory, etc.) and QuickBooks handles the back end of the business (paying bills, financial reports, etc.)
Tap into these FREE Resources
Take advantage of my resources that will provide you clear insights and share decades of field-tested experience on QuickBooks and inventory.
Looking for Expertise to Help Sort it All Out?
Take advantage of my 35+ years of inventory, accounting, and finance experience to help get the information you need to make the best decisions for your business.
I know exactly what you are up against – I was the CFO for a $15 million manufacturing firm for 10+ years.
“It has been a long search to find someone with your expertise and professionalism”
– Doug Johnson, Clay People
Explore Add-ons for QuickBooks
