Sage has announced that from 30th September 2021, Sage Manufacturing will no longer be offered, supported or further developed and is currently undergoing an end of life process.

Sage want to focus their development on their core Sage 200 solution and gain partnerships with other software houses to incorporate manufacturing functionality into their solution.

What does this mean?

If your business manufactures and you currently use Sage 50 or Sage 200 manufacturing, you’re probably assessing your options after Sage has announced an end-of-support date for Sage 50 on 30th September 2021, and for Sage 200, the manufacturing suite will no longer receive roadmap updates.

It is important to understand that Sage 50 and Sage 200 Manufacturing will continue to work, and you can use both suites for as long as you wish. However, in the case of Sage 50, it is important to know that numerous factions influence the day‐to‐day operation of any software, and if the software is no longer supported, such factors could impact your further use of the tool.

Sage 200 Manufacturing Suite will continue to be supported; however, the features and functionality will not be developed to meet the future needs of your business.

We appreciate that this will have an impact on your business and we want to work with you to arrive at the most appropriate solution. Below we’ll take a look at the exciting new alternatives recommended by Sage for both Sage 50 and Sage 200 Manufacturing.

Request a callback to discuss Sage for Manufacturing:

Manufacturing for Sage 50

Sage has announced Cim50 Manufacturing as their suggested future replacement for Sage 50 Manufacturing. With a combined 100+ years of experience in the manufacturing industry, the software provider has teamed up with Sage to develop a suite of modules perfectly tailored to the industry.

The Cim50 Manufacturing suite is modular, meaning manufacturers can take as little or as much as they need. Some manufacturers may simply need some advanced stock control whilst others may have complex manufacturing processes and need a full suite of software. The modules available within the Cim50 Manufacturing Suite are:

  • Stock Control – Businesses can utilise traceability, amend sales order despatches and purchase order receipts and quarantine stock. Supplier and despatch performance can be monitored and with an additional 20 analysis codes, stock reporting capabilities are improved.
  • Bill of Materials – The module captures all costs of materials, labour and machine overheads in a multi-level bill of materials. It provides an ongoing cost history in detail which offers full visibility of all costs, and ensures profitability is maintained.
  • Works Orders – Works orders can be created manually or automatically from sales orders. The module looks at components required in order to schedule production. The module can also raise purchase orders for component parts, so they are only being ordered when required, reducing stock holding and improving cash flow.
  • Planning – The module is key to ensuring there is sufficient stock and resource to meet production deadlines. The module reads from works orders, sales orders, sales forecasts, and stock to assess total demand. The module will suggest works and sales orders to ensure production is kept on track.
  • Quotations – Allows quotations to be created for manufactured items, including non-stock items. Works orders, sales orders and purchase orders can be raised directly from within the quote. A detailed profit & loss gives full visibility of costs, revenue and expected profit. Multiple price breaks can be defined, with automatic cost calculation for pricing break quantities.
  • Shop Floor Data Capture – Works with stock control, works orders and bill of materials in real-time on the shop floor. Stock transactions and transfers can be actioned on handheld devices, and quarantine inspections can be carried out against stock. The module provides a live view of the manufacturing process.

Manufacturing for Sage 200

Manufacturing in Sage 200 will be offered as a selection of additional modules by software developer and long term Sage partner Sicon. Sicon have been developing high quality and innovative modules alongside Sage for over 20 years and have provided particularly popular modules for the manufacturing and construction industries.

Similarly, to Cim50 Manufacturing, Sicon’s manufacturing suite consists of a number of modules which can be taken individually or as a full suite. The Sicon Manufacturing modules sit directly within the Sage menu as a full integrated solution. The modules are as follows;

  • Works Order Processing – Either manually or from a sales order, works order planning references the Bill of Materials to assess all component parts required. It then creates a work order with a schedule for production and completion. If a works order contains parts which require sub-assembly, a sub-works order is also created.
  • Material Planning – Material planning looks at total current demand and makes inventory recommendations. It will look at all future works orders, sales orders, purchase orders and current stock position. From this it can suggest and create purchase orders for component parts or move purchase orders forward or back based on demand.
  • Capacity Planning – The module creates a rough-cut capacity plan at labour and machine level to complete works orders. It looks at things like employees, work patterns, holidays, and overdue work hours. Time sheets can also be imported into capacity planning. Capacity planning also looks at machine labour required to complete a works order.
  • Projects – The projects module can link multiple works orders into large complex jobs which material and capacity planning can better service. Stock and resources can be committed to specific projects. It is integrated with Sage Sales Order Management, Purchase Order Management, Purchase Ledger, Stock, Works Order Processing and Time Recording, giving full visibility of what stage a project is at and its ultimate profitability.
  • Shop Floor Data Capture – The module allows manufacturers to collect real-time data from the factory floor, giving a real-time view of operations. Stock transfers and transactions can be actioned, and inspections on quarantined inventory can be carried out. The module allows manufacturers to identify pieces of the process which are slowing production down and fix them, improving productivity and efficiencies.
  • Kitting – Kitting allows single level parts lists to be created consisting of all component parts required to manufacture a finished product. These lists can be created manually or can be automatically generated when a sales order or quote is created. Bill of materials can be complex and beyond manufacturers requirements, so kitting provides a less complex solution.
  • Barcoding & Warehousing – The module can be run on handheld Android devices, making it perfect for increasing accuracy and traceability of component parts and finished products on the factory floor. Incoming purchase orders can be recited into stock locations, sales orders can be picked and despatched, stock can be picked to satisfy works orders, stock can be written off and stocktakes can be completed.

What happens next?

If you’re currently using Sage Manufacturing for Sage 50 or Sage 200, then please get in touch with your account manager to discuss the options available to you. For many customers, this is an opportunity to review their business systems, identify process improvements and take advantage of a modern ERP system

We’d love to have a chat with you about your manufacturing processes and how we can transform your operations. Request a callback and we’ll be in touch. Or visit our Solutions for Manufacturing page for more information.