Getting started
Everything you need before and during your first week: what Fabristack is, which module to start with, how to move off spreadsheets, and a plan for the first five days.
What Fabristack is
What Fabristack does
Fabristack is operations software for small manufacturers in South Africa. A normal week goes wrong in the same three places: a job gets lost between the counter and the production floor, a job stalls because the material isn’t there, or a certificate lapses and nobody noticed. There is one module for each, and you can use them one at a time.
Who it is for
Manufacturers where jobs, material and paperwork live in spreadsheets, on paper, or in one person’s head. It is built around the people in the business, and each person gets a role that shows them their part of it:
- Owners, admins and managers who need to know where every job stands and what needs chasing.
- Sales and order clerks who take orders, keep customers up to date and record payments.
- Production, who work through work orders and their materials.
- Stock controllers who keep counts right, order material and receive deliveries.
- Drivers who see the deliveries assigned to them and capture a signature at the door.
- Bookkeepers, compliance officers and auditors who need their slice without the rest.
There are ten roles in all. People and access lists what each one can see and do.
Where it runs
Fabristack runs on Android, on Windows, and in your web browser. On an iPhone or any other device, use the browser. You see the same data wherever you sign in.
How the modules fit together
Each module works on its own. Used together, they connect where it helps:
- A work order’s materials are checked against what is on the shelf, net of what other open work orders have already promised, and against what is already on order from suppliers.
- An inventory item shows the orders that use it, so you know what a shortage will hold up.
- Compliance reminders go out on WhatsApp and by email, and link back to the exact item in Fabristack.
What it is not
Being clear about this saves you a bad purchase.
- Not an accounting system. It records the payments against each order and what is still owed. Your books stay where they are.
- Not a drawing or estimating tool. Fabristack starts when there is an order to run, not before.
- Not a replacement for judgement. It tells you a certificate expires in 7 days. Someone still has to book the inspection.
A week with Fabristack
Monday: a railing job comes in. It is entered as an order with four line items, reviewed, and registered with a due date of Oct 24. A work order goes to production, and its materials checklist shows the M10 bolts are short.
Tuesday: the stock alert email lists the bolts at their reorder point. A purchase order goes to the supplier.
Wednesday: a WhatsApp reminder arrives: the overhead crane inspection expires in 7 days.
Thursday: the bolts arrive and are received against the purchase order. Production finishes and the order shows Ready.
Friday: the driver delivers, the customer signs on the device, and the order moves to Delivered with a proof of delivery PDF.
Which module should I start with?
Start with the problem
| If this keeps happening | Start with | What you will see first |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs get lost between the counter and the production floor | Order Management | Every order with its stage, due date and payment status. |
| Jobs stall waiting on material, or nobody trusts the stock number | Inventory Controller | Every item as in stock, low or out, against its reorder point. |
| A certificate or inspection has lapsed without anyone noticing | Compliance Tracker | Every certificate as valid, expiring soon or expired. |
Questions to ask yourself
- Which of the three cost you the most time or money in the last month?
- Which one lives in a single person’s head, so a day off turns into a problem?
- Which one has a deadline attached that you cannot afford to miss?
- Which one would your team actually use every day? A module nobody opens fixes nothing.
All three modules are switched on during the 30-day free trial. Put real work through the one that hurts most, and look around the others.
What to have ready
For Order Management
- Your open orders: customer, what was ordered, quantities, prices and the date you promised.
- Details for your regular customers, with the people you deal with there.
- Your VAT rate, if you charge VAT.
For Inventory Controller
- Your most-used materials and consumables, with the unit you count each one in.
- How many of each you have, and the point at which you normally reorder.
- Supplier names and unit costs, if you have them.
- If your stock list is already in a spreadsheet, it can be imported from Excel or CSV.
For Compliance Tracker
- Every certificate, licence and inspection with an expiry date: its name, who issued it, the certificate number and the issue and expiry dates.
- Your recurring audits and when each is next due.
- Who is responsible for renewing each one.
Adding a second module later
Nothing needs to be redone. The modules sit alongside each other, and the links between them appear as soon as you use both: add Inventory Controller after Order Management, and work orders start checking their materials against your stock.
Moving from spreadsheets
The one rule: start with what is open
Don’t enter your history. Enter the orders still in progress, the stock you actually hold, and the certificates that haven’t expired. Everything finished can stay in the old file, which you keep for reference.
A sensible order
How common columns map
| Spreadsheet column | Where it goes in Fabristack |
|---|---|
| Customer / client | The customer on an order (each customer has its own page) |
| Customer’s order number | Customer PO number on the order |
| Item, qty, price | Order line items. Line totals are before VAT; the order total includes it. |
| Due / delivery date | Due date, entered when you register the order |
| Material / item | Inventory item name, SKU and category |
| Qty in stock | On hand, in the item’s unit |
| Min / reorder | Reorder point |
| Supplier, cost | The item’s supplier and unit cost |
| Cert / licence / inspection | A certificate in Compliance Tracker |
| Expires / renewal date | Expiry date |
Mistakes to avoid
- Importing history. It adds noise and delays going live by days.
- Running both systems. Two sources of truth means neither is trusted. Pick a cut-over day.
- Skipping the team. Show production and the drivers what their view looks like before you switch.
- Agonising over reorder points. A rough number is fine to start with. Adjust it after a few weeks.
Choose a quiet day, usually the start of a week. Enter what is open that morning, freeze the old sheet, and run the week from Fabristack.
Your first week
Before you begin
- You have chosen your first module.
- You have a short list of what is open: orders, stock lines or certificates.
- You know who on your team will use it first, and which role they need.
Day 1: create your account
Day 2: add the first real items
Add real items, not test data. A handful is enough to start.
| Module | What to add first |
|---|---|
| Order Management | Your five most urgent open orders, each with the customer, line items and due date. |
| Inventory Controller | Your most-used items with unit, on-hand count and reorder point, or import the whole list. |
| Compliance Tracker | Every certificate expiring in the next 90 days, and your next audit. |
Day 3: add your team
Days 4 and 5: run real work through it
- Enter every new order in Fabristack, even the small ones.
- Create work orders as jobs go to production, and mark them complete when they’re done.
- Record each delivery or collection with a signature.
- Receive material against its purchase order, and correct a count when it’s wrong.
End of week: review
- Can you answer “where is that job?” without asking anyone?
- Is the stock list closer to the shelf than your old spreadsheet was?
- Does everyone see what they need, and nothing they don’t?
- Is there anything your team keeps going back to the old system for?
That’s normal. Write down what people go back to the old system for. Those are the gaps to fix or the habits to build. Email contact@atticdevs.com and tell us.