Getting Started with StockCraft - Manufacturing ERP for Small Makers

What You'll Learn

• Setting up your manufacturing ERP system and user accounts
• Material Requirements Planning (MRP) - adding materials and inventory tracking
• Bill of Materials (BOM) management - building components with automatic cost calculation
• Product catalog creation with variants and SKU mapping
• E-commerce integration with Shopify for automated order processing
• Production planning and workflow management
• Manufacturing cost analysis and financial reporting
• AI-powered insights for data-driven decision making
• Inventory alerts and reorder point management
• Bulk data import from CSV/Excel files
• Data export for analysis, backup, and compliance

Sign Up for StockCraft

Getting started with StockCraft is easy and free. Visit app.stockcraft.org/auth/signup to create your account.

1. Enter your email address - Use an email you check regularly for important notifications
2. Choose a secure password - At least 8 characters with uppercase, lowercase, and numbers
3. Provide your business name - This will be your tenant name in StockCraft
4. Verify your email - Check your inbox for a verification link and click it
5. Complete your profile - Add optional details like business address and phone number

Setting Up Your Material Inventory

Materials are the foundation of your Manufacturing ERP system. They represent raw supplies like filament, resin, paint, screws, packaging, or any other consumable item you use in production. StockCraft's MRP system tracks quantities, costs, and automatically alerts you when reorder points are reached.

How to Add a Material:

1. Navigate to Materials in the main menu
2. Click "Add Material" button
3. Enter the material name (e.g., "PLA Filament - Black 1kg")
4. Select the unit type (kilogram, liter, piece, meter, etc.)
5. Enter the price per unit (e.g., $20 per kilogram)
6. Set the reorder point (optional - triggers low stock alerts)
7. Add notes or supplier information (optional)
8. Click "Save"

StockCraft Materials List showing inventory levels and low stock alerts

Create Hierarchical Bill of Materials

Components in StockCraft represent your Bill of Materials (BOM) - reusable assemblies made from materials or other components. This hierarchical BOM structure is perfect for manufacturing parts that appear in multiple products, like standard bases, enclosures, or sub-assemblies.

Why Use Bill of Materials (BOM) Management?

• Automatic manufacturing cost calculation: StockCraft calculates costs based on materials, quantities, and wastage
• Reusable manufacturing assemblies: Build once, use in multiple products across your production line
• Multi-level BOM hierarchy: Components can contain other components for complex manufacturing assemblies
• Manufacturing wastage tracking: Account for support material, failed prints, scrap, and material loss

How to Create a Component:

1. Navigate to Components
2. Click "Add Component"
3. Enter component name (e.g., "3D Printed Enclosure Base")
4. Add materials:
   • Select material (e.g., PLA Filament - Black)
   • Enter quantity (e.g., 0.15 kg)
   • Set wastage percentage (e.g., 10% for supports and failed prints)
5. Add sub-components (optional)
6. StockCraft automatically calculates the total cost
7. Click "Save"

Cost Calculation Example

Component: 3D Printed Dragon Figurine Base

Materials:

• PLA Filament Black: 0.15 kg × $18.50/kg × (1 + 10% wastage) = $3.05
• Support Material: 0.03 kg × $15.00/kg × (1 + 5% wastage) = $0.47

Total Cost: $3.52 (calculated automatically)

Automatic cost calculation including wastage

Build Your Product Catalog

Products are what you sell to customers. Each product can have multiple variants (different sizes, colors, configurations) with their own SKUs and costs.

Creating a Product:

1. Go to Products → "Add Product"
2. Enter product name (e.g., "Dragon Figurine Collection")
3. Add description and category
4. Create variants for different options:
   • Small (10cm) - SKU: DRAG-SM-001
   • Medium (15cm) - SKU: DRAG-MD-001
   • Large (20cm) - SKU: DRAG-LG-001
5. For each variant, add components and/or materials:
   • Components: Reusable assemblies (e.g., "Dragon Base Component")
   • Direct Materials: Raw materials added directly (e.g., "Gold Paint" or "PLA Filament")
6. Set selling price and watch profit margin calculate automatically
7. Map external SKUs (e.g., Shopify SKUs) for integration

Profit Margin Calculation

Product: Custom Painted Dragon Figurine

Cost: $9.00 (components + materials + labor + overhead)

Selling Price: $35.00

Profit: $26.00 (74% margin)

Detailed cost analysis

Real-time margin calculation

Track profitability across all product variants

Automate Order Tracking with Shopify Integration

Connect your Shopify store to automatically sync orders, track sales, and analyze profitability across all your sales channels.

Setup Sales Channels

Configure your sales channels (Shopify, Etsy, etc.) in Settings → Sales Channels. This allows you to track exactly where your orders are coming from.

Setting Up Shopify Integration:

1. Go to Settings → "Integrations"
2. Click "How to setup" for detailed instructions
3. Create a custom app in Shopify Admin with the following scopes:
   • read_products - Required to sync product information
   • read_orders - Required to import orders and customer details
   • write_products (optional) - Only if you plan to sync data back to Shopify
4. Enter your Shopify store URL using your mystore.myshopify.com domain
5. Enter the Admin API access token from your Shopify app
6. Click "Save Settings" to connect

Monitor your sales performance across all channels in real-time

Manufacturing Workflow Management

Track manufacturing orders through customizable production states from payment to shipping. Monitor production bottlenecks, identify delays, and ensure timely delivery with comprehensive production control.

Custom Workflow States

Define your own production steps in Settings → Order States to match your actual manufacturing process. Add states like "Printing", "Curing", "Sanding", or "Packaging".

Default Production States:

• Paid: Customer has paid, ready to start production
• In Progress: Currently being manufactured
• Built: Manufacturing complete, awaiting shipment
• Shipped: Sent to customer
• Delivered: Confirmed delivery

Customize these states to match your workflow! Add states like "Awaiting Parts," "Quality Check," or "Packaging" as needed.

Manufacturing Analytics & Financial Reporting

Generate comprehensive manufacturing cost analysis and profit/loss reports to understand your production efficiency and business performance. StockCraft now includes AI-powered insights to help you make smarter decisions.

Manufacturing ERP Reports:

• AI Insights: Get intelligent, context-aware recommendations about your business performance, trends, and optimization opportunities across all pages
• Revenue by Product Line: Which manufactured products generate the most sales?
• Manufacturing Profit Analysis: Monthly, quarterly, or yearly profit trends with cost breakdowns
• Material Cost Analysis: Raw material costs, manufacturing wastage, labor, and overhead breakdown
• Sales Channel Performance: Multi-channel profitability analysis (Shopify, Etsy, direct sales)
• Production Efficiency Metrics: Cycle time analysis, bottleneck identification, and workflow optimization

Powerful analytics help you understand where your money is going

Inventory Management

Track stock levels, manage adjustments, and receive low stock alerts to keep your production running smoothly.

Key Features:

• Stock Adjustments: Record when materials are received, used, or corrected
• Low Stock Alerts: Automatic notifications when materials fall below reorder points
• Adjustment History: Complete audit trail of all stock movements
• Inventory Reports: Stock levels, valuation, and reorder reports

Learn more about Inventory Management →

Migrate from Spreadsheets with Import & Export

Built for makers who are ready to graduate from messy spreadsheets. Bulk import materials, components, and products from CSV/Excel files, and export data for analysis or backup anytime.

Spreadsheet Migration Features:

• CSV/Excel Support: Move your data from Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers in minutes.
• Smart Column Mapping: Match your existing spreadsheet columns to StockCraft fields with ease.
• Data Validation: Automated error checking ensures your inventory and costs are imported accurately.
• Rollback Protection: Imported something wrong? Undo any import within 24 hours.

Data Portability (Export):

• Universal Formats: Export your materials, products, and reports as CSV or Excel files.
• Account Snapshots: Download a full backup of your entire business database in a single ZIP archive.
• Financial Ready: Export pre-formatted reports for your accountant or tax filing.
• Full Ownership: Your data belongs to you. Export anytime with no restrictions or exit fees.