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- Make-to-order transformer manufacturer (name withheld)
Transformer manufacturer connects sales, design, production and dispatch on Zoho Creator and Zoho Books
A make-to-order transformer manufacturer with several branches moved from separate registers for sales, design, purchase, production and billing to one Zoho Creator application of 25 modules, integrated with Zoho Books.
A make-to-order transformer manufacturer with several branches. Every unit moves from enquiry or tender through design, bill of materials, procurement, production, testing and dispatch. Each step had its own register.
The problem
Orders lost between departments
Once an enquiry left sales, nobody could easily see whether it was waiting on design, accounts or the customer.
No link from design to purchase
Order-specific bills of materials were not linked to stock, so shortages were found late.
Finance checks came late
Advance payments and credit limits were checked after orders had already moved ahead.
What we built
Zoho Creator
- 25 modules covering lead and tender to invoice
- Accounts-verified enquiries, version-controlled quotations and approved sales orders
- Electrical and mechanical BoMs with revision history
- Work orders with parallel production stages and stage-wise testing
- Stock, serial numbers and transfers across branches
Zoho Books
- Items, stock and accounts shared with Creator
- Invoices flowing from operations into accounts
Before and after
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Leads and tenders | Separate registers | One pipeline |
| Order release | Credit checked late | Approval, credit check and advance first |
| Bill of materials | Outside the system | Linked to the order, with revisions |
| Branch stock | Limited visibility | Visible everywhere |
| Production | Tracked by department | Work orders with test status |
How the project ran
- Requirement study: on site at the production plant
- Design: 25 modules with validations, approvals and the Zoho Books plan
- Development: in sprints, reviewed at each milestone
- Testing, training and go-live: client-led testing and recorded role-based training
- Hypercare: support while teams settled in
Results
Every order now has one trail from lead or tender to invoice. Approvals, credit checks and advances are enforced by the system, and management sees conversion, production and delivery on dashboards.
Questions about this project
Why Zoho Creator instead of a standard ERP?
Make-to-order work with design approvals and order-specific BoMs needed a model built around the company's own steps.
How are multiple branches handled?
Customers are checked for duplicates across branches, and stock and transfers are visible everywhere.
Have a similar business challenge?
If your business has outgrown spreadsheets or legacy software, talk to us about a phased move to Zoho.