ERP & MRP for Steel Fabricators & Metal Works

From Quote to Final Weld — Zero Guesswork.

Steel fabricators and custom metal shops run on precision — in the material, in the tolerances, and in the job cost. TrueScope gives small and mid-size fabrication shops a unified ERP and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) system to manage multi-level BOMs, calculate steel and hardware shortages via MRP, route jobs through work centers on a visual Gantt, track NCR quality, and see true job cost in real time.

TrueScope covers

Fabrication Shop ERP
Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
Shop Floor Routing
Engineering Drawings
NCR Quality
The Problem

Sound familiar?

The operational pain points that hold most steel fabrication & metal shop erp / mrp businesses back.

Quoted cost and actual cost never match

You quote a structural job based on estimated material and labor, the shop runs long on cutting and welding, and by the time it ships you've lost margin you didn't even know was at risk.

Engineering drawings are in five different places

Revisions are emailed around, shop floor operators are sometimes working off the wrong version, and there's no single place to find the current approved drawing for a job.

Rejected parts create rework with no paperwork

When a weld fails or a dimension is wrong, the fix happens informally on the floor. Nothing is documented, root causes are never analyzed, and the same defect comes back on the next order.

The Solution

How TrueScope Helps

Real platform features, applied directly to your industry.

Fabrication ERP Routing, MRP Material Planning & Work Center Tracking

Plan steel demand, map every routing step, and measure every minute.

Define the fabrication routing for every assembly in TrueScope — plasma cut, press brake, weld, grind, paint, inspect — assigning each step to the correct work center with setup time and run time standards. Built-in Material Requirements Planning (MRP) compares BOM plate, structural shape, and hardware demand against warehouse stock to flag shortages and generate supplier POs before production starts.

What you get

Automated MRP shortage planning for plate, tube, shapes, and hardware
Named work centers matching your physical fabrication shop layout
Setup and run time standards per operation step on a visual Gantt
Shop floor operator terminals for real-time actual vs. standard time tracking

Engineering Blueprint Management

One place for the current drawing. Always.

Upload engineering drawings, shop drawings, and weld procedure specs directly onto each product record in TrueScope's Products module. Open any drawing in the built-in annotation canvas to calibrate measurements, trace dimensions, and add review marks. The most current version lives on the record — shop floor operators access the same drawing your engineering team uploaded.

What you get

Engineering PDF uploads directly on product records
Built-in annotation canvas with measurement tools
Polygon traces and path measurements for QC verification
Centralized single source for current approved drawings

NCR Quality Control & Corrective Actions

Document defects. Close the loop. Prevent recurrence.

When a quality issue is caught — an out-of-tolerance dimension, a weld defect, a surface finish failure — create a Non-Conformance Report in TrueScope immediately. Describe the defect, assign a root cause category, and define the required corrective action with a due date. The NCR status tracks through Open, In Progress, and Closed — with resolution documentation required before closure.

What you get

NCR creation with defect description and photos
Root cause categorization and corrective action assignment
Due date tracking and responsible party assignment
Closed loop requiring documented resolution evidence

Everything Included

Every feature below is included in TrueScope — no upsells, no add-ons.

Material Requirements Planning (MRP)
Multi-Level BOM with Steel & Hardware Specs
Gantt Work Center Routing Steps
Shop Floor Operator Terminals
Actual vs. Standard ERP Cost Reporting
Engineering Drawing Uploads
Blueprint Takeoff & Annotation Canvas
NCR Quality Tracking
Incoming Material Inspections
Corrective Action Closeout
One-Click MRP Purchase Orders
Payroll-Ready Timesheets
Fair & Transparent Comparisons

Compare TrueScope to Steel Fabrication & Metal Shop Software

Practical ERP and MRP for structural steel, miscellaneous metals, and custom fab shops.

From the Shop & Field Perspective

"Balancing steel plate, tubing, and hardware inventory against cut, brake, and weld work centers requires accurate multi-level BOMs and live routing — without spending $25,000 on legacy software or buying specialized barcode guns."

Compare vs:
Category: Structural Steel Management

TrueScope vs. Tekla PowerFab

Month-to-Month30-Day Free Trial
Tekla PowerFab Starting PriceAs of Oct 2026

Quote-based (third-party listings report starting costs from ~$8,000 to ~$50,000)

TrueScope PricingPublished & Transparent
$20/ full user / month($5/mo crew)

All 18 modules included. $0.10/GB storage. No base fee, no setup fee, no contract.

Cost comparison: $20/user/month with no five-figure licensing, no annual contract, and self-serve cloud setup in minutes.

Key TrueScope Advantages for Your Business:

Multi-Level BOMs for Metal Fabrication: Detail plate, structural shapes, weld consumables, and hardware with auto cost roll-ups
Visual Gantt Work Center Routing: Schedule plasma tables, press brakes, welding bays, and paint booths with setup/run standards
Touch-Friendly Operator Terminals: Shop floor operators clock into jobs and log completed parts on tablets for $5/month
Instant Camera QR Part Tracking: Scan QR labels directly with phones/tablets without buying fragile handheld barcode scanners
Automated MRP Shortage Alerts: Highlight missing steel and hardware, generating supplier POs in one click
Incoming QC Inspections & NCR Reports: Verify mill test certs and track quality non-conformances with corrective action workflows

Enterprise Complexity vs. TrueScope's Practical Approach:

Fair Comparison

Tekla PowerFab is an enterprise production control system designed for massive multi-acre structural steel mills using complex 3D IFC modeling and multi-million-dollar CNC sawing/drilling lines. For custom steel fabricators, misc metals shops, and ornamental ironworks that need straightforward BOM costing, work center scheduling, and tablet check-ins without six-figure IT overhead, TrueScope is the perfect fit.

Why Growing Businesses Choose TrueScope:Small to mid-size structural, miscellaneous metals, and custom metal fabrication shops wanting practical ERP/MRP without five-figure software investments.

Frequently Asked Questions About Software Alternatives

Yes. TrueScope Products and Job Central modules support unlimited multi-level BOM nesting, allowing you to specify raw steel grades, plate dimensions, structural tubing, fasteners, and finishing steps with automatic cost roll-up.

Disclaimer: Competitor pricing and feature descriptions were verified on October 21, 2026 from public vendor websites and verified third-party research reports. Software prices, tier limits, and feature sets change regularly; please verify current details on each vendor's official website. Product names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. TrueScope is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any competitor listed.

Run your fabrication shop with a modern ERP & MRP.

Steel fabricators and metal job shops on TrueScope eliminate raw material stockouts with MRP, know their true job cost, and close more profitable orders.

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