Where spreadsheets work well
- A single BOM for a single machine, kept by one person.
- Quick calculations, such as quantity per machine times the number of machines (5 screws × 8 assemblies = 40).
- Sharing a parts list with a supplier as a file.
If that is all you need, keep using your spreadsheet.
Where spreadsheets start to break on a machine build
- Ordered vs received. A line says 40 ordered. 28 arrived last week, 12 are still outstanding. In a spreadsheet that usually lives in a comment, a color or somebody's memory.
- Several files for one machine. The BOM, the purchase orders, the delivery notes and the cost sheet sit in different files, often in different versions.
- Delivery problems. Short deliveries, wrong or damaged parts, and rejected goods are hard to record against the right order line.
- Certificates and delivery notes. Material certificates and CoCs end up in email folders instead of next to the part they belong to.
- Job cost. The real cost of the build often only shows up after the machine ships.
What AssembleFlow does instead
AssembleFlow gives each machine one shared project. In that project you can:
- Import the BOM from Excel or a CAD export (CSV, XLSX, XLSM or XLS). You map the columns once in the import wizard.
- Send RFQs and purchase orders per supplier straight from the parts list, after checking stock.
- Record partial deliveries against each PO line. Every line shows Ordered, Received and Outstanding, and a line can arrive in several lots.
- Log shortages, wrong, damaged or rejected parts on each line, and attach delivery notes, material certificates, certificates of conformity and inspection reports.
- Track actual spend from your orders against the project figures.
- Give engineering, purchasing and the shop floor the same view of every build.
Side by side
| Spreadsheet | AssembleFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Import a BOM | Paste or open the file | Import wizard for CSV, XLSX, XLSM, XLS |
| Purchase orders per supplier | Separate file or template | Made from the parts list, with PDF export and e-mail |
| Partial deliveries | Manual notes | Ordered, Received, Outstanding per PO line |
| Delivery issues | Comments or colors | Shortage, wrong item, damaged, rejected, with settle note |
| Certificates and delivery notes | Email folders | Attached to the PO line |
| Cost vs budget | Separate cost sheet | Project Costs tab from your orders |
| Price | Already paid for | Workshop $29/month, Factory $59/month per organization |
What AssembleFlow does not do (yet)
We would rather you know this before you start:
- It does not roll up quantities of repeated subassemblies in a multi-level BOM. Export a "Parts only" (flat) BOM from your CAD system instead: it lists each part once with its total quantity.
- It does not merge identical part numbers from different rows into one purchase order line.
- There is no direct import of CAD files; you import the BOM as a spreadsheet export.
- There is no per-part price history across orders or projects.
Try it on one of your own builds
The best test is a real machine. Start a 14-day free trial (no card needed), or request the free 3-month pilot for small machine builders: send us the Excel BOM of one machine and we will help you set it up. Pilots are approved by hand.
Questions? Write to support@assembleflow.io, or see the FAQ.