Ontology engine
Define your own product types with their own attributes, named formulas and quality thresholds. The system builds forms and MRP maths from those definitions — no hardcoded fields.
Launching soon
SmartFlow Manufacturing is launching soon
The platform is built and running. We are onboarding a small group of converters ahead of general release, and places in that group are limited.
If you run a label or flexible-packaging line and you are still costing jobs in spreadsheets, this is the point at which to talk to us — early partners help shape what ships.
Built for process manufacturers and converters
Know your true job cost before the job hits the floor
Most converters quote on material and absorb machine and labour as overhead, then discover on the invoice whether the job made money.
SmartFlow uses an ontology-driven product model — you define your own attributes, formulas and quality checks — then handles BOM maths, shop-floor execution and variance reporting from quote through to invoice.
Live on the floor
Every stage measured
Material flow from substrate through die-cut matrix to finished labels, with wastage, BOM depth, process stages and costing accuracy tracked as the job runs rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Capabilities
Everything a converter needs. Nothing it doesn’t.
Formula-based costing
BOM quantities calculated from the product’s own attributes and formulas, not typed in by hand. Wastage factor applied at every level.
Film & die-cut maths
Total film required, film area, labels per repeat and matrix waste, computed from the product spec.
MRP shortage engine
Net material requirement against on-hand and allocated stock, with one-click purchase orders from the shortage list.
Lot traceability
Every receipt generates a lot number linked to its PO line. Movements, consumption and output are traceable by lot.
Hard inventory allocation
Materials are allocated when the work order is created, not at completion. Available stock means available — no phantom inventory.
Multi-stage routing
Coating, printing, die-cutting, inspection. Each stage captures its own inputs, outputs and wastage.
Live stage timers
Operators start and stop stages on the floor. Actual duration is captured and compared against plan in real time.
Row-level access control
Operators see only their assigned work orders. Managers see everything. Admins control provisioning.
Cost intelligence
Three cost tiers. One source of truth.
Material cost derived from the BOM. Machine cost from hourly rate times stage duration. Labour cost from rate times headcount times hours.
Tracked separately rather than lumped into overhead, so you can see exactly which stage made or lost the margin.
Variance
Stage by stage, plan against actual
When a work order closes, the variance engine compares planned against actual for every stage — material consumed, machine hours run, labour hours logged — with the delta in cost against each.
Lot numbers link every consumed roll back to the purchase order it arrived on.
Workflow
Quote to invoice. No spreadsheets.
An end-to-end flow from product definition through cost roll-up to delivery, with a step-by-step guide covering every stage.
Five steps, start to finish
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Define product and BOM
Film dimensions, label size and process routing in. Cost calculated automatically.
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Generate quote
Physics-based roll-up sets the floor price. Add margin and issue.
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Run MRP
Exact material shortages calculated from the order quantity.
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Receive and dispatch
Purchase orders raised from MRP, stock received and allocated, work order released.
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Execute and fulfil
Operators run stages against live timers. Actual consumption logged. Order shipped and invoiced.
Who it is for
Designed for the converting industry
- Pressure-sensitive label converters – self-adhesive on PET, PP or paper; film width, die-cut matrix and labels per repeat are native to the data model
- Flexible packaging converters – laminated pouches and roll stock, with each substrate, adhesive and ink layer costed per square metre
- Narrow-web print converters – digital or flexo presses for FMCG, pharma and logistics, with print, laminate and die-cut routing
- Pharma label manufacturers – the same process with higher compliance requirements; batch and lot tracking are already present
- Shrink sleeve and wraparound – different die patterns, same BOM structure; setup and run time tracked per machine
- Contract coating and lamination – the formulation model supports percentage-based recipes and coat-then-slit workflows
Architecture
Modern stack. Zero legacy code.
Most converters run a cut-down general ERP with spreadsheets bolted on the side. SmartFlow is a decoupled single-page application over a Python engine, built for the shop floor rather than the boardroom — tablet-friendly where the work happens, with the manufacturing maths kept in a proper service layer behind it.
Early access
Stop fitting square pegs into round die-cuts
We are taking on a limited number of converters before general availability — tell us your press configuration and current costing process, and we will show you the same job priced properly.