For many small and micro manufacturers, managing production and raw material planning has long been a challenge – limited by costly and complex enterprise systems that are often out of reach.
Melbourne-based inventory management software company Unleashed has introduced a new Material Requirements Planning (MRP) solution aimed at giving smaller manufacturers access to similar planning capabilities as larger firms, but in a more streamlined and affordable way.
The new tool, developed as part of Unleashed’s cloud-based inventory management platform, allows small manufacturers to link product-level demand forecasts directly with raw material purchasing plans and assembly schedules, the company said.
According to Unleashed, this advancement aims to remove the barriers of high cost and technical complexity that have historically limited smaller manufacturers from adopting enterprise-grade MRP systems.
“At just $150 a month, this gives even very small manufacturers the ability to manage complex production and purchasing without big costs or extra staff,” said Jarrod Adam, Unleashed’s Head of Product and Distribution.
In an exclusive interview with Australian Manufacturing, Adam said the decision to develop the simplified MRP module, known as AIM, came directly from listening to the company’s manufacturing customers.
“Unleashed has gained a strong footprint in the manufacturing space with two-thirds of our base fitting this profile,” Adam said.
“We developed AIM because we could see that manufacturers had an impossible job of staying close to the inventory of every component used to create end products. They were playing guessing games with their margins and ability to grow. AIM took the guesswork out of it and gives back hours a week by taking into account all the key factors to give purchasing requirements that avoid stockouts while minimising cash flow strain and dangerous overstocking,” he explained.
Simplifying complex systems
Traditional MRP systems, Adam said, have long been out of reach for smaller teams due to their complexity and high implementation costs. “These systems are built for enterprise scale and require heavy training just to get started,” he said.
“AIM strips this back to what small manufacturers actually need: simple production planning, accurate inventory visibility, and straightforward scheduling. Users can start planning production within days, not months.”
Unleashed said the AIM module works by reverse-engineering material and production schedules based on forecasted demand, taking into account production times, supplier lead performance, and potential stock-out risks. This allows purchasing managers to order from suppliers at optimal times and quantities.
Adam illustrated its impact with a real-world example: “Imagine a craft brewer with a dozen products in rotation. AIM looks at demand across your entire product range and consolidates material requirements, factoring in different supplier lead times and recalculating instantly when demand changes. It prevents stockouts while avoiding cash-killing overstock.”
Focus on ease of use
Ease of use remains a core focus in Unleashed’s product development, with features like Kanban-style visual boards and byproduct tracking enhancing operational visibility. “Kanban boards give manufacturers a visual, intuitive way to track production progress – you can see bottlenecks instantly and move jobs through stages with simple drag-and-drop,” Adam explained.
Unleashed has also introduced functionality to support manufacturers participating in container deposit schemes and similar sustainability programs, enabling businesses to track and separate payments or packaging volumes in their accounts.
“We see our role as staying ahead of sustainability legislation so our customers don’t have to,” Adam said. “We build functionality so manufacturers can meet their obligations without headaches, stay compliant, and focus on growing their business.”
Keeping software simple and cost-effective
Affordability was also a key design principle behind AIM. “Simple software that avoids scope bloat can be priced lower and deliver serious ROI for customers,” Adam said. “Our approach is to deliver Minimum Viable Products that solve tangible problems, then evolve them in collaboration with customers.”
Looking ahead, Adam said Unleashed plans to further strengthen its manufacturing capabilities with predictive and data-driven tools. “We’re looking at intelligent demand forecasting that learns from production patterns and smarter procurement suggestions that factor in supplier reliability,” he said.
For more information, visit the company’s website.
