# ERP for Aerospace Build-to-Print Machine Shops: What to Require > Source: https://netray.co/resources/erp-for-aerospace-build-to-print-machine-shops > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Knowledge Base ## Short answer What an AS9100 build-to-print machine shop needs from ERP: revision control, traveler, lot traceability, outside processing, FAI and certs. ## Category erp-general ## Content **Intro:** An aerospace build-to-print machine shop needs an ERP that controls drawing revisions, ties material heat or lot numbers to each job, manages outside processing against approved sources, supports first article inspection and certificates of conformance, and gives accurate job costs. Many shops start on QuickBooks and spreadsheets, then move to JobBOSS, E2 Shop System, ProShop, Global Shop Solutions, Epicor Kinetic or Infor SyteLine. The right choice depends on size, quality burden and whether you want your quality system inside the ERP. This guide lists the requirements that matter and where shops get disappointed. **Sections:** #### Requirements That Come From AS9100 and the Primes **Body:** Unlike a commercial job shop, your system has to prove what you did on every part. That drives a specific feature set. **Bullets:** - Drawing and revision control tied to the job, with the customer's rev on the PO checked at release - Electronic traveler or router with operation sign-off, inspector stamps and hold points - Material and lot traceability from mill test report to finished serialized or lot-controlled part - Outside processing with approved supplier list, Nadcap status and certificate capture on receipt - FAI (AS9102) record linkage and nonconformance, corrective action and rework records - Certificate of conformance generation and record retention for the customer's required period #### Quote-to-Cash Fit for Job Shops **Body:** Aerospace work is high mix, low volume, so the system has to support fast quoting from a drawing, flexible routings, and accurate actual costing by job. Look at how estimates convert to jobs without re-keying, how engineering changes update open jobs, and how setup and run time are collected on the floor. Shops often find that an ERP strong on MRP for repetitive manufacturing is clumsy for one-off jobs with outside processing, while shop-focused systems like JobBOSS, E2 and ProShop handle that flow naturally but may lack depth in multi-site finance or complex bills of material. SyteLine and Epicor Kinetic suit shops growing into assemblies and multiple plants, at higher implementation effort. #### Where Shops Get Disappointed **Body:** Four problems come up repeatedly. Quality records live in a separate system, so traceability requires cross-checking by hand. Shop-floor data collection is skipped, so actual hours are guesses and quotes stay unreliable. Outside processing is tracked as a PO only, without capacity or lead-time visibility, so schedules slip at the plater or heat treater. And implementation is treated as an IT project: the quality manager and estimators are not involved, so the configuration mirrors the old spreadsheets. Insist on a pilot with real jobs including a full traveler, a lot-traced material, an outside processing loop and a FAI, not a demo with sample data. #### Data, Security and CUI **Body:** If you handle controlled unclassified information or ITAR technical data, ERP hosting matters. Cloud ERP from a vendor needs a clear answer on U.S.-person access, data location and FedRAMP-equivalent controls where DFARS 252.204-7012 applies. On-prem or private cloud hosting keeps that boundary under your control. Document how the ERP, file shares for drawings and your document control system fit in your System Security Plan. Do not assume the vendor's certifications automatically cover your obligations; you remain responsible as the contractor. #### Adding AI Without Replacing the ERP **Body:** Once the data is clean, a private AI layer can answer questions like which jobs for this part number ran over estimate, what lot numbers went into this shipment, or which open jobs are waiting on outside processing, directly against ERP tables. This does not require changing systems. The honest caveat is that AI over messy data returns messy answers, so fix routings, labor reporting and lot capture first. If you are small and your current system works, spend on discipline before spending on AI. **Cta:** Talk to Netray about adding private, ERP-grounded question answering and quoting support to the system your aerospace shop already runs. **Faq:** #### What is the best ERP for an AS9100 machine shop? **Answer:** There is no single best. Shops under about 50 people often do well on JobBOSS, E2 or ProShop, while multi-site or assembly-heavy shops look at Epicor Kinetic, SyteLine or similar. Choose on traceability, outside processing, quality records and your ability to implement, then verify with a pilot using your own jobs. #### Do I need a separate QMS software as well as ERP? **Answer:** Not always. Some shop systems include nonconformance, corrective action and document control. Others need a separate quality system. The test is whether your auditor can follow a part from PO to shipment without you reconciling two systems by hand. #### Can I stay on QuickBooks and spreadsheets for AS9100? **Answer:** You can pass an audit that way if your records are controlled, but traceability, revision control and job costing become labor intensive and error-prone as volume grows. Most shops outgrow that arrangement when they add a second prime or a CMM-heavy workload. #### Does ERP hosting affect ITAR or CMMC compliance? **Answer:** Yes. Where export-controlled data or CUI lives in the ERP or attached drawings, the hosting model, access by non-U.S. persons and security controls must satisfy your obligations. Evaluate this before selecting a cloud vendor. ## Related Slugs - aerospace-erp-solutions - how-to-set-up-syteline-as9100-compliance - lot-traceability-electronics-manufacturing - digital-thread-aerospace-manufacturing-ai ## Search terms ERP for aerospace machine shop, AS9100 ERP software small shop, JobBOSS vs E2 aerospace, build to print ERP requirements, aerospace job shop software, ERP lot traceability machine shop --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json