# Small Manufacturer MRP Vendor Demo Question Checklist > Source: https://netray.co/tools/small-manufacturer-mrp-vendor-demo-question-checklist > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Questions to ask in every cloud MRP demo so you compare vendors on your real process, not their sample data. ## Category erp-migration ## Industry Discrete Manufacturing ## Audience - Plant manager - Operations manager - Owner or founder ## Tool **Kind:** checklist **Scoring Note:** Tick each question the vendor answered clearly in the demo with your own data. Unanswered critical items are reasons to ask for a second session. **Groups:** #### Before the demo **Items:** **Text:** Send the vendor one real BOM with 3 or more levels and ask them to demo it **Critical:** true Send one real routing with outside processing and a setup time **Text:** List your top 5 daily tasks and ask to see each in the system **Critical:** true Ask who will attend from the vendor and whether they implement or only sell Agree what you will score and who scores it #### BOM, items and routing **Items:** **Text:** Shows multi-level BOMs with phantom or sub-assemblies **Critical:** true Shows engineering change or revision control on a BOM Shows scrap or yield percent on components Shows alternate or substitute materials Shows units of measure conversion between purchase and stock units **Text:** Shows routing with work centers, setup time and run time **Critical:** true Shows by-products and co-products if you have them #### Planning and purchasing **Items:** **Text:** Runs MRP and explains how lead times and safety stock are used **Critical:** true Shows suggested purchase orders created from shortages Shows make-to-order and make-to-stock handled differently Shows reorder points or min/max rules Shows supplier lead times and minimum order quantities Shows how a late purchase order changes the plan #### Inventory and traceability **Items:** **Text:** Shows lot or serial tracking from receipt to shipment **Critical:** true Shows barcode scanning on a phone or handheld Shows multiple locations or bins Shows cycle counts and stock adjustments with a reason Shows how consumption is posted (manual or backflush) #### Shop floor and costing **Items:** **Text:** Shows shop floor time tracking by operation and operator **Critical:** true Shows actual versus standard cost per job Shows work in progress valuation Shows how outside processing is purchased and received Shows production scheduling by capacity #### Integration, data and commercial terms **Items:** **Text:** Shows integration with your accounting package **Critical:** true Shows an API or webhooks and documents the limits Shows how to import items, BOMs and open orders, and who does it **Text:** Gets a written price including users, modules, implementation and support **Critical:** true Asks for the data export and exit terms in writing Asks for two reference customers in your size and industry ## Content **Intro:** A vendor demo is built to look good on their sample data. This checklist helps a small manufacturer shift the demo onto its own BOMs, routings and tasks, and compare MRPeasy, Katana, Odoo, ERPNext, Fishbowl and similar tools on the same questions. **Sections:** #### How to run the demo **Body:** Send one real multi-level BOM and one real routing a week ahead. During the session, ask the vendor to enter your data live rather than click through a script. Keep the same questions across vendors and tick the items they actually show, not describe. Use the critical flags to decide which gaps end the evaluation and which can be worked around. **Bullets:** - Share real data before the call - Ask to see each task done live - Score right after each demo, not a week later - Bring one operator, not only managers #### What separates the tools **Body:** Cloud MRPs for small plants differ most in depth rather than breadth. Some are strong at inventory and orders with light production, while others handle routings, scheduling and traceability. Open source options such as Odoo and ERPNext give more flexibility but need an implementer. The checklist forces the differences to the surface: lot tracking, capacity scheduling, multi-level BOMs and outside processing. #### Reading the results **Body:** Count the ticked critical items per vendor first, then the total. A vendor that misses two or more critical items needs a clear workaround plan or should drop out. Ask for the answer in writing when a feature is described as coming soon. Pair this checklist with a total cost view, since user count, implementation and add-on modules often change the ranking. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Letting the vendor drive the agenda, judging on screen design, and forgetting integration with accounting. Another is evaluating on features you will not use in the first year. Write down the five processes that cost you the most time today and weigh those before anything else. **Cta:** If you want an independent view of your shortlist and the migration effort, Netray can review it with you. **Faq:** #### How many vendors should I demo? **Answer:** Three is usually enough for a small plant. Narrow a longer list with a short written questionnaire and public pricing first. More than three demos tends to blur the differences and delay the decision, while fewer than two leaves you with no negotiating position. #### Should I give vendors my real data? **Answer:** Share one representative BOM and routing with sensitive prices removed. It is the quickest way to see whether the tool fits your process. Use a short confidentiality note if the part data is proprietary, and avoid sending customer lists or full price files. #### What is the most important question? **Answer:** Ask the vendor to run your most complicated real job end to end: BOM, purchase, receipt, production with time tracking, finished goods and shipment. Any gap in that chain will hurt after go-live, whereas gaps in rare reports can usually be handled outside the system. #### Does open source remove the need for a vendor? **Answer:** No. Odoo and ERPNext have no license fee for community editions, but you still pay for hosting, configuration, data migration and support. Compare total cost including implementation hours, not just the subscription line. ## Search terms mrp demo questions, questions to ask erp vendor demo, small manufacturer erp evaluation, cloud mrp selection checklist, mrp software demo script, erp demo checklist manufacturing, mrp vendor questions, choosing mrp software --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json