Compare Fishbowl vs. Flowlens

Flowlens Service Management connects the equipment you dispatch with its serial number, original bill of materials (BOM), and manufacturing history. This allows you to quickly identify the appropriate spare part when a customer reaches out, and review any prior work completed. You can monitor service tasks, job cards, tickets, and labor expenses associated with each product. This solution is specifically designed for manufacturers that produce and maintain their own equipment, rather than being an afterthought generic helpdesk. Service Management functions as an additional module within the Flowlens platform.

Flowlens meticulously logs batch and lot numbers upon receipt of inventory, while also documenting serial numbers for completed products and essential components. Each job is linked to specific batches and serials, enabling you to track a finished product back to its individual parts and suppliers, or trace forward from a supplier's batch to all the units it influenced. The system accommodates unit-of-measure conversions for purchasing in bulk and utilizing single items. Additionally, inspections of incoming goods and instances of non-conformance are integrated into the workflow, eliminating the need for separate documentation and ensuring that valuable insights remain directly associated with the tasks at hand.

Flowlens specializes in managing complex, hierarchical Bill of Materials (BOMs). Each sub-assembly is assigned a distinct part number and follows its unique workflow, ultimately contributing to the overall parent job card. Customers often work with BOMs containing more than 1,500 lines. The platform allows for easy imports from spreadsheets or CAD files, supports multiple suppliers for each part, tracks revisions, and enables real-time modifications to parts on an active job if changes occur during the build process. By employing standardized templates for frequently produced items, the Cap Coder streamlined its operations, reducing its BOMs from 48,000 to 24,000. BOMs are seamlessly integrated with job cards, purchasing, and inventory management, while batch and serial tracking extends through to the service phase.

Flowlens offers a comprehensive inventory management solution that allows users to monitor stock by location using various costing methods such as FIFO, LIFO, or average costing. It supports an unlimited number of parts and SKUs, alongside built-in traceability for both batch and serial numbers. The platform features a real-time shortage report that generates purchase requests based on unfulfilled job cards and sales orders while adhering to supplier minimum order quantities and pack-size conversions. Additionally, it automatically pre-fills purchase orders, providing clarity on what items need to be ordered and which are already accounted for. Incoming goods inspections facilitate quality control upon arrival, and stock is allocated according to specific job requirements. Tailored for manufacturers of devices, equipment, and machinery, Flowlens ensures that inventory is linked to the corresponding builds. Furthermore, purchase and stock ledgers can seamlessly integrate with accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage 50.

Flowlens offers a cloud-based manufacturing solution tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises that specialize in creating intricate devices, equipment, and machinery based on customer orders. The software seamlessly manages multi-level bills of materials (BOMs), sub-assemblies, job costing, procurement, inventory management, production oversight, quality data collection, and sales/service operations within a single platform, eliminating the need for spreadsheets, shared drives, and various disconnected tools. Users can easily add or replace components directly on an active job card, while recurring projects can be initiated using predefined templates. Flowlens integrates smoothly with accounting software such as Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage 50. A specialized implementation team in the UK is available to assist with setup, data migration, and user training. The basic package starts at £479+VAT per month, accommodating 4 office users and 2 production users.

Flowlens is intentionally designed not to be a typical ERP system. Instead, it focuses specifically on the manufacturing and after-sales aspects of operations, offering comprehensive tools for managing BOMs, procurement, inventory, production, quality control, sales orders, and service management. Financial management remains within your existing accounting software, seamlessly integrating with Xero and QuickBooks (with Sage 50 available as an option), ensuring that customer, supplier, invoice, and ledger information is synchronized without the need for manual data entry. For instance, Cap Coder, a manufacturer of capping and filling machinery, experienced a reduction in spare parts and sales order processing time by 18 to 20% after consolidating their operations from two separate systems into one. Flowlens is ideal for expanding manufacturers with a workforce of up to approximately 100 employees.

Flowlens dissects each task into distinct workflow stages, each associated with specific personnel, equipment, operational guidelines, and material requirements. Operators can access their assignments through a tablet app on the shop floor, where they can track time, document quality metrics, and finalize their tasks. Managers have real-time visibility into the production schedule, allowing them to monitor which items are on schedule, currently being worked on, or overdue. As components are utilized and products are assembled, batch and serial numbers are logged, ensuring traceability from incoming goods to the final output. This step-by-step management is integrated within the same platform that handles your bill of materials, inventory, and sales orders, eliminating the need for a separate manufacturing execution system (MES).

Flowlens offers a real-time materials planning solution based on verified demand. Job cards, sales orders, and warehouse requests contribute to an ongoing shortage report, eliminating unexpected supply gaps. The system automatically breaks down multi-level BOMs, ensuring that each sub-assembly has its own workflow linked to the main job. Purchase orders are generated with identified shortages in mind while adhering to supplier minimum order requirements. It accurately monitors actual labor and material expenses for each project, utilizing FIFO or average costing methods. Tailored for small to medium-sized manufacturers that produce intricate products on demand, Flowlens is not a scaled-down version of enterprise software. The foundational platform starts at £479 plus VAT per month.