This article is relevant if you use NetSuite for light manufacturing but find the native user interface too cumbersome for your specialized assembly and quality control processes.
TL;DR Summary
NetSuite’s database structures effectively model general manufacturing, but its user interface often hinders shop floor usability. For firms like our client, Teco Technology, we built a tablet-ready, tailored interface on the NetSuite platform to streamline hose assembly and quality control workflows without the need for expensive add-ons. Using our Extensible Client Framework (ECF), we enabled intuitive, real-time operations while maintaining NetSuite’s integrity and avoiding recurring costs.
Background
We frequently encounter clients in light assembly manufacturing who find that while NetSuite’s architecture supports multi-level bills of materials, work orders, and subassemblies, its general-purpose user interface impedes real-world efficiency.
Teco Technology, a manufacturer specializing in custom hydraulic hose assemblies, is one such example. The Vice President had a clear vision: move away from paper and onto tablets for a smoother shop-floor experience. While Teco had NetSuite’s standard manufacturing module, the native interfaces were not practical. The work orders were structurally accurate but ineffective at supporting real-time, intuitive floor operations.
Executives understandably worry when technology slows down production or creates barriers to quality. Their expectation: systems should drive efficiency, not introduce friction. Moreover, native modules like NetSuite’s Quality Control Add-on often don’t align with unique business practices. In these cases, a tailored, internal approach that leverages the existing NetSuite platform is often the most practical and cost-effective path forward.
NetSuite and the Challenge of Specialized Light Assembly
NetSuite’s data structures are sound for generalized manufacturing. The multi-level bill of materials (BOM) and work order logic follow industry-standard models. However, for certain operations, particularly those involving repeated custom assemblies like hydraulic hose production, these models fall short in practice.
In Teco Technology’s case, the standard work order structure made it difficult to intuitively track hose assemblies. Each hose has a cut length, inner diameter, fitting types, and other specifications. In NetSuite, these attributes are presented as work order lines, which forces users to interpret the data in rows when their natural workflow organizes information in columns. For instance, each “set” of hose components needed to be seen as a unit, but NetSuite lacked a mechanism to present or interact with that unit effectively.
Moreover, shop floor workers needed to process hoses incrementally throughout the day. The traditional NetSuite work order form was too heavyweight and inflexible. Operators also needed to perform quality checks throughout the build cycle, but the out-of-the-box NetSuite Quality Control module was both overbuilt and poorly integrated into their actual work patterns.
The result was a painful mismatch: the backend data structure was fine, but the user interface created an unnecessary burden. We effectively need a pivot from rows to columns. Rather than forcing users to adapt to NetSuite, we adapted NetSuite to serve the users.
A Tailored, Tablet-Driven NetSuite Experience for Hose Assembly
To unlock productivity and eliminate friction, we deployed our internal, license-free Extensible Client Framework (ECF), a high-performance application framework purpose-built for NetSuite.
This platform lets us create modern user interfaces that plug directly into NetSuite’s database and security model. Using ECF, we built a lightweight, intuitive, tablet-optimized shop floor experience for Teco Technology’s hose assembly process.
No additional NetSuite modules were required. Instead, we honored the existing database structure, added clarity through smarter data presentation, and introduced targeted enhancements where needed.
See the Demo: Tailored NetSuite Light Assembly and QC Application
In the demonstration, I have a discussion with Hector Cardenas, Operations Practice Leader, who enthusiastically illustrates the power that can be unleashed when managers decide to take control of their shop floor situations and solve old-world paper-based processes without compromising or adding to their existing Oracle NetSuite obligation.
Watch the solution in action:
Click here to watch Prolecto Tailored NetSuite Light Assembly and QC Application
Solution Implementation Details
To better understand the solution, we contemplate the following:
- Leveraged NetSuite BOM and Work Orders Without Add-ons: We retained the native NetSuite work order and BOM structures. No use of WIP and Routing or the Quality module was necessary. This avoided recurring costs while maintaining structural integrity.
- Flattened Complex BOMs Into Actionable Views: Custom SQL-based queries reorganized BOM revision data and exploded part numbers into attribute-driven columns. This allowed operators to work with assemblies as intuitive sets rather than opaque line items.
- Built Tablet-Ready UI for Hose Assembly Sets: Using ECF, we created a shop floor application that let users view and manage each hose as a visual, tabular “set.” This significantly improved usability for assembly technicians.
- Embedded Quality Control Workflows: We added a custom quality control table directly into the NetSuite data model. This enabled real-time checks at the exact point (after cutting, crimping, labeling) when a sub-assembly is complete.
- Provided Certification Output for Finished Goods: Upon completion, the system generated a printed quality certification document. This became part of the shipment packaging, enhancing customer confidence and reducing manual documentation. Here, we leveraged our license-free Content Rendering Engine, which makes it a snap to get PDFs exactly the way we need them.
- Integrated Work Order Lifecycle: Issuance, Execution, Completion: The application facilitated the issuance and processing of work orders. Status updates, completions, and closures are all synced back to NetSuite using standard APIs, keeping records consistent.
- Worked Around Historical Modeling Limitations: Since the original NetSuite implementation (our firm did not produce the implementation; we were engaged to optimize) lacked strong attribute decoration, we reverse-engineered the part numbers to derive necessary quality and specification data. This avoided the need to restructure the item master. The client appreciated that this did not require a data project for the setup.
- Client Collaboration Turned Vision Into Reality: Teco’s VP contributed early sketches of his vision. Working collaboratively, we iterated rapidly to deliver a solution that matched his expectations and scaled with the business.
Click images to see them full screen.
NetSuite Application Leadership in Specialized Manufacturing
The successful deployment at Teco Technology is a clear example of how thoughtful modeling, collaboration, and platform-centric thinking can overcome usability barriers in NetSuite without the need for bloated modules or recurring license costs. When we Roadmap our clients’ implementations, we thoughtfully challenge the notion of NetSuite add-on modules — the idea is to fit the software to the business requirements but leverage the infrastructure to its fullest.
Instead of fighting NetSuite or looking outside the platform, we embraced its core strengths: the database, security model, and extensibility. Our license-free Extensible Client Framework empowered our team to produce a modern, lightweight UI tailored to a real business workflow — complete with embedded quality control, certification, and real-time updates.
For firms that want to modernize light manufacturing operations but avoid unnecessary overhead, this approach is a breakthrough. The solution honors NetSuite’s architecture while producing a vastly superior user experience.
I would like to thank Hector Cardenas, Operations Practice Leader, and Elie Ciment, Technology Practice Manager, for their collaborative leadership in developing this client solution.
If you found this article relevant, feel free to sign up for notifications to new articles as I post them. If you are ready to modernize your shop floor experience with NetSuite, let’s have a conversation.
