The Project Layer Around the Plant
New product introduction, line changeovers, maintenance shutdowns, and capex work in one place. Your ERP runs production. This runs the projects around it.
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What manufacturing project management covers
An ERP tells you what is being made and what it costs. Neither an ERP nor an MES is good at the work around production: bringing a new product to the line, planning a changeover, running a shutdown, or getting a capex project through approvals. That work crosses engineering, quality, maintenance, and procurement, and it usually lives in spreadsheets and a weekly meeting. Orangescrum is the project layer for it, and it does not try to be your ERP.
Why plant projects slip
Sequence, sign off, and every function included
NPI and stage gates
Run new product introduction as a project with a milestone for each gate, so status is visible between reviews.
Sequenced work
A Gantt timeline with dependencies for changeovers and shutdowns, so one slip shows you everything behind it.
Checklists and sign off
Handover, safety, and quality steps captured on the task rather than on a clipboard that gets filed.
Capex and project cost
A budget per project with actual cost building from logged work. Pro and above in Cloud.
Controlled documents
Versioned documents with approvals, so which procedure is current is not open to debate. Self-Hosted.
Everyone on the plan
Unlimited users on every plan, so maintenance, quality, and production staff are inside the tool.
How a plant project is run
Where manufacturers use it
Which edition includes what
| Capability | CloudManaged SaaS | Self-HostedOn-premise / private cloud | Open SourceCommunity Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projects, tasks, and boards | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Milestones for stage gates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gantt schedule and dependencies | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Budget and project cost | Pro | ✓ | ✗ |
| Resource management | Premium | ✓ | ✗ |
| Document management with approvals | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Risk management | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Runs on your own infrastructure | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
Manufacturing project management FAQ
Is Orangescrum an ERP or an MES?
No, and it does not try to be. There is no MRP, no inventory or stock control, no warehouse management, no shop floor control, and no production scheduling against machines or work centres. Orangescrum manages the projects around production, and it sits alongside whatever runs your plant.
Can we run NPI stage gates in it?
Yes. Each gate becomes a milestone, the work for each phase sits underneath it, and checklists capture the criteria that have to be met before the gate is passed. Because the work is live rather than in a deck, status between reviews is visible instead of being assembled the night before.
Can we plan a shutdown or a line changeover?
Yes. Build the sequence on a Gantt timeline with real dependencies, so when one task runs long you can see exactly what moves behind it. Critical path shows which chain of work actually decides when the line restarts, and that is Premium in Cloud or included in Self-Hosted.
Do we pay for every person on the plant floor?
No. Every plan includes unlimited users on a flat monthly price, which is the point for manufacturing: maintenance technicians, quality inspectors, and shift supervisors can all be in the plan instead of being told about it later.
Can we track project cost?
Yes, at the project level. Set a budget, define rates, and actual cost builds from logged work, with variance visible while there is still time to act. This is project cost, not product costing or standard cost accounting, and it is not a general ledger, so it does not replace your finance system.
Can we keep everything on our own servers?
Yes. The Self-Hosted edition installs on your own infrastructure, including a restricted or air gapped plant network, with SSO, LDAP, and Active Directory sign in. Many manufacturers choose this because customer and design data cannot leave the site.
Can we manage risk on a project?
Yes, in the Self-Hosted edition, which includes a risk register where risks are recorded, owned, scored, and tracked with mitigation actions. Risk management is not available in the Cloud edition, so it is worth factoring into your deployment choice.
Can we reuse a plan for the next line or site?
Yes. Project templates let you carry a proven plan into the next installation or changeover instead of rebuilding it, and programme management groups the projects across sites so you can see the whole rollout with progress and cost rolled up.
Run the projects around production in one place
Free 14 day trial, no credit card. Unlimited users on every plan, plant floor included.