Join Our Webinar
ERP for Complex Equipment Manufacturers: Why Selection Fails and How to Fix It
Jan 15th, 2026 | 11 AM ET
ERP selection for complex equipment manufacturers is fundamentally different from ERP selection for high-volume or make-to-stock businesses. Yet many companies still rely on generic ERP shortlists, accounting-centric systems, or horizontal platforms not designed for engineered-to-order environments. As a result, projects often run over budget, require excessive customization, and fail to scale.
In this webinar, we explain why ERP initiatives fail so often in complex manufacturing and how to realign selection decisions with your actual operating model. We clarify the difference between configurable products and true engineered-to-order manufacturing. We then show how that distinction drives requirements across engineering, estimating, project manufacturing, supply chain, service, and financial control.
Finally, we provide a practical framework to evaluate native ERP functionality versus third-party bolt-ons. We address integration risk, hidden long-term costs, and how to tolerate the right functional gaps without overbuying or under-planning. The objective is not to find a perfect ERP. It is to avoid structural misalignment and costly re-platforming later.
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Learning Objectives:
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Understand why hundreds of ERP systems exist across horizontal and vertical categories—and why that difference matters far more for complex equipment manufacturers.
Distinguish between configurable products and true engineered-to-order (ETO) environments, and see how that choice impacts ERP cost, risk, and implementation complexity.
Identify the ERP capabilities complex manufacturers often need natively, including project-based manufacturing, deep BOMs with CAD and PLM integration, project-specific purchasing and warehousing, estimating with promise-date calculations, engineering change management with revision control, and real-time project costing with variance analysis.
Learn why accounting-centric ERP systems frequently fail as equipment manufacturers scale, even if they appear cost-effective at the startup stage.
Evaluate the tradeoffs between native ERP functionality and API-based bolt-ons, including hidden costs related to integrations, custom development, and ongoing maintenance.
Decide which functional gaps are acceptable today while protecting future operational and architectural flexibility.
Leave with a sharper set of questions for ERP vendors and implementation partners, reducing selection risk and avoiding expensive re-platforming decisions.
Speakers
Steve Moon
Business Systems Consultant | ESS
Over 20 years of Software Development and Consulting experience in the areas of – ERP, Web Development and DBMS. Steve has helped businesses improve their ability to meet customers’ needs by transforming business requirements into ERP Software requirements. Steve is focused on success with skills such as process mapping, researching user issues, designing and developing solutions, documenting changes and deploying solutions within budget and deadline. He has been actively involved with various customers in implementation and migration to SyteLine ERP system.
Andy Pratico
The ERP Santa Claus | ESS
Andy Pratico has spent more than four decades selling ERP solutions to manufacturers across North America. He has witnessed the evolution of ERP firsthand and has distilled those experiences into several books and widely followed industry podcasts. Today, he leads the sales and marketing function at ESS, an Infor reseller.
Sam Gupta
CEO | ElevatIQ
Sam Gupta has been a thought leader in the digital transformation space for nearly two decades, with the primary focus on business software. Sam is rated as #1 thought leader in the ERP and CRM categories and #5 in the digital transformation category on Thinkers 360. He is also among the top 100 thought leaders across all categories. He has been part of large transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 corporations, but now spends his time consulting with SMEs as a CEO at ElevatIQ. Sam regularly speaks at industry conferences and contributes his experiences through many popular blogs and publications. He also hosts a podcast called WBSRocks, focused on business growth through digital transformation, where he interviews top influencers and executives focused on digital transformation.
