CIS Production & Inventory Management
Connect Products, Inventory, Jobs and Quality From Quote to Shipment
CIS brings product structure, material requirements, production planning, inventory, quoting, job release, barcoded shop-floor updates and inspection together in one connected operational system.
The operational foundation
Start with a product database that connects the rest of the system
In CIS 2026, the Product Database supports far more than inventory. It provides the product information used by purchasing, receiving, job management, production, inspection, maintenance, work orders and Advanced Inspection.
Raw materials
Manage purchased materials used directly in manufacturing, including suppliers, inventory and incoming inspection requirements.
Components
Maintain purchased components with supplier relationships, quantities, pricing and inspection requirements.
Sub-assemblies
Build manufactured sub-assemblies from lower-level materials and components and use them inside master products.
Master products
Define the finished product, its material structure, production steps, process time, pricing, profit and inspection requirements.
Product structure & kitting
Define what the product needs before production begins
Master products and sub-assemblies can be built from defined components and raw materials. CIS uses those relationships when preparing jobs, process cards and production requirements.
- Define required components and raw materials.
- Establish quantities required for each product.
- Include manufactured sub-assemblies.
- Use the structure when building production jobs.
- Support material picking and process-card preparation.
One connected product definition
Product information does not stop at the bill of materials
The same product can carry approved suppliers, pricing, production steps, process times and inspection criteria. That allows CIS to use one controlled product definition across several operational processes.
Production planning
Define the sequence and expected time for every production step
Production steps and the time required for each step are established in the master product. CIS uses this information when creating the process card and evaluating whether a proposed job can meet its due date.
Connected to Advanced Inspection
Build quality requirements into the product before production starts
CIS 2026 uses the Product Database as the foundation of Advanced Inspection. Inspection type, criteria, units, minimum and maximum values and sampling quantities can be associated with the products you purchase or manufacture.
Inspection by product type
Incoming, in-process and final inspection remain connected to operations
- Incoming inspection for purchased components and raw materials.
- In-process inspection for manufactured work.
- Final inspection for sub-assemblies and master products.
- Inspection criteria tied directly to the product record.
- Results available to the Advanced Inspection KPI system.
Inventory control
Know what you have, what it is worth and how it moved
CIS inventory records are connected to product and operational activity, providing both current quantities and detailed transaction history.
Current quantity
Review the net quantity available for each part or product.
Inventory value
Review unit price and total inventory value by part number.
Transaction history
Review inventory transactions over a selected date range and by selected products.
Shipping control
Ship directly from inventory while CIS prevents shipment quantities from exceeding the quantity available.
Inventory movement
Keep inventory connected to the events that change it
Instead of maintaining a separate inventory spreadsheet, CIS can record operational inventory transactions and maintain the history behind the current quantity.
Receive
Add purchased materials and components through receiving and inventory activity.
Use
Apply materials and components to jobs and operational activities.
Adjust
Make authorized inventory adjustments when actual quantities need correction.
Ship
Record finished product leaving inventory with customer and shipment information.
Material shelf life
Keep time-sensitive materials visible
CIS 2026 includes a dedicated Material Shelf-Life Report within Products and Job Management so material expiration can be monitored as part of the operational system.
- Review material shelf-life information.
- Keep expiry-related information accessible to operations.
- Use shelf-life reporting alongside inventory and production.
- Reduce reliance on separate tracking sheets.
Operational reporting
See more than today’s inventory quantity
CIS provides an Inventory Summary and a detailed transaction report so management can review quantity, value, update dates and the transactions that created the current inventory position.
New integration for CIS 2026
Quote from the product database, then release the accepted work
Sales Quotations are now linked to the Product Database. Existing product pricing can be used in the quotation, and an accepted quote can move directly into product build or job release.
Pricing and costing
Keep the commercial side connected to the product
The master product manages pricing and profit information, while purchasing information can help keep product pricing current.
- Use product pricing when preparing quotations.
- Maintain product profit information.
- Connect accepted quotations to job release.
- Avoid rebuilding the product when the customer says yes.
Job release
Check materials and production time before committing the job
When a master product is released for production, CIS can evaluate whether the required components and raw materials are available and whether there is enough production time to meet the requested due date.
Select the product
Build directly from the Product Database or from an accepted sales quotation.
Define the job
Select the customer, quantity, build date and required due date.
Run the check
CIS checks inventory availability and the production time required by the product’s process steps.
Preview and release
Preview the job with each production step and its due date before releasing it to production.
Barcoded shop-floor execution
Update job status from the process card as the work moves
Every process step on the CIS process card can carry its own barcode. Scanning the barcode opens the status entry for that specific job step.
- Scan the process-step barcode.
- Enter quantity accepted and rejected.
- Record the completion date.
- Record batch or lot number.
- Record inspector initials or number.
- Update the job status immediately.
No scanner? No problem.
The same process step can also be entered manually
CIS provides barcode entry from the home page, but the barcode value can also be entered manually. This lets companies adopt barcoding where it makes sense without making it mandatory everywhere.
Production visibility
Know what is running, what is due and what is already late
The Production Status Report gives management a current view of jobs in production rather than requiring status to be assembled manually.
Operational reports
Turn production and inventory records into usable management information
Why integration matters
Production decisions improve when the information is not scattered
Product structure, purchasing, inventory, inspection, quoting and production all depend on much of the same information. CIS keeps that information connected rather than duplicating it across separate systems.
- Product requirements support both production and inspection.
- Product pricing supports quotations.
- Inventory availability supports job release.
- Process times support production scheduling.
- Barcode updates feed current production status.
Not just inventory software
A connected operating system for smaller manufacturing operations
CIS can support companies that want production, inventory and quality in one system, while organizations with an existing ERP can still use the Product Database where it adds value – particularly for Advanced Inspection, maintenance and controlled operational processes.
Production, inventory and quality together
Move from customer quote to product build without losing the connection
CIS 2026 connects the Product Database, quotations, job release, inventory, barcoded process execution, production status and Advanced Inspection so operations and quality work from the same information.