From raw materials to
finished goods — without
the spreadsheet.
BOM-driven costing. Production orders with routing. Shop-floor tracking. WIP valuation. Quality control. Job work GST. ITC-04 filing. Built for India's MSMEs.
The problems we solve
Manufacturers bleed in three places
True product cost is a mystery
We sell pump bodies at ₹500. Direct material: ₹220. But overhead? Machine time? Labour? We guess at 40% markup. Sometimes we win the order at a loss without knowing it until quarter close.
BOM with multi-level recursion. Machine + labour rates per operation. Real per-unit cost computed automatically from BOM and routing. Margin alerts on each SKU when raw material prices change.
WIP undermines the audit
₹40 lakh sitting in WIP. Auditor asks: how do you value it? Production has one spreadsheet. Accounts have another. They disagree. Auditor qualifies the accounts. Banks get nervous.
Standard or actual cost WIP valuation. Variance tracking (price, usage, efficiency). Reconciled to GL in real time. Auditor gets one source of truth — no spreadsheet wars.
Quality control is a paper trail
Batch of 500 shafts failed QC. Traced back to raw material from which supplier? Which batch? Paper trail across 3 departments. Recall takes 4 days. Customer lost.
Forward + backward traceability via batch numbers. QC stages per BOM operation. Reject + rework loop. PDF QC report on demand. Recall list in seconds.
Features
Everything the shop floor needs, integrated
From BOM to finished goods cost — one system.
BOM management
Multi-level BOM with versioning and effective dates. Material substitution rules. Make-to-order or make-to-stock. Scrap % and yield % per component.
Production orders
Released, in-progress, quality hold, completed stages. Operation-level routing with work centres. Sub-contract operation support. Progress tracking on shop floor.
Shop floor data capture
Operator login with time-in/time-out. Machine and labour clocking per operation. Idle vs productive time. Supervisor approval for stage completion.
WIP valuation
Standard or actual cost WIP. Variance breakdown by price, usage, and efficiency. Reconciled to GL in real time. Audit-ready WIP register.
Quality control
Inspection plans per BOM operation. Accept, reject, or rework decisions. Batch forward and backward traceability. PDF QC certificate generation.
Preventive maintenance
Preventive schedule per machine with calendar integration. Breakdown logging with downtime reason. MTBF / MTTR reports for plant efficiency.
How it works
How AskBooks works for manufacturing
BOM defined
Products set up with multi-level BOM, machine routing, and labour rates. Cost sheet computed automatically from inputs.
Production released
Production order released. Material issued from store against BOM. WIP value updated. Operator clocks in per operation.
QC checks run
Each production stage passes QC inspection. Rejects sent to rework or scrap. Batch traceability maintained through every step.
Goods received to store
Finished goods valued at actual or standard cost. WIP cleared. Variance posted to cost variance account. ITC-04 for job work filed.
Compliance
All the compliance manufacturing needs
GST, ITC on inputs, job work GST, Form ITC-04, e-invoicing.
We finally know our actual product cost — not the textbook 'mark up the BOM by 40%' but the real number with overheads and machine time. Margins improved by 7% in 2 quarters. One product line we thought was profitable was actually losing money. We repriced it. Saved ₹18 lakh a year.
Pricing
Plans for every manufacturer
Job work tracking, ITC-04 return, basic production orders, material issue and return.
Get startedFull BOM, production orders, WIP valuation, QC, shop floor tracking, cost sheets, payroll.
Get startedMulti-plant manufacturers, OEMs. ERP integration, dedicated implementation, custom reports.
Get startedFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How does job work GST and ITC-04 work in AskBooks?
When you send raw material to a job worker, a challan is issued and the material is tracked as goods sent for job work. The ITC on this material remains with you (the principal). When the job worker returns the processed goods, the challan is closed. ITC-04 is auto-generated quarterly from all job work challan movements.
What is the difference between standard cost and actual cost WIP valuation?
Standard cost WIP values work-in-progress at pre-determined cost rates regardless of actual spending. Variances from actuals are captured separately. Actual cost WIP values WIP at real material and labour costs incurred. AskBooks supports both methods. Most MSMEs use standard cost for simplicity; large manufacturers use actual cost for accuracy.
How does multi-level BOM work?
A multi-level BOM means sub-assemblies are themselves made from other components. For example: Pump (Level 0) → Pump body assembly (Level 1) → Casting + machining components (Level 2). AskBooks explodes the BOM to all levels when computing material requirements and production cost.
Can AskBooks handle sub-contracting for specific operations?
Yes. Some operations in a BOM routing can be marked as "sub-contract" — meaning they are done by an outside job worker. When the production order reaches that operation, a job work challan is auto-generated. The job worker returns the semi-finished goods. Costs are posted at actual charge from job worker.
How is e-invoicing handled for manufactured goods sales?
All B2B sales above ₹5 crore aggregate turnover (threshold reduces over time) require e-invoicing. AskBooks auto-generates IRN (Invoice Reference Number) and QR code from the IRP (Invoice Registration Portal) for every eligible B2B invoice. The e-invoice data flows directly into GSTR-1.
Make smarter products. Know your real cost.
Used by 350+ Indian manufacturers. Free 14-day trial. No setup fee.