From the shop floor
Thoughts on manufacturing, software, and building tools for the people who make things.
Dev Update: March 28 — The 1.0 Push
This week we completed Wave 0 and Wave 1 of the unified 1.0 plan. Dead code removed, new API endpoints live, shared components built, and the MRP + scheduling engine fully designed.
4 min readWhy We Built Midrung
We didn't start a software company because we wanted to write code. We started it because we spent 20 years running job shops and couldn't find software that fit.
5 min readThe Real Cost of Running Your Shop on Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets don't have a monthly fee. But the time you spend maintaining them, the errors they hide, and the margins they miss? That costs more than any software subscription.
7 min readHow We Actually Quote Jobs (And How Midrung Does It)
Quoting is where margin is made or lost. Here's how we approach it after two decades on the shop floor — and how we built Midrung to do it faster.
8 min readBest Manufacturing ERP for Small Business in 2026
There are dozens of manufacturing ERPs on the market. Most of them weren't built for you. Here's how to find the one that was.
10 min readHow to Choose a Manufacturing ERP (Without Getting Burned)
Choosing the wrong ERP costs more than money — it costs months of your time and your team's trust in technology. Here's how to get it right.
9 min readHow to Calculate Your Shop Rate (With Real Numbers)
Your shop rate determines every quote you send. If it's wrong, every job loses money — and you won't know until it's too late.
8 min read