qcadoo MES - new Java-based Open Source manufacturing management software

Why did we do it ?

For many years we stumbled upon many companies from different industries and with blushes on our cheeks, we saw that many new business software projects were solving the same problems over and over again. Every one is racing to bring new ERP systems, "innovative" CRMs and e-commerce suits. But most companies have already deployed these type of systems and optimized their sales process, finances and logistics. Little is however done with software for the manufacturing industry especially in the SME sector. Flying paper notes and Excel files - that is still the landscape in that domain.

So we decided to make manufacturing management more systematic and started to work on qcadoo MES. We managed to acquire financing from the UE in the polish POIG 8.1 program and from a couple of private investors. We also build a team with people that have at least 10 year experience in developing IT solutions like ERP and BI systems for large international companies.

What is qcadoo MES

qcadoo MES is a manufacturing management system for small and medium companies. It combines many functions you can find in ERP, MRP and MES systems. We don't want to replace systems like SAP, MS Dynamics or Wonderware. We do not target the same groups they do. qcadoo MES lets you replace those paper notes and spreadsheets that are flying around the production line and gain benefit from having them all in one system.

From the beginning of our project we had a couple of ambitious goals. First of all we wanted our software to be easy to use. From the first day we work closely with a company that specializes in usability. Thanks to this we have a clear and intuitive interface approved by eye-tracking tests.

qcadoo MES should also eliminate the biggest issue with other systems of this type - starting with big and wide deployment which mess with your daily business tasks and give no guarantee of success. We did this by encapsulating every functionality - big or small - in separate modules. Modules can be turned off and on and extend functionality of other modules. Our platform takes care of everything - keeps the systems integrity and module dependencies intact. How does the user benefit from this ? He can start his adventure with qcadoo MES by deploying a simple functionality - a single module - and in time add new ones to solve just the task he needs. Additionally you don't just get access to modules from Qcadoo but mainly from our partners and from the Open Source community.

Encouraged by successes of such companies like OpenERP, Open Bravo and SugarCRM we decided to also free our product on an Open Source license. We hope this will encourage developers and engineers from the manufacturing industry to collaborate with us on qcadoo MES. 

What makes us special

You can find some manufacturing managements systems on the web. But what you wont find in them is:

• fully modular system - you can start from a simple functionality - one module - an add more in time. Just as your companies needs evolve. You can buy modules in the qcooStore - something similar to Apple AppStore or Android Market - but with solutions for the manufacturing industry
• created from day one with usability in mind - this speeds up deployments and makes user training go swiftly
• expandable to infinity - modules are the fundamental concept of this system and you can add new features easily without any technical knowledge. Thanks to this you can adjust our system easily to your companies specific needs.
• open source - our source code is available on the AGPL license which means that every one can use the software for commercial deployments (with having the terms of the AGPL in mind). Users that need more professional support and commercial modules can buy a commercial license
• available as a service (SaaS) - qcadoo MES is available for any browser and eliminates the need to install it manually, remembering about backups and system upgrades. This really reduces your costs and saves your time
• global range - from the beginning we are working on making qcadoo MES available worldwide. We are collaborating with partners from every country and believe that a wide choice of modules will fit in to production lines everywhere, Canada, Poland, India, you name it

A new Module is a piece of cake - qcadoo Framework

The whole system is based on the qcadoo Framework. A great tool for rapid implementation of modular database web application. Every thing in it is a module and therefore can be extended by another module. Yours for example ! While designing the qcadoo Framework we also wanted to make it very easy for new developers. For this purpose we created two simple XML languages: one to define the GUI and the other do define the data model. Thanks to them in a few lines of code you can add a new data entity, a table for it and all the basic CRUD operations (Create, Remove, Update, Delete). Also you can always write more complex business logic in a simple POJO Java class and use the XML languages to hook it to the right events.

A new Application is also a piece of cake

The qcadoo Framework is not limited to just manufacturing software. It's well suited for any business database application. Everywhere you need a rapid tool for data and GUI modeling, a modular architecture and a repository of business modules which you can use. Our partners ale already getting ready to use the qcadoo Framework in their commercial projects. We also hope that the open source community can benefit from it as well.

About Qcadoo Limited

Qcadoo Limited is a company which was founded in 2010 with the help of the UE POIG 8.1 financing program and by a couple of private investors. The core team is build from people which have years of experience in developing business software in Poland and the UE.

More info on qcadoo MES and the qcadoo Framework at www.qcadoo.com