Plastics and packaging
Manufacturing software for the plastic industry
Write down once what a batch of jerry cans takes in HDPE, masterbatch and caps, then let each run on the blow moulding machine show what it really used and what each can cost.
In short
SimpleERP is manufacturing software for plastic moulding units in India. Each jerry can, container or closure gets a bill of materials with granules, masterbatch, regrind and power, and a work order per run consumes them and adds finished goods at actual cost.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
A manufacturing day at Sabarmati Polymers
Every can that comes off the blow moulding machine at Sabarmati Polymers weighs about 220 grams of HDPE. A thinner wall saves polymer but the oil packer rejects cans that buckle when stacked, so the shot weight is a number the owner watches closely.
The run sheet lists cans made and bags used, and the sheet goes into a drawer. When an oil packer asks for a lower price, the owner has no clean cost per can to argue from, only last month's polymer rate and a guess at the power.
What does a 5 litre HDPE jerry can cost to make?
The BOM below is for a run of 2,000 cans, with 3% scrap on HDPE for flash and start-up waste. SimpleERP prices each line at its current average cost and rolls up a cost per can.
- Bought-in caps sit in the can's BOM like any other component.
- Regrind can replace part of the virgin HDPE in a new BOM version.
- A heavier can for a chemicals buyer is its own product and BOM.
| Component | Planned quantity | Average cost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDPE blow grade granules (3% scrap) | 453.2 kg | ₹112 | ₹50,758.40 |
| White masterbatch | 9 kg | ₹185 | ₹1,665 |
| 38 mm closures, bought in | 2,000 Nos | ₹1.40 | ₹2,800 |
| Labour and power | per run | ₹6,500 | |
| Total for 2,000 cans | ₹61,723.40 | ||
| Cost per can | ₹30.86 |
How does one moulding run become finished stock?
Raise a work order for the run, and planning shows whether the store holds enough HDPE and masterbatch. Start it when the machine is set, and complete it at the end of the shift with the cans made and the polymer actually used.
- Plan, start, complete: stock moves only on completion.
- Start and complete from a phone at the machine.
- A job card prints on one page with the material to issue.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
What if a run uses more polymer than planned?
Enter the real figures on completion. If the run made 1,950 good cans from 470 kg of HDPE, the extra granules leave stock and each can enters at a higher cost, which is the number to bring to the next price talk.
- Planned against actual material cost stays on every work order.
- Rejected cans are left out of the quantity made, so the good ones carry the cost.
- From a sales order: plan a run from an oil packer's confirmed order line.
One system
What it connects to
A completed work order issues polymer at average cost, adds finished cans at actual cost, and posts labour and power as overhead absorbed.
Plastics and packaging
BOMs for moulded items and cartons, work orders per run, and GST invoices to regular buyers.
See howGST billing for packaging makers
Invoices for jerry cans, containers and closures to oil, ghee and chemical packers, with HSN 3923 lines and IGST to buyers outside Gujarat.
See howInventory for plastic manufacturers
HDPE and PP granules and masterbatch in kg, regrind as its own item, and cans, containers and closures in pieces per godown.
See howAccounting for packaging businesses
Buyer dues, polymer bills, the power bill, mould depreciation and GST input in one ledger that posts itself.
See howPayroll for plastic factories
Monthly pay for machine operators on day and night shifts, with PF, PT, ESI where it applies and travel advances recovered.
See howManufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- No production stages or shop-floor tracking; a work order is planned, started and completed
- No piece-rate pay or scrap by-product in the work order
- Work orders are internal; job work sent outside is a purchase, not a work order
- No machine, mould or cavity scheduling; the work order carries planned dates only
- Regrind from a run is not produced by the work order; bring it into stock with an adjustment
Getting started
Start with manufacturing
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Add bills of materials
Build the BOM for your highest-volume item first, with granules and masterbatch in kg, any bought-in closures in Nos, and a labour and power figure per run.
Complete a work order
Components leave stock, finished goods arrive at real cost, and the journal posts in the same step.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I use regrind in the BOM alongside virgin HDPE?
Yes. Keep regrind as its own product in kg and add it as a line in a new BOM version, such as 10% regrind and 90% virgin. The work order issues both at their own average costs, so the cheaper regrind lowers the cost per can.
We make our own closures on the injection moulding machine. How does that fit?
Make the closures on their own work order from PP granules and masterbatch, which puts them in stock at their cost. The jerry can's BOM then uses them as a component, one level at a time.
How do I put the power cost into each can?
Enter labour and power as a rupee figure per run on the BOM, worked out from your units per shift and the tariff. On completion it is added to the cans' cost and posted as overhead absorbed. The power bill itself is entered as a supplier bill.
A mould is changed halfway through a shift. Do I need two work orders?
Yes, one per item made, because a work order produces one product. Complete the first when the mould comes off, then start a second for the new item. Each carries its own material and cost.
Related
Keep reading
Plastics and packaging
BOMs for moulded items and cartons, work orders per run, and GST invoices to regular buyers.
Read moreInventory for plastic manufacturers
HDPE and PP granules and masterbatch in kg, regrind as its own item, and cans, containers and closures in pieces per godown.
Read morePayroll for plastic factories
Monthly pay for machine operators on day and night shifts, with PF, PT, ESI where it applies and travel advances recovered.
Read more
See how manufacturing works in SimpleERP for plastics and packaging
Seven days free. No card. Your first GST invoice in minutes.