Tube and pipe plants run long, multi-stage routes where material changes shape and identity many times. Before choosing ERP, ask these seven questions.
1. Can it follow material from coil or billet to bundle?
Look for parent-to-child links at every split: mother coil to slit coil, billet to shell, tube lot to bundle. Without them, heat traceability depends on paper.
2. Does it show WIP by process?
Forming, welding, drawing passes, heat treatment and testing should each be a tracked stage, so you can see where material sits and where yield is lost.
3. How are test results handled?
Hydro, NDT and eddy current results should be stored per pipe or per lot, with failed material held automatically before it reaches marking.
4. Can it generate mill test certificates?
The certificate should combine the supplier's chemistry with your own test results, straight from recorded data.
5. Does it understand lengths and bundles?
Fixed, mill and random lengths, pieces per bundle and theoretical versus actual weight are everyday tube data. They should not need workarounds.
6. Can the shop floor enter data directly?
Weighbridge integration, machine data and mobile entry for run, setup and downtime remove the double entry that causes most errors.
7. Will it handle more than one route?
Many plants combine ERW and cold drawing, or slitting and tube making. One system should cover both.
Formezy covers seamless, ERW, spiral welded and cold-drawn tube routes. See the tube and pipe process flows.
