NetSuite targets manufacturing with new release

In another sign of the growing popularity of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions within vertical sectors, NetSuite has announced a new variant of its platform that is optimised for the manufacturing sector.

NetSuite for Manufacturers will include additional functionality on top of the basic NetSuite enterprise software suite, allowing users involved in manufacturing to perform industry-specific functions such as generating a bill of materials (Bom), component ordering and assembly work orders, all managed and maintained from within the one company-wide application suite.

"Light manufacturing is one of the areas expected to see healthy growth this year, even in the UK where manufacturing has experienced a tough time'" said Toby Davidson, business development manager at NetSuite.

"Analysts are highlighting how these companies need to streamline their IT systems and business processes in order to be more productive, efficient and reduce costs."

The company is going after a vertical market that is already heavily served by SAP, but argues that the SaaS model is more appealing to companies in this space, and particularly in the smaller light manufacturing sector, as it removes the need for expensive system specialists within the IT department to maintain the system.

"NetSuite for Manufacturers tackles this by removing many of the IT overheads and integration challenges normally found with the expensive and complex systems such as SAP," Davidson added.

The company has focused heavily on integration issues, ensuring that the vertical customisations in the new product are fully exposed to its business operating system environment, allowing partners and resellers to build bespoke instances and tackle customer-specific integration projects.

NetSuite for Manufacturers is available now at 600 per month and 60 per user per month.