Product tour
How Axis Works
See how inventory, build plans, work orders, and your shop floor connect in one system. No more spreadsheet juggling.
Takes 5 minutes to read. Or just start your free trial.
See how inventory, build plans, work orders, and your shop floor connect in one system. No more spreadsheet juggling.
Takes 5 minutes to read. Or just start your free trial.
Inventory in a spreadsheet. Build plans in a binder. Scheduling on a whiteboard. Status over email. Each one is a separate copy of the truth — and they drift apart by the hour.
Re-keyed by hand between systems. Every link is a person remembering to update the other tool — until they forget.
One database underneath. Change inventory and the BOM recalculates; release a build plan and the calendar fills in. Nothing is re-keyed.
Most shops run on 4–6 disconnected tools. Axis replaces them with one connected system — so the plan, the parts, and the paperwork finally agree.
Eight steps from an empty stockroom to a tracked job on the floor. This is the real interface — here is exactly what happens at each stage, and what the system does for you automatically.
Create items with part numbers, descriptions, and categories, then set the quantity on hand. From the first item, Axis tracks the three states that actually drive decisions: Quantity on Hand (QOH), Allocated, and Available. Group items into folders — raw materials, fasteners, electronic components — and set a reorder point per part.
Axis calculates Available = QOH − Allocated automatically. When you add these items to a BOM later, that number updates in real time — and reorder alerts fire on Available, not on hand.
| Item | QOH | Alloc | Avail | Reorder | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL-6061-SHEET 6061-T6 Aluminum Sheet · 0.125" | 200 | 80 | 120 | 50 | In stock |
| SS-304-BAR 304 Stainless Round Bar · 1" Ø | 50 | 20 | 30 | 12 | In stock |
| TI-6AL4V-BAR Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Bar · 0.75" Ø | 8 | 5 | 3 | 10 | Below reorder |
| RES-10K-0805 10kΩ Chip Resistor · 0805 1% | 4,800 | 600 | 4,200 | 1,000 | In stock |
Link child components to a parent assembly. Specify the quantity per unit, the unit of measure, and a scrap factor for each line. Every line shows live stock status pulled straight from inventory: green when you have enough, amber or red when you are short. You know whether a job is buildable before you commit to it.
The BOM checks your live inventory on every line. If a component is short, it flags it immediately — before you start production, not after the second operation stalls waiting on material.
| Component | Qty needed | QOH | Avail | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL-6061-SHEET 6061-T6 Aluminum Sheet | 100 | 200 | 120 | In stock |
| SS-304-BAR 304 Stainless Round Bar | 25 | 50 | 30 | In stock |
| TI-6AL4V-BAR Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Bar | 8 | 8 | 3 | Short 5 |
| M4-SHCS-10 M4×10 Socket Head Cap Screw | 300 | 1,240 | 1,180 | In stock |
Lay out the process step by step. Each operation has numbered steps with work instructions, required measurements and tolerances, safety warnings, and inspection checkpoints. Attach reference photos and set a time estimate per operation. The build plan moves through a controlled five-stage lifecycle, so the floor only ever sees the released revision.
The build plan links to your BOM for material readiness. When you submit it for review, soft reservations are placed on inventory — so another planner can see those materials are already spoken for.
Submit the build plan for review and the designated approvers are notified. They review the operations, check the BOM, and either approve or request changes — every decision captured with who and when. Once approved, you release it, and inventory moves from soft reservation to hard allocation across the whole shop.
On release, Available quantities decrease across your entire inventory and the calendar is updated with production dates. Everyone — planners, the floor, purchasing — sees the same truth.
Release a work order from the approved build plan and set the quantity to build. Axis checks material readiness against current stock: every component has to be available. If something is short, you see it before the job hits the floor — not when an operator reaches for a bin that's empty. Operators then follow the digital traveler instead of a paper packet.
The work order inherits everything from the build plan — operations, steps, and materials. Quantity completed is tracked in real time, and consumption posts to inventory automatically as the job closes.
| Item | Needed | Avail | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL-6061-SHEET | 100 | 120 | OK |
| SS-304-BAR | 25 | 30 | OK |
| TI-6AL4V-BAR | 8 | 3 | Short 5 |
See everything in one place: work order due dates, material arrival dates, build plan milestones, and task deadlines. Events are color-coded by type so the week reads at a glance. No more whiteboard scheduling that only one person knows how to read — and nothing to redraw when a date moves.
When a due date slips or materials are late, the calendar updates automatically. No one maintains it by hand — the dates come from the work orders, POs, and tasks themselves.
Organize everything into projects with customizable sections. Add tasks, link build plans, track BOMs, and manage files — including STEP and STL CAD in the 3D viewer. Compose each project from the tabs you actually use: Tasks, Build Plans, Files, a Dashboard, a Calendar. Run automations and build forms for shop-floor data collection.
Automations can notify the right person when a task completes, create follow-up tasks, or update statuses across modules — so the project moves itself forward instead of waiting on a reminder.
Create inspection reports, cost rollups, SOPs, and work instructions right inside Axis, with an Office-style ribbon. Manufacturing-specific formulas pull live inventory and production data straight into your cells. No more emailing Excel files around and wondering which copy is current.
Type a part number into a formula and get the live stock quantity. =INVQOH("AL-6061-SHEET") returns your actual on-hand count — the sheet recalculates as inventory changes.
| A · Part | B · Qty/unit | C · On hand | D · Unit cost | E · Ext. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AL-6061-SHEET | 2.0 | 200 | $18.40 | $36.80 |
| 2 | SS-304-BAR | 0.5 | 50 | $22.10 | $11.05 |
| 3 | TI-6AL4V-BAR | 0.16 | 8 | $94.00 | $15.04 |
| 4 | M4-SHCS-10 | 6.0 | 1240 | $0.07 | $0.42 |
| Cost per unit | $63.31 |
These aren't six apps bolted together. They're six views of one database. Follow a part all the way through and you never re-enter it once.
Add inventory, and your BOMs recalculate availability. Release a build plan, and your calendar gets the dates. Complete a work order, and your inventory adjusts. One change, everywhere it matters.
No 18-month implementation. Create an account, import items and BOMs, and start running real jobs.
QOH, Allocated, and Available on every screen, with reorder alerts on what's actually free to promise.
Controlled travelers with a five-stage approval workflow — the floor only ever sees the released revision.
Every line shows live availability, so you know a job is buildable before you commit to it.
Released from approved build plans with material readiness checked up front and progress tracked live.
Production dates, deliveries, and task deadlines in one color-coded view that updates itself.
Compose each project from the sections you use, with automations and forms for shop-floor data.
Built-in spreadsheets and documents with manufacturing formulas that pull live inventory data.
View STEP and STL CAD in the browser, alongside Gerber, PDFs, and images — no desktop seat needed.
Import your items, write a build plan, and release a work order — before the end of the day.
“We replaced a shared spreadsheet, a binder of travelers, and a scheduling whiteboard with one screen. The first time Available actually matched the shelf, my buyers stopped double-ordering.”