After a few years of researching, building, and finally testing with real manufacturing teams, warecache is nearly ready for everyone to use.

The Problem We Set Out to Solve

If you've worked in a machine shop, research lab, or small manufacturing operation, you are already aware of the issue with inventory. No one knows where the part they need is, you're blindsided by something becoming obsolete, or you hear the dreaded "the spreadsheet said it should be here". So you check the shelf where it should be anyway. It's not there. You create a PO or just order some more parts, all while someone just forgot to put something in the correct spot. You waste money, time, and sanity.

Existing options simply can't compete. You either have bloated enterprise solutions with pricetags to match, or the ultimate barebones "solution" glorified spreadsheet. Regardless of any software suite, some poor soul is going to have to count everything to find out where all the money has gone.

A tool isn't a tool if it is a pain to use; it turns into a burden.

With all the technology at our disposal, this is simply unacceptable in this day and age. No more guessing or assuming about what the status of your inventory, or waiting for emails to get that last PO to meet your manufacturing quota. No more getting EOL notifications last minute and having to redesign your product during a feature freeze. No more hoarding duplicates of the same part, only to be forgotten the next time you need it. We can do better, with warecache.

What warecache Does

At its core, warecache tracks parts and materials, hands free. But we've tried to do this in a way that respects how work actually happens:

  • Stock tracking - Know not just that you have something, but where it is. Bins, shelves, rooms, whatever. When it phones home, or doesn't, you'll know.
  • Project / BOM management - Build assemblies from parts. Track costs as they roll up. Know what you need before you run out.
  • Low stock alerts - Set reorder points and get notified before you're stuck waiting on a shipment.
  • Supplier tracking - Record where parts come from, what they cost, and how long they take to arrive.

Open Source and Self-Hostable

The warecache server and client is available under the GPLv3 license. Your inventory data stays on your infrastructure, under your control.

We also offer a managed cloud version for teams who'd rather not deal with hosting. Complete feature parity, we just handle the infrastructure. If you want specific features or have different requirements, let us know and we'll work out a custom enterprise option.

What's Next

The prototype setup is nearly there, but there's so much more to this platform. Our roadmap includes mobile apps for warehouse floor use, integrations with popular CAD tools, more storage hardware solutions, a plugin system to integrate with your preferred distributors/manufacturers, and so much more. Features are a waste if no one uses them, so if you need something specific or have ideas, we want to hear them.

Check out warecache at warecache.com, or reach out at contact@slant.tech.