How to make an app for a small manufacturer

A small factory's day is orders from traders, deciding what to run on which machine, packing cartons and getting them onto the right truck, then chasing payments. An app ties each order to its production, dispatch and payment, so nothing waits on a phone call.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

The owner, the office and the supervisor. If the supervisor updates production and dispatch from the shop floor while the office takes orders, connect your own Supabase database so everyone sees the same orders. For traders to see your catalogue and order, the app needs that database too.

The screens a small manufacturer app needs

Orders: Each trader's order by model, colour and cartons, with order date, advance received and status
Production: What to make today and this week, added up from open orders, and what was made
Stock: Finished cartons by model and colour, and raw material in bags or kg
Dispatch: Orders ready to go, the transport name, vehicle number, LR number and cartons sent
Traders: Each trader's town, rate list, orders, payments and balance
Rate list: Current rates by model and trader group, shared as a PDF

Features worth asking for

Order totals by model and colour that become the week's production list
Finished stock that goes up with production and down with dispatch
Separate rate lists for wholesalers and dealers
A dispatch note with LR number and cartons, as a PDF to send the trader
A WhatsApp button that tells the trader their goods have left, with the transport details
A balance-due list with a polite payment reminder
Low raw material stock flagged when it falls below the level you set

Where the data lives

If only the owner uses the app, the data can stay on one phone. With the office and the supervisor both entering, or traders ordering, connect your own Supabase database; for advance payments online, connect your Razorpay account as well.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Orders, Production, Stock, Dispatch, Traders.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your small manufacturer, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my factory, Shree Ganesh Polymers in Rajkot, which makes plastic buckets, tubs and mugs for traders. Screens: orders, production, stock, dispatch, traders and rate list. Orders are by model, colour and cartons, with advance received. Production shows what to make from open orders. Stock of finished cartons goes up with production and down with dispatch; raw material in kg. Dispatch records transport, vehicle number and LR number, makes a PDF note and has a WhatsApp button for the trader. Two rate lists: wholesaler and dealer. Keep trader balances with reminders. Blue colours.

Tips for a small manufacturer app

Start with orders, dispatch and trader balances; add production planning once orders are coming in through the app.
Enter model numbers exactly as on your cartons and rate list.
Decide whether stock is counted in cartons or pieces for each item, and keep it that way.
Give AppCub your real order steps, from advance to dispatch to final payment, so the status list matches your office.
Ask for sign-in with roles if the supervisor shouldn't see rates and balances.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to machines, weighing scales, Tally, e-way bill or GST portals, or label printers. Invoices for GST stay in your accounting software; the app's PDFs are order and dispatch notes.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can the app turn orders into a production list?

Yes. Ask for production to add up open orders by model and colour, minus finished stock, so you see what to make.

Can the app make GST invoices and e-way bills?

It can make PDF order notes and dispatch notes. It doesn't connect to the GST or e-way bill portals or to Tally, so keep official invoices where you make them now.

Can traders order from my catalogue in the app?

Yes, with an online database and sign-in. Traders see your models and their own rate list, place an order, and it appears on your orders screen.

Can my supervisor update production from the shop floor?

Yes. Connect a Supabase database and share the app with him; he enters what was made and packed, and the office sees it.

Can I scan cartons when they are loaded?

If you print a QR code or barcode on each carton label, the installed Android app can scan it with the phone's camera to tick it off on the dispatch.

Can different traders see different rates?

Yes. Put traders in groups, such as wholesaler and dealer, and each group sees its own rate list.

Make your small manufacturer app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building