Write down what goes into each product once, record every production run, and let SmartBiashara move raw materials out of stock and finished goods in. You see what a unit really costs to make before you set its selling price.
Available on the Enterprise plan and above. See pricing
Manufacturing · Recipes
Production
Runs this week
14
Cost per unit (1 L oil)
TSh 3,180
Raw materials low
2
Planned2
Sunflower oil 1 L × 600
Bread loaf × 1,200
In production1
Sunflower oil 5 L × 120
Finished2
Peanut butter 400 g × 300
Bread loaf × 1,150
The day-to-day problems this module is designed to remove.
Flour went up, packaging changed supplier, and the price list stayed the same. Margins shrink quietly until the month-end numbers do not add up.
The storekeeper writes issues to the production floor by hand. By Friday the book says 12 bags of sugar and the store holds 7.
Products are added to the sales system with a typed-in quantity, so there is no link between what was produced and what the shop is selling.
You reorder raw materials when someone notices the shelf is empty, which means production stops while you wait for the supplier.
The factory, the shop and the books each keep their own figures, so profit per product is an estimate at best.
A recipe lists the raw materials and quantities needed to make a product, for example the flour, sugar, yeast and wrapping for a batch of bread. You set it up once and reuse it for every run. When a formula changes, you edit the recipe and the next run follows it.
When the team finishes a run, you record it against the recipe and the quantity produced. Raw materials leave stock and finished goods arrive in stock in the same step. The shop or warehouse can sell those goods straight away, and the stock count stays honest.
SmartBiashara works out the cost of each run from the purchase prices of the materials used. Divide by the units produced and you have a cost per unit you can compare with your selling price. When a supplier raises a price, the next run shows the effect.
Raw materials are bought the same way as any stock: a purchase order to the supplier, then a goods received note when the delivery arrives. Supplier balances and credit sit in the supplier ledger, so you know who you owe before you order again.
Keep raw materials in a store or warehouse, produce at the factory and transfer finished goods to your branches. Every move is recorded, so head office can see where each carton is without phoning the depot.
Finished goods are sold through the POS, on invoices or to wholesale customers on credit. Sales, purchases and expenses land in the same accounting records, which means your profit reports reflect what production actually cost.
Here is how a small producer, for example a juice maker in Arusha bottling a few hundred units a day, would run production in SmartBiashara.
Enter fruit, sugar, bottles, caps and labels as stock items, or bulk-import them from Excel. Record opening quantities and purchase prices.
Create a recipe for each finished product with the quantity of every input it needs. Check it against one real batch before relying on it.
After the shift, enter the run and the number of units produced. Raw materials go down and finished bottles go up at the factory location.
Move finished goods to the shop or depot with an inter-store transfer, then sell at the till, on invoice or on credit to resellers.
Compare cost per unit with selling price in your reports. Reorder inputs with a purchase order before the next run is short.
Manufacturing · Recipes
Production
Runs this week
14
Cost per unit (1 L oil)
TSh 3,180
Raw materials low
2
Planned2
Sunflower oil 1 L × 600
Bread loaf × 1,200
In production1
Sunflower oil 5 L × 120
Finished2
Peanut butter 400 g × 300
Bread loaf × 1,150
A production run in progress: the recipe on the left, raw materials being drawn down, and finished-goods stock and unit cost on the right.
You set selling prices from a cost per unit worked out from real purchase prices, which protects your margin when inputs get more expensive.
Raw materials are issued through recorded production runs, so stock counts in the system match the shelves far more often.
Seeing input levels drop run by run lets you place purchase orders before you run out of a key ingredient or packaging item.
Factory, warehouse, shops and accounts share the same records, so profit per product comes from data instead of estimates.
Still have a question? Ask our team on WhatsApp, phone or email.
Manufacturing is available on the Enterprise plan (TSh 55,000 per month, excluding VAT) and on Enterprise Pro. Starter, Basic and Standard plans do not come with it. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no credit card is required, so you can test recipes and production runs with your own products first.
It suits small producers as well as larger plants. A bakery, a juice or soap maker, a feed mill or a furniture workshop can all use recipes and production runs. If you make a handful of products from a known list of inputs, the setup is short.
It uses the purchase prices of the raw materials consumed in each production run. The total input cost divided by the units produced gives you a cost per unit. Keeping purchase prices up to date through purchase orders and GRNs keeps that figure accurate.
Yes. You can set up stores and warehouses as separate locations and record inter-store transfers between them. Many producers hold inputs at the factory store and move finished goods to shops or a depot for sale. The number of locations depends on your plan, with up to 50 on Enterprise and no cap on Enterprise Pro.
SmartBiashara tracks batches and expiry dates in inventory, which matters for food, drinks and cosmetics. You can record batch and expiry details for stock items and check them in stock reports. Talk to our team during your trial if you need a specific batch workflow for production.
No. It gives your accountant cleaner records: purchases, production, sales and expenses in one system with exports to Excel, PDF or CSV. Your accountant still reviews the books and handles tax filings.
You can, with Own Your ERP. It is a one-time white-label licence from TSh 1,500,000 that includes all modules, manufacturing among them, on your own domain. Setup takes 4 to 7 working days, and the yearly hosting and domain renewal from year 2 is TSh 425,000.
Start a 14-day free trial, enter one product's recipe and record a real run. Or book a demo and we will walk through your production process with you on WhatsApp or a call.
