ERP for Joinery and Carpentry — software for Tischlerei and Schreinerei trades
The Tischlerei and Schreinerei trades sit at the meeting point of skilled craft and parametric digital production. A single kitchen, staircase or shop fit-out is a made-to-measure project with hundreds of unique parts, all cut from sheet goods through a CNC nesting workflow. An ERP for joinery and carpentry has to integrate tightly with CAD/CAM tools such as Imos, Cabinet Vision and Compass Software, support full project-based job costing, exchange BIM data for larger architectural projects and optimise material yield on sheet goods. Generic trades ERPs without a CAD/CAM bridge force re-keying that quickly absorbs the margin of a small workshop.
Requirements
Every joinery job starts in CAD: Imos iX, Cabinet Vision, Compass Software, TopSolid'Wood, and increasingly SketchUp with parametric plug-ins, are the dominant tools. The ERP has to take a finished BOM and cutting plan from CAD and turn it into a calculation, a purchase order list for sheets, edge bands and hardware, and a CNC job file. Two-way integration is the goal: when the customer signs off a design change, the ERP's order should update without manual rework. Material handling is dominated by sheet goods (chipboard, MDF, multiplex) and edge bands, where nesting and offcut management directly influence margin. Larger projects — commercial interiors, schools, hospitals — bring in BIM (IFC files) and require coordinates and revision management against an architect's model. Service work (Aufmaß, repair, installation) sits alongside production and has different cost structures: hourly billing, travel time, and mobile time-tracking from the installer's tablet on site. Sub-trade coordination — the electrician, the stone worktop supplier — needs to be visible in the same project plan.
Mandatory functions
Mandatory features cluster around the CAD/CAM bridge, project costing and trades-grade service management. The CAD bridge must exchange parametric BOMs with at least one of Imos, Cabinet Vision, Compass or TopSolid'Wood, ideally both ways. Calculation has to support detailed quotation in a Leistungsverzeichnis-style layout with materials, hardware, labour hours and travel, including the GAEB DA xx data format for public-sector or large commercial tenders. Project-based job costing tracks plan-versus-actual at line-item level — hours booked through a mobile time-tracking app, material consumed posted via barcode at the workshop, sub-trade invoices booked against the project. Sheet-goods optimisation either runs in the ERP or against an external nesting tool such as Cutmaster or Schnitt Profi(t). A trades-grade service module covers Aufmaß visits, installation scheduling, snagging punch-lists and warranty work tracking. DATEV interface, e-Bilanz output and the standard German VAT/USt-IdNr handling close out the financial side.
Vendor landscape
The German-speaking joinery vertical has a tight set of specialists. Vario Software (Tischlerei, Möbelbau), Streit V.1 from Streit DV-Systeme, KPS Software and Borm Informatik (especially in Switzerland) are long-standing branch products with deep CAD/CAM links and strong installed bases. IMOS iX combines CAD and ERP-like functions for fully Imos-centred shops. On the generalist side, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with a carpentry add-on (such as the Drahtler / NEX add-ons) appears in larger Tischlerei groups that want Microsoft-stack alignment. SAP and the larger Mid-Market ERPs are rare in this vertical and usually only seen at major fit-out groups doing turn-key shop construction. For small shops below 10 employees, lightweight branch tools such as Faust EDV or Müko remain common. Selection typically pivots on whether the shop is Imos-, Cabinet Vision- or Compass-led — the CAD ecosystem effectively chooses the ERP shortlist.
Trends and outlook
Three trends matter for new selections. First, BIM is moving from rare to standard: more architects deliver IFC models, and joineries that bid for commercial interiors need ERP-linked IFC viewing and clash awareness. Second, mobile field operations: tablets on installation sites for time tracking, photo documentation, defect lists and customer sign-off are replacing paper protocols, with the data flowing back into the ERP project ledger. Third, energy-efficiency and circular-economy disclosure is starting to require timber origin and CO2-footprint data per project, especially for public-sector tenders. Modern 2026 ERP shortlists in this vertical are increasingly tested on mobile workflows first.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
How important is the CAD/CAM integration in practice?
Decisive. Without it, the design that already exists in Imos or Cabinet Vision has to be re-keyed into the ERP — every change order multiplies that effort. Above roughly five employees, a workshop that takes CAD-output BOM data straight into purchasing and CNC planning runs visibly better margins than one that does not.
Do small joineries need a full ERP at all?
Below three employees, a calculation tool plus DATEV plus a simple time-tracking app often suffices. Above that, the combination of project-based costing, material purchasing across multiple jobs and service-call scheduling rapidly justifies a branch ERP. Many trades-grade products start at a price point realistic for a 5–10-person workshop.
What about GAEB and public-sector tenders?
For workshops bidding on public-sector or larger commercial fit-outs, GAEB DA 81, DA 83 and DA 84 file exchange is a hard requirement. Calculation has to be able to import a tender LV (Leistungsverzeichnis), price it line by line and export the priced response in GAEB format. Most established Tischlerei branch ERPs support this natively.
How does BIM affect the ERP requirement?
For joinery work on large architectural projects, ERP-linked BIM is becoming standard: the IFC model from the architect feeds room books and quantities, the shop's CAD adds the joinery detail, and the ERP tracks costing and progress against the model coordinates. Below that scale, BIM remains optional, but the trajectory is clear.