FactWork

FactWork is the ERP product of F.EE GmbH Informatik + Systeme, a Bavarian software and automation specialist headquartered in Neunburg vorm Wald in the Upper Palatinate. The parent F.EE group employs roughly 1,100 people worldwide and is among the “Digital Champions Bayern” recognised by the regional initiative. FactWork was developed out of F.EE's own operational requirements over more than 25 years and has matured into an integrated business platform for mid-market project and order-driven manufacturers. The product combines a market-specific peculiarity: producer and primary user sit in the same group, so every enhancement is tested immediately in a real industrial environment with over 500 internal FactWork users. This “eat your own dogfood” pattern is repeatedly cited in DACH ERP market observations (IT-Matchmaker, ERP-Information, erp-software-auswahl.de) as a meaningful differentiator.

Functional scope

FactWork is a modular ERP that supports project and order-driven manufacturers on a consistently integrated data base. The core comprises CRM, project and order management with workforce-deployment planning, sales, purchasing and dispatching, materials management and warehouse management, production planning and control, shop-floor and personnel time recording, access control, document management, and financial, asset and payroll accounting with integrated controlling. A workflow module — actively enhanced through university research collaborations — rounds out the platform. The defining feature is that all areas (from sales through engineering and purchasing to production and on-site assembly) sit on one unified data foundation, so media breaks between point solutions are avoided. Open interfaces allow integration with CAD systems such as SOLIDWORKS (certified SOLIDWORKS partnership), MES components and external applications.

Target audience and industries

FactWork targets small and mid-sized project and order-driven manufacturers across several industries: machinery, plant and special-machine engineering; tool and mould making; metalworking; electrical engineering and control automation; and manufacturers with site-assembly share. Companies with mixed business models combining in-house manufacturing, engineering and external services also appear in the reference list. The product suits organisations with roughly 30 to 500 employees that need an end-to-end order logic with workforce planning, time recording and project-based controlling. Pure series manufacturers without project context, pure trading businesses or e-commerce-first businesses are not the core fit. The natural neighbourhood is the classical machinery-ERP user with substantial engineering and assembly content.

Technology and deployment

FactWork is built on a modular architecture and is operated either as an on-premise installation or as a hosted deployment in certified data centres. The UI is Windows- and web-capable and can be used in shop-floor environments with BDE terminals, tablets and handhelds. Standard interfaces exist for DATEV, Microsoft 365, common payroll systems, CAD and industrial-automation components. Open interfaces allow MES integration, EDI and bespoke industry extensions. Updates ship in regular release cycles; the proximity between F.EE as producer and primary user means that every generation is proven in the company's own industrial environment. Data is held under GDPR-compliant standards either in German data centres or on customer premises.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths include the depth of in-house development, the tight feedback loop between producer and user, the end-to-end integration across the value chain, and the long-standing industry experience in project and order-driven mid-market manufacturing. The high internal usage with over 500 users at F.EE itself provides intense practical feedback. Listings in market overviews (ERP-Information, ERP-Software-Auswahl, IT-Auswahl) confirm the visibility. Limitations include modest brand recognition versus large international vendors, a manageable implementation-partner network and the typical complexity of a deep project-manufacturer ERP during the introduction phase. Buyers expecting a standardised SaaS fast-roll-out or needing to model internationally consolidated group structures with twenty subsidiaries should evaluate FactWork only after a careful requirements alignment.

Pricing and licensing

FactWork does not publish a list price. Licensing is project-specific and depends on user count, module selection, deployment model and customisation scope. Both classical perpetual licensing with annual maintenance and subscription pricing are available. Market observers place FactWork in the typical price band of established German mid-market ERPs for project manufacturers: for mid-sized implementations with 30 to 100 users, licence and maintenance costs typically land in the mid-five- to six-figure euro range per year, plus one-time consulting and customisation costs of similar magnitude. A serious TCO view should explicitly include training, customisation and migration costs.

Related Topics

• proAlpha
• ERP for machinery
• Mid-market ERP

Vendor homepage of FactWork

Current view of the website https://www.factwork.de/