Zoho Inventory
stock and assembly, with Zoho Creator for production steps.
Manufacturing · Factories, fabricators and assemblers · Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Manufacturing ERP software and IT for factories
We look at how orders become production, how your plant network is built and what would stop the line, then put in the ERP, dashboards, security and backup that fit your factory.
Who sets this up for you
Zoho Authorized Partner
Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work and Google Cloud Premier Partner.
Since 2007
with 1,500+ active cloud customers across the Middle East.
Offices in Dubai, Muscat (head office) and Doha
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain are served from Dubai.
350,000+ users migrated
since 2007.
Six GCC countries
covered, English and Arabic support.
Partners and products we connect
Dynamics 365
CADMATE
Manufacturing ERP software links sales orders, bills of materials, production, stock and costing in one system. Gulf Infotech (in the Middle East since 2007), a Zoho, Microsoft and Google partner, delivers Dynamics 365 Business Central for complex production, and Zoho Inventory with Zoho Creator for factories that lead with budget or do not run Microsoft, then adds Power BI, network security and plant backup.
The real problem
What goes wrong in a factory's IT?
Three things, in our experience. First, production runs on spreadsheets beside the accounting system, so nobody knows the real cost of a job until weeks later.
Second, the plant network grew machine by machine: PLCs, HMIs and the office PCs share one flat network, and one infected laptop can reach the line.
Third, the server that holds drawings, recipes and the ERP has never had a tested restore.
Pick the problem that costs you most today and start there.
What we use
Which product solves which manufacturing requirement?
Business requirement → Product we use → Outcome for you
| Business requirement | Product we use | Outcome for you |
|---|---|---|
| Bills of materials, production orders, routings and job costing | Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium (manufacturing is in Premium only) | Material and labour cost per job, from the same system that invoices |
| Production steps, approvals and custom workflows on a budget, or without Microsoft | Zoho Inventory with Zoho Creator apps and Zoho Books | Stock, assembly and your own production steps in one manageable Zoho system |
| Raw material batches, serials and expiry | Zoho Inventory or Business Central batch and serial tracking | Trace a defect back to the supplier batch |
| Purchasing and supplier tenders | ERP purchase orders; e-procurement for tendering | Approvals and price history in one place |
| Output, scrap and OEE-style dashboards for management | Power BI on ERP and production data | Weekly numbers on one screen instead of a monthly spreadsheet |
| Separate the plant network from the office network | A firewall between zones, configured to your requirements | An office infection cannot reach PLCs and HMIs directly |
| Ransomware on engineering PCs and servers | Endpoint security (Bitdefender GravityZone or Kaspersky) | Threats stopped on the device, managed from one console |
| Plant servers, drawings and recipes | Server backup with Acronis, plus an off-site copy or DRaaS | A restore you have tested, not one you hope works |
| Drawing office CAD licences | Cadmate | Lower CAD licence cost for the drawing team |
| ISO procedures, work instructions and quality records | Document management or SharePoint with version control | One approved version of each procedure on the floor |
| B2B quotations and distributor follow-up | Zoho CRM | Quotes, follow-ups and orders tracked per account |
| Email, Teams or Meet for office and site staff | Zoho Workplace, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace | Supervisors and office share one calendar and file store |
| Who can log in to which machine and app | JumpCloud or Microsoft Intune | Leavers lose access everywhere on the same day |
| Staff who click phishing links | Security awareness training | Fewer incidents that start with an email |
Where to start
Most mid-sized factories we see need four rows first: ERP, plant network separation, endpoint security and backup. Dashboards and document control follow once the data is clean.
How it fits
How do the pieces fit together?
Production
ERP at the centre
Business Central, or Zoho Inventory with Zoho Creator, holds items, BOMs, production steps, stock and finance.
Insight
Dashboards on top
Power BI reads from the ERP, so the numbers match accounting.
Network
Firewall in the middle
firewall zones separate office, plant and remote-access traffic.
Team
Collaboration beside it
Zoho Workplace, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for email, meetings and documents.
Network
Protection underneath
endpoint security on every PC and server, and backup with a tested restore.
GCC rules
Which tax rules affect manufacturers?
E-invoicing
According to ZATCA, Saudi B2B invoices already go through Phase 2 clearance by wave. According to the UAE Ministry of Finance, UAE e-invoicing starts on 1 January 2027 for businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more and 1 July 2027 for the rest. Oman is introducing e-invoicing through the Oman Tax Authority's Fawtara programme; see e-invoicing in Oman. Your ERP or accounting system needs a certified connector before your date.
VAT
Oman and UAE 5%, Saudi Arabia 15%, Bahrain 10%; Qatar and Kuwait none. Exports and free-zone sales need the correct tax treatment in the ERP.
VAT by country
Hosting
Microsoft lists Business Central for every GCC country as hosted in its UAE Azure geography. Check whether any customer contract requires in-country hosting before you choose.
The stack
Solutions used on this page
Slide 1 of 7
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
production, BOM and costing.
Power BI
production and finance dashboards.
Fortinet
firewall setup on request.
Server backup
plant server protection.
Endpoint security
PCs and servers.
Cadmate
CAD for the drawing office.
Your country
Manufacturing support in your country
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which CRM is best for a manufacturer?
For most GCC manufacturers selling to distributors and contractors, Zoho CRM works well: quotations, follow-ups and orders per account, with a mobile app for sales engineers. If you run Business Central, keeping sales inside the Microsoft stack can make sense. The bigger decision is the ERP, because production, costing and stock live there; choose that first and the CRM to match.
How do we stay VAT and e-invoicing compliant?
Invoice only from your ERP or accounting system, with the right tax code for local, export and free-zone sales, and connect it to a certified e-invoicing provider before your deadline. Zoho Books is ZATCA-approved for Saudi Phase 2 and Zoho is an accredited UAE provider. We deliver Business Central with full localisation, including Arabic, for Oman, the UAE and Qatar.
How long does implementation take?
It depends on the number of items, BOM levels, plants and legal entities, and how much data needs cleaning. We agree a dated plan after a discovery workshop, and typically go live with finance, stock and purchasing before production planning. Any timeline we give is indicative and changes with your requirements. Network segmentation and backup can run in parallel, because they do not depend on the ERP.
Can it integrate with WhatsApp?
Yes, on the sales and service side. Zoho CRM connects to a WhatsApp Business account, so quotations, delivery updates and distributor questions are logged on the customer record. You need a verified Meta business account and a dedicated number. Production instructions belong in the ERP and your controlled documents, where every change is tracked.
Is Zoho enough for a factory, or do we need Business Central?
It depends on how complex your production is. For production orders, multi-level BOMs, routings and job costing, we recommend Business Central, which includes manufacturing in its Premium edition. If budget leads, or you do not run Microsoft, Zoho Inventory with Zoho Creator covers stock and assembly, and Creator apps bridge the production steps Zoho Inventory does not cover, in a system your team can manage. We help you decide based on how you actually produce, not on a feature list.
How do we protect machines that cannot run antivirus?
Separate them. Many PLCs and older HMIs cannot run endpoint software, so we place them in their own network zone behind a firewall, allow only the traffic the line needs, and control remote vendor access. Office PCs and servers get endpoint security and tested backup.
Know what each job really costs
Tell us how you produce, how many plants and users you have, and your country, and we will map the table above to a dated plan.