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Wiring a 30‑year switchgear manufacturer into one connected system
How Craft Interactive, the UAE’s first ERPNext Gold Partner, helped Precision Switchgear replace disconnected spreadsheets and legacy tools with a single ERPNext platform spanning manufacturing, inventory, sales and finance.
Running a manufacturer and a distributor on separate systems
Established in 1990 and headquartered on a 135,000 sq. ft. plot in Al Garhoud, Dubai, Precision Switchgear grew into an ISO 9001‑certified manufacturer of low-voltage switchgear, control panels and control gear, trading across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. That growth had a cost: production planning, inventory, sales and accounting lived in separate spreadsheets and point tools that didn’t talk to each other.
Running two businesses on disconnected tools
- Manufacturing bills of materials tracked outside the systems used for sales and purchasing
- No unified view across the trading division and the switchgear manufacturing division
- Manual reconciliation between inventory, job costing and accounting
- VAT and TRN data entered inconsistently across customers and suppliers
- Reporting that depended on manually rebuilding numbers from separate spreadsheets each month
What Precision Switchgear needed
- One platform covering manufacturing, inventory, sales, purchasing and finance
- Hierarchical BOMs and job cards built for panel and switchgear production
- UAE VAT compliance configured correctly from day one
- A partner who understood both manufacturing and distribution workflows
- A phased rollout that wouldn’t disrupt live production or trading operations
A business built on range and reach
Precision Switchgear’s catalogue spans enclosures, low-voltage switchgear and control gear components, copper busbar, panel wires, comb busbar, terminal blocks, control transformers, current transformers, signalling devices, measuring devices, protection relays, capacitors, temperature controllers, PLCs and VFDs — supplied alongside a dedicated switchgear manufacturing division building low-voltage panels, MDBs and SMDBs, power factor improvement plants, AMF panels, motor control centres, motor starter units, isolator boxes, metering panels, distribution boards, lighting control panels, BMS/DDC panels and feeder pillars. That range is served across construction, MEP contracting, panel building, wholesale and retail, export, oil & gas, and HVAC — which is exactly why a single connected system, rather than another point tool, was the right next step.
A phased ERPNext rollout, led by Craft Interactive
As the first and only ERPNext Gold Partner in the UAE and Middle East, Craft Interactive brought its manufacturing and VAT-compliance expertise to a structured, four-stage implementation built around how Precision Switchgear actually works.
Process & workflow mapping
Craft Interactive’s consultants studied production, trading and finance workflows across divisions to design an ERPNext structure that mirrored the real business, not a generic template.
BOMs, job cards & shop floor
Hierarchical bills of materials, job cards and workstation tracking were configured to give production teams a live view of panel and switchgear builds, from raw material to finished product.
Inventory, sales & accounting
Multi-warehouse inventory, sales orders, purchasing and accounting were connected end to end, with UAE VAT templates and TRN fields configured for customers, suppliers and the company itself.
Training & go-live support
Role-based training and one-on-one sessions helped teams across both the manufacturing and trading divisions move onto ERPNext with minimal disruption, backed by ongoing support after launch.
Optimization, not a one-time handover
Craft Interactive’s engagement continues after go-live — further customization, new module rollout, and rapid issue resolution, in line with the ongoing support model it provides every ERPNext client.
What ERPNext brought to the shop floor and the back office
ERPNext’s manufacturing tools gave Precision Switchgear real-time task tracking with Gantt charts and timesheets, budget control to prevent cost overruns, and production schedules tied directly to delivery commitments. On the commercial side, multi-warehouse and batch tracking improved inventory accuracy, lead-to-cash automation tightened the path from quotation to collection, and multi-territory support kept UAE and Saudi operations on one platform instead of two. Because ERPNext is built with UAE-specific localizations, VAT setup — TRN fields for customers, suppliers and the company, plus default 5%, zero-rated and exempt tax templates — was configured correctly from the outset rather than retrofitted later.
One system, from the shop floor to the balance sheet
With ERPNext live across manufacturing and trading, Precision Switchgear replaced disconnected spreadsheets with a single source of truth — giving leadership real-time visibility instead of end-of-month reconstruction.
Single connected platform replacing separate manufacturing and trading spreadsheets
Full traceability from bill of materials through job cards to finished panel
UAE-compliant tax configuration across every customer, supplier and item
One system covering multi-territory operations across the UAE and Saudi Arabia
These are the structural outcomes of the implementation itself. For the quantified impact on Precision Switchgear’s reporting speed, reconciliation effort and cost — measured after go-live — ask Craft Interactive for the client-specific results summary.
The same partner behind ERPNext rollouts across the UAE
Precision Switchgear’s implementation followed the same disciplined approach Craft Interactive has used for clients across healthcare, retail and other sectors — documented across the full library of Craft Interactive success stories and shared regularly on its LinkedIn page.
Common questions about this ERPNext implementation
Why did Precision Switchgear need an ERP system?
As a switchgear and control panel manufacturer with trading, manufacturing and export operations across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Precision Switchgear needed one system to connect production planning, inventory, sales and finance instead of managing them through separate spreadsheets and disconnected tools.
Why was ERPNext chosen for a switchgear manufacturer?
ERPNext offers manufacturing-ready modules such as hierarchical bills of materials, job cards, workstation tracking and subcontracting, alongside inventory, sales, purchasing and accounting in one open-source platform — a strong fit for a manufacturer that also runs a large-scale trading and distribution business.
Who implemented ERPNext for Precision Switchgear?
Craft Interactive, the first ERPNext Gold Partner in the UAE and Middle East, led the implementation — covering process discovery, data migration, module configuration, VAT setup and staff training.
How long does an ERPNext implementation like this take?
Timelines vary with the number of divisions and modules involved, but a phased rollout across manufacturing, inventory, sales and finance typically moves from discovery to go-live in stages over a few months, with support continuing after launch.
Is ERPNext compliant with UAE VAT requirements?
Yes. ERPNext supports UAE-specific tax configuration, including TRN fields for customers, suppliers and companies, and default VAT templates, which Craft Interactive configures as part of every UAE implementation.
What results can a switchgear or panel manufacturer expect from ERPNext?
Manufacturers typically gain a single source of truth across production, inventory and finance, clearer visibility into job costing and material planning, fewer manual reconciliation errors, and faster, more consistent reporting across trading and manufacturing divisions.
What makes Craft Interactive different from other ERPNext implementation partners?
Craft Interactive joined the ERPNext ecosystem as a Silver Partner and became the first and only ERPNext Gold Partner in the UAE and Middle East. With more than eight years of ERPNext implementation experience and offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and India, it combines regional VAT and compliance expertise with hands-on manufacturing and trading domain knowledge.
What kind of company is Precision Switchgear?
Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Al Garhoud, Dubai, Precision Switchgear is an ISO 9001-2015 certified distributor and manufacturer of low-voltage switchgear and control gear, serving the construction, MEP contracting, panel building, oil & gas, HVAC and export sectors across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
Does the ERPNext implementation cover both manufacturing and trading operations?
Yes. The rollout was scoped to connect Precision Switchgear’s manufacturing division — where panels and switchgear are built — with its trading division, which distributes switchgear and control gear components, so both sides of the business run on the same inventory, sales and accounting data.
Considering ERPNext for your manufacturing or trading business?
Craft Interactive, the UAE’s first ERPNext Gold Partner, helps manufacturers, distributors and service businesses across the UAE and Middle East move onto one connected system.
Talk to an ERPNext Consultant