Choosing software

Best software for architectural metal fabricators

Architectural metal shops already have CAD. The missing layer is operations: unique products, purchasing against a job, shop status, crates, and install. Spectr is that layer for facade fabricators.

See this on your jobs End-to-end Spectr

Key facts

CAD answers “what does it look like.” ERP answers “where is it and what did it cost.”
Custom brackets and one-off flashing still need a record that survives a revision.
Clients ask for status. Spreadsheets answer yesterday.
Spectr keeps design, purchasing, inventory, and shipping on one record.

How shops handle this

Separate design tools from the system of record
Rhino or AutoCAD stay. The BOM and status should not live only inside them.
Attach cost as you go
Material receipts and hours should hit the project automatically.
Give the field the same IDs the shop uses
If the label on the panel does not match the drawing mark, you will invent a decoder ring.
Measure one source of truth
Month-end reconciliation is a symptom, not a process.

Common questions

We already bought shop-management software. Why switch?

Most shop systems stop at the dock and treat jobs like work orders for standard parts. Ask them to show crate-to-elevation tracking.

Can we keep our current accounting?

Yes. Spectr is meant to integrate, not rip out Sage or Jonas.

Experience how Spectr could fit in your shop

From the jobs you're quoting now to the installs you're managing next month — we'll walk through your actual work, not a canned tour.

Start a conversation