Timeline Factory Manager
Free offline factory management software for Windows and Mac
Timeline Factory Manager is free factory management software from Timeline Digital. It runs offline on one Windows 10 or 11 PC or one Apple silicon Mac and covers orders, production, stock and purchasing.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
Custom version
Need Timeline Factory Manager across several sites, or built around how you work?
The free edition is an offline desktop app for a single site. When you need it across several sites, in the cloud, connected to your other systems or shaped around your own workflow, we build a custom version for you. The pilot is always free. We start with your most important modules, so you can judge the work before you commit.
What is Timeline Factory Manager?
Timeline Factory Manager is a free offline desktop app, made by Timeline Digital, that runs the daily work of a small factory or workshop on one Windows or Mac computer: customers and sales orders, products and their materials, work orders, daily production, stock, suppliers, purchasing, deliveries, reports and printed documents.
It has 15 screens, prints 7 documents and has 4 reports. Install steps for each system are on the Windows download page and the Mac download page.
- Price
- Free. No account and no sign-up
- Current version
- 1.0.0, updated 2026-11-14
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), and macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon (M1 or later)
- Internet
- Not needed. The app sends nothing over the internet and collects no usage data
- Users
- One computer, one user
- Built for
- Small factories and workshops with about 10 to 200 staff
- Data
- One data file on your computer, with automatic daily backups (the latest 14 are kept)
- Language
- English
- Countries
- 233 countries and territories, 152 currencies, local date and number formats, A4 or US Letter paper
- Made by
- Timeline Digital
How does an order get from the customer to delivery?
In six steps. You enter the sales order, click Make work orders, start each work order so its materials are reserved, enter what was made each day, complete the work order so stock is updated, then create a delivery note. The app moves the stock itself when a work order is started, completed and delivered.
1. Sales order
Enter the customer order with products, quantities and a due date. Pick the customer, add their reference if they gave one, then add product lines with quantity and price.
Enter a sales order line by line. 2. Make work orders
One click creates planned work orders for whatever the order still needs. The button is on the sales order page. Each work order is an instruction to make a quantity of one product.
A sales order, ready to make work orders. 3. Start
Materials from the bill of materials are reserved. If stock is short, the app names each short material. Once it is started, print a Job card and a Material issue slip for the shop floor.
Starting a work order reserves its materials. 4. Daily production
Each day, enter what was made and what was rejected. One screen lists every running work order. Type the counts and click Save all.
Enter the day's made and rejected counts on one screen. 5. Complete
Materials used leave stock and the good units go into finished goods. The dialog shows the totals so far and lets you add a final count for anything made since the last daily entry.
Complete a work order: totals so far and a final count. 6. Delivery note
Goods leave finished goods stock and the sales order is marked part delivered or delivered. Quantities are filled in from what is in stock. Print the note with spaces for Received by, signature and date.
Create a delivery note from the sales order.
Buying materials runs alongside
When a material is short, click Order low stock on Raw materials, or make a purchase order yourself. When the delivery arrives, click Receive goods. That creates a goods received note and adds the materials to stock. Part deliveries are supported.
Do this once, before the first order
Add the customer, the raw materials, and each product with its bill of materials. The how to use it page walks through every step with a short video, and the work order software page covers starting, completing and reopening in more detail.
Download it for Windows or Mac
One installer for Windows (111 MB) and one disk image for Apple silicon Macs (123 MB). Both systems show a warning the first time, because the files are not code-signed or notarized yet. On Windows, click More info, then Run anyway.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
What does the factory management software include?
Timeline Factory Manager has 15 screens. The sidebar lists them as Dashboard, then the Sales, Production, Stock and Purchasing groups, then Reports, Settings and About. All of them are in the free download.
This is the overview. What you enter on each screen, what it shows and the rules it enforces are on the features page.
Dashboard
The first screen you see when the app opens, in the light or the dark theme. It shows units made in the last 7 days, open orders, work orders, low stock and what is late.
Sales
Customer orders and the goods you send out against them.
- Sales orders
- Customer orders with product lines, due dates and delivery status.
- Delivery notes
- Goods sent to a customer, taken out of finished goods stock.
- Customers
- Contact details and every order for each customer.
Production
What you make, what is being made now and what was made each day.
- Work orders
- An instruction to make a quantity of one product: planned, in progress, done.
- Daily production
- Made and rejected counts for every running work order, on one screen.
- Products
- What you make, each with a bill of materials and material cost per unit.
Stock
Raw materials you buy and finished goods you have made.
- Raw materials
- On hand, reserved, available and on order, with reorder levels and stock history.
- Finished goods
- Stock of each product, quantity in production and any shortfall against orders.
Purchasing
Orders to suppliers and the deliveries that arrive.
- Purchase orders
- Orders to suppliers for raw materials, with part deliveries.
- Goods received
- A goods received note for each delivery, which adds the materials to stock.
- Suppliers
- Contact details and every purchase order for each supplier.
Reports, Settings and About
The three screens at the bottom of the sidebar.
- Reports
- Production, material use, order status and stock value, each exportable to CSV.
- Settings
- Company details and logo, country and formats, theme, backups and app password.
- About
- Version, where your data is stored and how to request a custom version.
How does the app keep stock figures correct?
Every stock change is recorded as a movement, and balances are worked out from those movements. On hand and available stock can never go below zero: an action that would do this is refused with a message saying what to do. Every material and product has a stock history with a running balance.
- Movements cover opening stock, goods received, a work order started (reserve) and completed (use materials, add finished goods), goods delivered, adjustments and any cancellations.
- Each line of a stock history links to the document behind it, so you can see why the figure changed.
- Starting a work order without enough available stock is refused, and each short material is named, so you know what to buy.
- For a stock count or damage, use Adjust stock with a date and a reason. The adjustment is a movement too.
Raw materials, reorder levels and Order low stock are covered on the manufacturing inventory software page, and bills of materials on the bill of materials software page.
The terms the app uses
- Bill of materials
- The raw materials and quantities needed to make one unit of a product, for example 6 m of steel tube and 0.2 litre of paint per gate.
- Work order
- An instruction to make a quantity of one product. It is planned, then in progress, then done.
- Job card
- The printed sheet that goes to the shop floor with a work order. It shows the product, the quantity to make, the materials required and a daily production table.
- Reorder level
- The quantity you set for a raw material. When available stock is at or below it, the material is listed as low stock.
- Goods received note
- The record of one delivery from a supplier. Saving it adds the materials to stock.
- Reserved and available stock
- Reserved stock is held by running work orders. Available stock is what is on hand and not reserved, so it is what a new work order can use.
Which documents does it print?
7 documents, each printed or saved as a PDF from a preview window. Every one shows your company name, address, contact details, tax number and logo from Settings. The samples below are PDFs made by the app from made-up data.
- Job card, from Work order pageSee a sample job card (PDF)
- Material issue slip, from Work order pageSee a sample material issue slip (PDF)
- Purchase order, from Purchase order pageSee a sample purchase order (PDF)
- Goods received note, from Goods received note pageSee a sample goods received note (PDF)
- Delivery note, from Delivery note pageSee a sample delivery note (PDF)
- Production report, from Reports, ProductionSee a sample production report (PDF)
- Stock list, from Raw materials, Finished goods or Reports, Stock valueSee a sample stock list (PDF)
Long documents run over several pages and the table headings repeat on each page. Every page ends with a small Timeline Digital bar. The app does not print invoices, quotations or statements.
Which reports does it have?
4 reports: Production, Material use, Order status, Stock value. Each covers a period you choose (this month, last month, last 30 days, this year, or any dates) and can be exported to CSV. The Production report can be printed, and the Stock value report can print a stock list.
| Report | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Production | Made, rejected and reject rate by product, with a breakdown by day |
| Material use | Used, received and adjusted per material, with the cost of what was used |
| Order status | Every open sales order with ordered, in production and delivered quantities, and late orders |
| Stock value | Raw materials at unit cost; finished goods at material cost and at sale price |
Which factories is it for?
Timeline Factory Manager suits small factories and workshops with about 10 to 200 staff that make products to customer orders from bought-in materials, and where one person in the office can keep the records on one computer. It is a step up from spreadsheets and paper job sheets, with no subscription to pay.
Who it does not suit
Factories that need several people in the system at once, tablets on the shop floor, machine and shift scheduling, job costing, batch or serial traceability, sub-assemblies, or a link to accounting software. Those need a paid system or a custom build. The full list is further down this page.
How it differs from the other options
Cloud MRP subscriptions are usually charged per user per month and need a connection. Open-source ERP is free to download but needs a server and setup. Timeline Factory Manager installs like any desktop app and keeps its data on your computer. The free manufacturing software page compares the options in more detail.
These are examples of the kind of work it fits, not a list of customers.
Furniture and joinery
The sample data is a made-up furniture workshop, so you can see this kind of work in the app before you enter anything.
Metal fabrication
The user guide uses a steel gate as its example: tube and paint on the bill of materials, gates as the product.
Garments and textiles
Each product has one bill of materials, and the day’s made and rejected counts are entered on one screen.
Plastics
Raw materials have reorder levels, and rejects are counted next to good units on every work order.
Printing and packaging
Each customer order becomes work orders with a printed Job card and Material issue slip.
Food processing
The order, production and stock screens work the same way, but the app has no batch or lot traceability. It is not enough on its own where food-safety traceability is required.
How long does setup take?
The first time the app opens, a short setup of three steps appears. There is no account to create.
- Your company. Type the company name and, if you like, your own name.
- Country and formats. Search for your country by typing. Choosing it fills in the usual currency, date format, number format and paper size (A4, or US Letter in countries such as the United States, Canada and Mexico). You can change all of these later in Settings.
- How to start. Choose Start with an empty factory, or Explore with sample data.
Sample data, or an empty factory
Explore with sample data loads a made-up furniture workshop with orders, work orders and stock, so you can try every screen. A backup of the empty file is made first. To clear the sample later, open Settings, Backups and restore that backup.
With an empty factory, the dashboard shows four first steps with a button for each and ticks them off as you go, until your first sales order or work order exists. If your products, raw materials and customers are already in a spreadsheet, bring them in with Import CSV.
Where is your data kept, and is it backed up?
Your factory data is kept in one data file on your own computer. The app works fully offline, has no account or sign-up, sends nothing over the internet and collects no usage data. It only opens your browser or email program when you click a Timeline Digital link.
The exact folder is shown in Settings and on the About screen. Uninstalling the app does not delete your data or your backups.
Backups
- An automatic backup is made once a day while the app is open. The latest 14 are kept.
- Back up now makes one at any time.
- Save a copy to puts a backup on a USB drive or network folder. Do this regularly, because the other backups stay on the same computer.
- Restore from a backup in the list, or from a file. A backup of the current data is made first, so a restore can itself be undone.
App password
Optional. It keeps casual users out of the app: the app asks for the password when it opens and when you click Lock. When you set it, a recovery code is shown once. Write it down, because it is how you set a new password if you forget the old one. The password does not encrypt the data file, so who can use the computer itself is still up to you.
What do you need to run it?
One ordinary office computer: a PC with Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or a Mac with macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon (M1 or later). The Windows installer needs no administrator password.
Windows 7, Windows 8 and 32-bit Windows are not supported, and there is no Linux, iPad or Android version. Step-by-step install notes are on the free manufacturing software for Windows page and the free manufacturing software for Mac page.
- Operating system
- Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
- Mac: macOS 12 or newer
- Processor
- Windows: 64-bit
- Mac: Apple silicon (M1 or later). No Intel Mac download is published yet
- Download
- Windows: Installer, 111 MB
- Mac: Disk image, 123 MB
- File name
- Windows: Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-windows-setup.exe
- Mac: Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-mac-arm64.dmg
- Smallest window
- Windows: 1024 x 700
- Mac: 1024 x 700
- Internet
- Windows: Not needed to use the app
- Mac: Not needed to use the app
- First-run warning
- Windows: Yes. The installer is not code-signed
- Mac: Yes. The app is not signed or notarized
| Requirement | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | macOS 12 or newer |
| Processor | 64-bit | Apple silicon (M1 or later). No Intel Mac download is published yet |
| Download | Installer, 111 MB | Disk image, 123 MB |
| File name | Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-windows-setup.exe | Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-mac-arm64.dmg |
| Smallest window | 1024 x 700 | 1024 x 700 |
| Internet | Not needed to use the app | Not needed to use the app |
| First-run warning | Yes. The installer is not code-signed | Yes. The app is not signed or notarized |
How do you use Timeline Factory Manager?
27 short video lessons show the real app, one job at a time. Together they take about 34 minutes. Start with one order followed from sales order to delivery note, then first-time setup and recording daily production.
Lesson 28: From customer order to delivery (1:47)
One order followed from sales order to delivery note.
Lesson 1: First time setup (1:29)
Company name, country and formats, then an empty factory or sample data.
Lesson 17: Record daily production (1:05)
Made and rejected counts for every running work order.
All 27 lessons with written steps · Watch the playlist on YouTube
What does the free edition not do?
The free edition is for one computer and one user. Check this list before you install, not after you have entered a month of orders. It does not include:
- Several users, logins or permissions
- Use on more than one computer, or shared data over a network or the internet
- Online or browser access, a mobile app, or cloud backup
- Machine and shift planning, scheduling or capacity planning
- Job costing, labour costing or profit margins (material cost from the bill of materials is shown)
- Quality checks, batch or lot numbers, serial numbers or traceability
- Barcode or QR code scanning, label printing
- Several sites or warehouses, or stock locations
- Links to accounting software, invoicing, quotations, statements or payments
- Sending email from inside the app
- Multi-level bills of materials (sub-assemblies), routings and operations
- Languages other than English
Other limits: there is one unit cost per material, with no average or FIFO costing. CSV import covers products, raw materials and customers only. A sales order carries prices, but the app prints no invoice. For anyone searching for MRP: the app does the basic material side only (bills of materials, reserving, shortages, low stock against a reorder level) and does not plan dates or schedule work. The free MRP software page sets out exactly where that line is.
Need any of these? Timeline Digital builds them as custom work
Several users, shop-floor tablets, costing, traceability and accounting links are custom work, not part of this app. Tell us how your factory runs. The pilot is always free. We build 2 to 3 of your key modules first, and the scope and terms are agreed in writing after you approve the pilot. Read about manufacturing ERP software and custom ERP software, or go straight to the contact page.
Need help with Timeline Factory Manager, or more than it does?
Leave your name and number. We can help you install the free app and get your first products and orders in. If your factory needs things the free edition does not have, such as several users, shop-floor tablets, costing or traceability, tell us and we will plan a custom system with you.
No spam. We only use your number to reply about your project.
Free factory management software FAQs
What is factory management software?
Factory management software keeps a factory’s customer orders, production, stock and purchasing in one place instead of paper job sheets and separate spreadsheets. Timeline Factory Manager is a free example: an offline desktop app from Timeline Digital for small factories and workshops with about 10 to 200 staff, used on one Windows PC or one Mac.
Is Timeline Factory Manager really free?
Yes. Timeline Factory Manager is free to download and use, with no account and no sign-up. All 15 screens, 7 printed documents and 4 reports are in the download. Things the free edition does not do, such as several users, job costing or traceability, are paid custom work from Timeline Digital. The pilot is always free.
Does Timeline Factory Manager work without the internet?
Yes. Timeline Factory Manager is offline desktop software. You need a connection once, to download the installer. After that, orders, work orders, daily production, stock, purchasing, reports and printing all work with no connection. The app sends nothing over the internet and only opens your browser or email program when you click a Timeline Digital link.
Which computers does Timeline Factory Manager run on?
Timeline Factory Manager 1.0.0 runs on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), and on macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon (M1 or later). No Intel Mac download is published yet. It does not run on Windows 7, Windows 8 or 32-bit Windows, and there is no Linux, iPad or Android version. The app is in English only.
Can two people use it at the same time?
No. The free edition of Timeline Factory Manager is for one computer and one user. It has one optional app password, not separate logins, and the data file is not shared between computers. If your office and shop floor need to work in the same system at once, that is custom work, and Timeline Digital builds it starting with a free pilot.
Is Timeline Factory Manager an MRP system?
Only for the basic material side. Timeline Factory Manager holds bills of materials, reserves materials when a work order starts, refuses to start and names each short material when stock is not enough, and lists low stock against a reorder level. It does not plan dates, schedule work or calculate time-phased requirements.
Does it print invoices or work out job costs?
No. A sales order in Timeline Factory Manager carries prices, but the app prints no invoice, quotation or statement and has no link to accounting software. It shows the material cost per unit from the bill of materials, with one unit cost per material. It does not work out labour cost, job cost or profit margins.
Why does Windows or macOS show a warning when I install it?
The Timeline Factory Manager installers are not code-signed or notarized yet. On Windows you may see "Windows protected your PC": click More info, then Run anyway. On a Mac, macOS warns the first time you open the app. Download the files only from timelinedigi.com. The Windows and Mac pages give the install steps for each system.
How are backups made, and how do I move to a new computer?
Timeline Factory Manager makes an automatic backup once a day while it is open and keeps the latest 14. Those stay on the same computer, so also use Save a copy to put a backup on a USB drive. To move, install the app on the new computer and use Restore from a file. Uninstalling does not delete your data.
More about Timeline Factory Manager
One page for each system and each part of the app.
- Free manufacturing software for Windows: the installer and install steps
- Free manufacturing software for Mac: the Apple silicon disk image
- All 15 screens, one by one
- How to use it: 27 video lessons
- Free manufacturing software: what it covers and how it compares
- Free MRP software: the material side it covers, and what it leaves out
- Free production management software: work orders and daily production
- Free manufacturing inventory software: raw materials and finished goods
- Free bill of materials software: products, materials and material cost
- Free work order software: start, record, complete and print job cards
- Manufacturing ERP software, built to order by Timeline Digital
- Custom ERP software
Download Timeline Factory Manager, free
One file for Windows, one for Apple silicon Macs. No account and no sign-up. Install it, type your company name, choose your country, then load the sample data or start with your own.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
Updated . Windows install steps and Mac install steps