Free offline manufacturing inventory software
Timeline Factory Manager is a free offline desktop app by Timeline Digital for Windows and Mac. It keeps raw material and finished goods stock for a small factory or workshop, on one computer.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
Stock is one part of the app. The same 15 screens also hold customers, sales orders, work orders, daily production and purchasing, so stock is changed by the documents you already raise. The Timeline Factory Manager page covers the whole app and the features page lists every screen.
Who this is for
- A workshop or small factory that buys materials and turns them into its own products.
- An owner who wants to know what is free to use, not only what is on the shelf.
- An office that keeps stock in a spreadsheet and wants every change recorded with its document.
- A site where the internet is unreliable, so stock records must work offline.
Not a fit if
- You keep stock in several warehouses, sites or bin locations.
- You need barcode scanning, or batch and lot numbers for traceability.
- Several people must update stock at the same time on their own computers.
This app is for manufacturers. A shop that only buys and sells goods is better served by Timeline POS, our point of sale app for shops.
Key facts
- App
- Timeline Factory Manager, version 1.0.0, published by Timeline Digital
- Price
- Free. No account and no sign-up.
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon (M1 or later)
- Internet
- Not needed. The app sends nothing over the internet.
- Raw materials
- On hand, reserved, available and on order, with a reorder level and a stock history
- Finished goods
- Stock, quantity in production, quantity on customer orders and any shortfall
- Stock locations
- One. There are no warehouses or bins.
- Users
- One computer, one user
What does it show for each raw material?
Four quantities: on hand, reserved, available and on order. Each material also has a name, code, unit, unit cost, reorder level and notes. A material is low when its available stock is at or below its reorder level, and the sidebar shows how many materials are low.
What the stock terms mean
- On hand
- The quantity of a material or product that is physically in stock now.
- Reserved
- Raw material held for a work order that has been started. It is still on the shelf, but it is spoken for.
- Available
- On hand less reserved. It is the quantity you can promise to a new job.
- On order
- Material you have ordered from a supplier on an open purchase order that has not been received yet.
- Reorder level
- The quantity at which you want to buy more. In the app a material is low when its available stock is at or below its reorder level.
- Goods received note
- The record of one delivery from a supplier. In the app, saving it adds the materials to stock, and it can be printed.
Stock history
Every material has a stock history with a running balance. Each line links to the document behind it, such as the goods received note or the work order, so you can see why a balance changed.
Adjust stock
Adjust stock adds or removes stock with a date and a reason. Use it after a stock count, or for damage and similar losses.
How do you order more when stock is low?
Click Order low stock on Raw materials and choose a supplier. The app makes one purchase order for all low materials, with enough of each to bring it back to twice its reorder level, counting what is already on order. You can edit the order before it goes to the supplier.
Order low stock
The purchase order lists each low material with the quantity to buy, and what is already on order is counted in. Print the purchase order or save it as a PDF for the supplier. See a sample purchase order (PDF).
Receive goods
When the delivery arrives, click Receive goods on the purchase order and enter the quantity that arrived for each material. Saving creates a goods received note and adds the materials to stock. Part deliveries are supported, so the rest stays on order until it arrives. The goods received note can be printed or saved as a PDF. See a sample goods received note (PDF).
How does stock change without typing it in?
Stock follows your documents. A goods received note adds materials. Starting a work order reserves them. Completing it takes the materials used out of stock and adds the good units to finished goods. A delivery note takes goods out. Cancelling a delivery note or a goods received note reverses its movement.
- Add a material or product
- Raw materials: Opening stock can be entered
- Finished goods: Opening stock can be entered
- Receive goods
- Raw materials: The goods received note adds the materials to stock
- Finished goods: No change
- Start a work order
- Raw materials: Materials from the bill of materials are reserved, so available goes down
- Finished goods: No change
- Record daily production
- Raw materials: No change
- Finished goods: No change. Stock moves when the work order is completed
- Complete a work order
- Raw materials: Materials used for everything made and rejected are taken out of stock
- Finished goods: The good units are added
- Save a delivery note
- Raw materials: No change
- Finished goods: The goods delivered are taken out of stock
- Cancel a delivery note
- Raw materials: No change
- Finished goods: The goods go back into stock
- Cancel a goods received note
- Raw materials: The materials are taken back out. Allowed only while enough of them are still available
- Finished goods: No change
Stock can never go below zero. On hand and available stock cannot become negative. An action that would do this is refused with a message that says what to do. If a work order cannot start because a material is short, the app names each short material.
The quantities reserved and used come from each product's bill of materials. That is covered on the free bill of materials software page. Starting, recording and completing work orders is covered on the free work order software page.
What does it show for finished goods?
The Finished goods screen lists each product with its stock, the quantity in production, the quantity on customer orders and any shortfall. A shortfall means customer orders need more than you have in stock or are making, so you know which products need another work order.
Good units enter finished goods when a work order is completed, and leave when a delivery note is saved. Each product page also has a full stock history. Lesson 11 walks through the screen.
How do you value stock and run a stock count?
The Stock value report shows raw materials at unit cost, and finished goods at material cost and at sale price. For a count, print the stock list, which has a Checked by column, count the shelves, then correct any difference with Adjust stock, giving the date and the reason.
Stock value is one of the app's 4 reports. It shows: raw materials at unit cost; finished goods at material cost and at sale price. Like the other reports it can be exported to CSV to open in Excel. Each material has one unit cost that you enter, so there is no average or FIFO costing, and finished goods carry material cost only.
The printed stock list shows raw materials with on hand, reserved and available quantities, then finished goods in stock. Every row has a blank Checked by space. Print it from Raw materials, Finished goods or the Stock value report, or save it as a PDF. See a sample stock list (PDF).
Can you import your current stock from Excel?
Yes, as a CSV file. Click Import CSV on the Raw materials or Products list, choose a spreadsheet saved as CSV, and check the preview. Opening stock can be included for new materials and products. Nothing is saved until you confirm.
Save a template gives you a file with the right headings. Column headings are matched loosely, and both comma and semicolon files are read. A row whose code matches an existing record updates it. CSV import covers products, raw materials and customers only, and every list can be exported to CSV.
How do I manage stock in the app? Watch it.
Three of the 27 free video lessons cover adjusting stock and reading its history, finding low stock and ordering more, and finished goods. Click a lesson to play it here.
Lesson 9: Adjust stock and read its history (1:16)
Add or remove stock with a reason, and read the running balance.
Lesson 10: Find low stock and order more (1:01)
The low stock list and one purchase order for everything that is low.
Lesson 11: Finished goods stock (0:55)
Stock, quantity in production, quantity on orders and shortfall.
All 27 lessons with written steps · Watch the playlist on YouTube
Written steps for every lesson are on the how to use Timeline Factory Manager page.
What does the free edition not do?
It keeps stock in one location, for one user on one computer. It has no barcode scanning, no batch or lot numbers and one unit cost per material. Read this before you download.
- One stock location
- All stock is in one place. There are no warehouses, sites, bins or transfers between them.
- No barcode scanning
- The app does not read barcodes or QR codes and does not print labels. Quantities are typed in.
- No batch or lot numbers
- There are no batch, lot or serial numbers and no traceability. On its own it is not enough where food-safety traceability is required.
- One unit cost per material
- Each material has one unit cost that you enter. There is no average or FIFO costing.
The full list from the user guide
- 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
These are available as custom work from Timeline Digital, starting with a free pilot. Tell us how your stock works, or read about manufacturing ERP software and custom ERP software.
Where your stock data is kept
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.
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.
How do you download and install it?
Download the Windows installer or the Mac disk image below and install it like any desktop app. A short setup of three steps asks for your company name, your country and formats, and whether to start empty or explore with sample data.
Windows
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). The file is Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-windows-setup.exe, about 111 MB. The installer is not code-signed, so Windows shows "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway. No administrator password is needed.
Mac
macOS 12 or newer, Apple silicon (M1 or later). The file is Timeline-Factory-Manager-1.0.0-mac-arm64.dmg, about 123 MB. Open it and drag the app to Applications. The app is not signed or notarized, so macOS warns the first time you open it.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
Full install steps are on the free manufacturing software for Windows page and the free manufacturing software for Mac page.
Manufacturing inventory software questions
Is there free inventory software for manufacturing that works offline?
Yes. Timeline Factory Manager is a free offline desktop app by Timeline Digital for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) and Apple silicon Macs with macOS 12 or newer. It keeps raw material and finished goods stock for a small factory on one computer, with no account and no internet needed. Both downloads are on the Timeline Factory Manager page.
Does it track raw materials and finished goods separately?
Yes. Timeline Factory Manager has a Raw materials screen and a Finished goods screen. Raw materials show on hand, reserved, available and on order. Finished goods show stock, quantity in production, quantity on customer orders and any shortfall, where orders need more than you have or are making.
What is the difference between on hand and available stock?
On hand is everything physically in your store. Available is on hand less the quantity reserved by running work orders. Timeline Factory Manager reserves materials when a work order starts, so available stock tells you what a new job can really use. Low stock is judged on available stock, not on hand.
How does the reorder level work?
You enter a reorder level for each raw material. When available stock is at or below that level, Timeline Factory Manager marks the material as low and counts it in the sidebar. Order low stock then makes one purchase order, to a supplier you choose, with enough of each low material to bring it back to twice its reorder level, counting what is already on order.
Can I import my current stock from Excel?
Yes, as a CSV file. Timeline Factory Manager imports raw materials and products from a spreadsheet saved as CSV, and opening stock can be included for new materials and products. A preview shows the recognised columns and any rows with problems before anything is saved. Lesson 24 of the video lessons shows the steps.
Does it support barcodes, batch numbers or several warehouses?
No. Timeline Factory Manager has one stock location, no barcode or QR code scanning, no label printing and no batch, lot or serial numbers. If your factory needs any of these, Timeline Digital builds them as custom work, starting with a free pilot.
How is stock valued?
The Stock value report in Timeline Factory Manager shows raw materials at unit cost, and finished goods at material cost and at sale price. Each material has one unit cost that you enter. There is no average or FIFO costing, and no labour or overhead is added to finished goods.
Can stock go below zero?
No. In Timeline Factory Manager on hand and available stock can never go below zero. An action that would do this, such as starting a work order without enough material, is refused with a message that says what to do. This keeps the balances on screen equal to the recorded movements.
Is it suitable for a shop that only buys and sells?
It is made for manufacturers. Timeline Factory Manager links stock to bills of materials, work orders and production, which a shop does not need, and it has no till or receipt screen. A shop that only buys and sells goods is better served by Timeline POS, the point of sale app from Timeline Digital.
Download the free inventory software
Install the app, explore the sample data, then add or import your raw materials with their opening stock. If you need several stock locations, barcode scanning or batch traceability, that is custom work: tell us how your factory works and we will say what we would pilot.
Version 1.0.0 · Free · Works offline
About this page
Published by Timeline Digital, the maker of Timeline Factory Manager. Every feature described here was checked against the user guide for version 1.0.0 on . The screenshots show the app's sample data, a made-up furniture workshop called "Hartwell Furniture Works". It is not a real customer.
Author
Usama Asif
CEO and CTO, Timeline Digital.
More about Timeline Factory Manager
Timeline Factory Manager
The product page: all 15 screens, screenshots and system requirements.
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The Windows installer and the install steps.
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The Apple silicon disk image and how to open it the first time.
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27 short video lessons, about 34 minutes in total.
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Every screen, printed document and report.
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Products, materials per unit and material cost per unit.
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Start, record production, complete, and print the job card.
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The basic material side: reserve, shortage check and low stock.
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Daily production, rejects and the production report.
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The whole flow from sales order to delivery note.
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