RMDB vs Made2Manage: Job Shop ERP vs Dedicated Scheduling
Made2Manage (now owned by Aptean) is a long-running job shop ERP. RMDB is a finite-capacity scheduling system. Made2Manage covers a wider scope; RMDB goes deeper on scheduling.
The short answer
Made2Manage is a good fit for job shops needing full ERP — quoting, work orders, costing, financials — in one system. RMDB is the right choice when scheduling depth is the bottleneck, especially for shops that already have ERP or want one-time licensing.
Why this comparison matters
Made2Manage has served job shops and small-to-mid discrete manufacturers since the early 1990s. After multiple ownership changes, it is now part of Aptean's industrial manufacturing portfolio. It covers the breadth of what a small job shop ERP should: quoting, order management, work orders, costing, purchasing, basic scheduling, and financials.
Where Made2Manage works well, it works through breadth. One system handles the workflow from customer RFQ through invoice. For shops that grew up on QuickBooks plus spreadsheets and need to consolidate, the unification is genuinely valuable. The trade-off is that no single Made2Manage module is best-in-class — including scheduling, which is functional but not finite-capacity APS depth.
RMDB is the opposite trade-off. It does one thing — finite-capacity production scheduling — at high depth. It does not handle financials, AR/AP, or quoting. For shops where the scheduling is the actual bottleneck and the rest of the ERP stack is fine (or is already in QuickBooks or another system), RMDB delivers the scheduling capability in days rather than months and at a fraction of total cost.
Feature-by-feature comparison
An honest side-by-side look at the capabilities buyers ask about most.
| Capability | RMDB | Made2Manage |
|---|---|---|
Finite-capacity scheduling | ||
Drag-and-drop Gantt | ||
Sequence-dependent setup modeling | ||
Quoting and estimating | ||
Order management | ||
Full financials (AP/AR/GL) | ||
Job costing | ||
Multi-level BOM and routings | ||
What-if scheduling scenarios | ||
Alternate work center routing | ||
Cloud / on-premise options | ||
Integrates with QuickBooks | ||
Pricing model | One-time license | Per-user subscription |
Implementation time (typical) | 5 days–4 weeks | 3–9 months |
Best for company size | 10–500+ employees | 10–250 employees |
Included · Limited or partial · Not available
Pricing comparison
RMDB
From $5,000
One-time license + optional support
Made2Manage
Custom (typically $30K–$150K first year)
Per-user subscription with implementation services
Made2Manage pricing is custom and quote-based. Typical first-year cost for a 10–50-user shop runs $30K–$150K including implementation services. Subscription continues annually. RMDB at $5K–$50K one-time covers the scheduling functionality at a fraction of the cost when ERP is not also needed.
Where each tool wins
RMDB does this better
- Shops where scheduling depth is the actual bottleneck and ERP elsewhere is fine
- Manufacturers wanting scheduling live in days, not months
- Companies preferring one-time license over perpetual subscription
- Operations requiring advanced what-if and sequence-dependent setup logic
- Job shops with existing ERP (QuickBooks, Sage, JobBOSS) that they do not want to replace
Made2Manage does this better
- Shops needing full ERP replacement in one system (quoting through invoice)
- Manufacturers wanting integrated job costing with full financial detail
- Companies with no existing ERP that want a unified vendor
- Job shops preferring a subscription model with bundled support
- Operations that value vendor consolidation over best-of-breed depth
Which one should you pick?
Choose RMDB if…
Job shops $5M–$100M where scheduling is the bottleneck, existing ERP works for everything else, and one-time licensing economics matter over a 5-year horizon.
Choose Made2Manage if…
Job shops $2M–$50M consolidating from spreadsheets or QuickBooks-only operations into a single integrated ERP that handles quoting through financials.
Switching from Made2Manage to RMDB
A practical migration path that most manufacturers complete in days, not months.
- 1
Decide what you are actually buying
If you need full ERP replacement, RMDB is not the right answer alone — combine it with a financials/ERP system. If you need only scheduling depth, RMDB on top of your existing ERP is faster and cheaper.
- 2
Import open work orders and routings
Export work orders, BOMs, and routings from Made2Manage (or your current system). RMDB ingests via CSV or direct database connection.
- 3
Configure scheduling rules
Map your shop's work centers, shift calendars, and scheduling preferences into RMDB. Standard configurations cover most job shop patterns out of the box.
- 4
Run parallel for 2 weeks
Schedule in both systems for 2 weeks. Validate that RMDB output matches shop reality. Most shops trust the new schedule by week 2.
- 5
Cut over and decommission
Move scheduling fully to RMDB. If you kept Made2Manage for ERP, the integration handles handoff. If you replaced both, financials migrate to the new ERP separately.
Frequently asked questions
Why would I keep Made2Manage and add RMDB?+
Because Made2Manage is a competent ERP but its scheduling is not finite-capacity APS depth. Shops happy with Made2Manage for quoting, costing, and financials can add RMDB specifically to fix scheduling without disrupting the rest of the system. The integration is standard.
Is Made2Manage still being developed?+
Aptean continues to maintain and update Made2Manage, but the product roadmap is now part of Aptean's broader portfolio decisions. Some shops on older Made2Manage versions report uncertainty about long-term direction. Verify current roadmap with Aptean before a fresh deployment.
How does Made2Manage scheduling compare to RMDB?+
Made2Manage scheduling handles work order sequencing and basic capacity loading. It does not model sequence-dependent setup times the way RMDB does, and the Gantt is less interactive. For shops with simple sequential routings, Made2Manage scheduling is sufficient. For shops with complex setup logic, RMDB is materially deeper.
Can RMDB integrate with Made2Manage?+
Yes — direct database integration is supported. Work orders, routings, and BOMs flow from Made2Manage to RMDB; completion data flows back. This pattern is the most common deployment when shops want to keep Made2Manage as ERP and use RMDB for scheduling.
How much does the combined Made2Manage + RMDB approach cost?+
Made2Manage at $30K–$150K first year + RMDB at $5K–$50K one-time. Compared to a full replacement system like Plex or NetSuite Manufacturing, the combined approach typically costs 50–70% less over a 5-year horizon.
See RMDB on your own data
35+ years helping manufacturers move beyond spreadsheets and underpowered cloud tools. Get a live demo with your real production schedule — no slide deck required.