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Aptean Cimnet ERP

Aptean Cimnet ERP at a glance
VendorAptean
HeadquartersAlpharetta, Georgia, USA
OwnershipPrivately held; Aptean is backed by private equity investors including TA Associates and Vista Equity Partners
DeploymentOn-premises and cloud
Target marketSmall and midsize printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators and electronics manufacturing services providers
IndustriesPCB fabrication, electronics manufacturing
PricingNot published; quote-based
Websiteaptean.com/en-US/solutions/erp/products/aptean-cimnet-erp

What Cimnet ERP is

A vertical ERP built for one thing: printed circuit board manufacturing. It automates the PCB-specific chain from quoting and pre-production engineering through panelization, production and quality management, with an ERP core for orders and materials underneath. Few software categories are this narrow. Cimnet is one of a small number of systems designed for PCB fabrication from the ground up.

Where Cimnet ERP comes from

The lineage runs back to Cimnet Systems, a US software company serving PCB manufacturers. Consona Corporation, the Indianapolis-based rollup that grew out of Made2Manage Systems and collected several manufacturing ERP lines, acquired Cimnet Systems in the mid-2000s. Consona merged with CDC Software in 2012 to form Aptean, which has maintained the product ever since under the Aptean Cimnet ERP name. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, privately held with private equity backing, and keeps an active US product page and a current datasheet for Cimnet. Reference customers named in vendor and industry materials include PCB fabricators such as Amphenol APC and Firan Technology Group.

Functional scope

Modules span pre-production engineering, quoting and order management, materials management, panelization and production planning, quality management, supply chain functions and business intelligence. The quoting engine is panelization-aware: material yields and layer counts feed the cost calculation, which is the central pain point of PCB estimating. Production functions track work orders through fabrication steps much like an MES-adjacent shop floor system. Financial functionality is leaner than in full-suite ERPs, and some customers run corporate accounting in a separate system.

Target market and industries

Small and midsize PCB fabricators and electronics manufacturing services providers, primarily in North America. The US PCB fabrication industry is compact, yet reshoring initiatives and defense-related sourcing requirements have renewed attention on domestic board production, which keeps the niche commercially relevant. Both on-premises and cloud deployment are available, and Aptean publishes no prices; quotes depend on modules, user counts and deployment model. Integration and data migration effort belong in the cost plan from day one, and the ERP cost guide outlines the typical cost blocks.

Our take

The narrowness is the point. Panelization-aware quoting and PCB process coverage are things general manufacturing ERPs cannot deliver without heavy customization, and for a US board fabricator the shortlist of purpose-built alternatives is short enough that Cimnet earns an evaluation almost by default. It is a borderline case as a full ERP, though: engineering and production run deep while financials stay comparatively lean, and some adopters end up pairing it with a corporate finance system in a two-tier setup. A plant that wants one system of record for both the shop floor and the books should look elsewhere rather than plan around that gap. As with any low-volume vertical product inside a large portfolio, press Aptean on release cadence and long-term investment before signing.

What the Aptean Cimnet ERP website looks like

Current view of the vendor homepage, captured by our editorial team.

Screenshot of the Aptean Cimnet ERP vendor homepage

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Frequently asked questions

What makes Cimnet ERP different from a general manufacturing ERP?

It is built exclusively for printed circuit board fabrication rather than discrete manufacturing at large. The quoting engine understands panelization, layer counts and material yields, the variables that actually drive PCB cost estimates and that horizontal ERP systems do not model. Process steps specific to board fabrication are represented natively instead of being approximated through generic routings.

Who owns Cimnet ERP today?

Aptean, a privately held enterprise software company headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The product reached the portfolio through Consona Corporation, which had acquired the original vendor Cimnet Systems in the mid-2000s and merged with CDC Software in 2012 to form Aptean. Aptean continues to market the product with an active US page and a current datasheet.

Is Cimnet ERP a complete ERP with full accounting?

Only partly. There is an ERP core for orders, materials and production, but the financial functionality is leaner than that of full-suite mid-market ERPs, and the depth sits in engineering, quoting and shop floor coverage for PCB fabrication. Some customers therefore keep corporate accounting in a separate financial system and treat Cimnet as the operational backbone of the plant.

What deployment options does Cimnet ERP offer?

On-premises and cloud. Which one fits usually comes down to IT staffing, security requirements and whether the fabricator serves defense customers with specific hosting constraints. Compare the long-term cost profile of both models before deciding.

How much does Aptean Cimnet ERP cost?

No list prices are published, and every quote is prepared individually. The drivers are user counts, selected modules, deployment model and migration effort from legacy systems. Given how small this market is, also negotiate explicit clarity on support terms and upgrade paths as part of the commercial discussion.