Skip to main content

DBA Manufacturing

DBA Manufacturing at a glance
VendorDBA Software Inc.
HeadquartersAustin, Texas, USA
OwnershipFamily-owned, independent since 1992
DeploymentOn-premises (Windows client/server)
Target marketSmall US manufacturers, typically up to about 50 employees, that self-implement
IndustriesSmall discrete manufacturers across machining, assembly, fabrication, and light process
PricingPublished: new system 2,995 USD per 5-user pack (includes first-year license and 9 months support); additional users 499-699 USD each; annual license renewal 105 USD per user; support 495 USD for the first 6 months, then 330 USD per 6 months; 180-day return policy
Websitedbamanufacturing.com

What DBA Manufacturing is

DBA Manufacturing gives small US companies real MRP without the ERP project that usually comes attached. Demand-driven planning, bills of material, purchasing, shop control: the operational core is there, on your own server, and you install it yourself.

Self-implementation is the defining trait, not a cost-saving footnote. The system is designed to be installed and configured by the customer following the vendor's structured methodology, while financial accounting stays where it already lives, typically in QuickBooks. That makes DBA an MRP-plus system rather than a complete ERP, and the vendor is unusually candid about both the scope and the price.

Where DBA Manufacturing comes from

Warren and Michael Hart, father and son, founded DBA Software Inc. in 1992. Their background was their own family manufacturing business, which built poultry watering and feeding equipment. The company stayed small, family-owned and independent, and sits in Austin, Texas; Joseph Hart runs it today. Three decades of continuous refinement have served one idea: give small manufacturers working MRP logic they can deploy themselves instead of a consultant-heavy ERP project.

Functional scope

Inventory control, multi-level bills of material, MRP-based planning, purchasing, production scheduling, shop-floor control, job costing, and work-in-process tracking without period-end reconciliation gymnastics. That is the list.

What is missing is missing deliberately. There is no native general ledger, no payables, receivables or payroll. DBA generates summarized financial transfers into an external accounting system, so QuickBooks or a comparable package stays the books of record while DBA runs the operational manufacturing layer.

Typical customers

US discrete manufacturers up to roughly 50 employees: machine shops graduating from spreadsheets, product assemblers, fabricators, small process-oriented operations. Because implementation is self-service, the deciding factor is internal rather than technical, namely one motivated system owner inside the company. Businesses expecting a vendor-led, turnkey project will be disappointed, and multi-entity groups needing consolidated financials sit outside the design center entirely.

Licensing, hosting, cost

DBA runs on-premises as a Windows client/server application, with no vendor-hosted SaaS edition. Pricing is fully published, a rarity in this market: $2,995 for a new system with a five-user pack including the first-year license and nine months of support, additional users at $499 to $699 each depending on quantity, annual license renewal at $105 per user, and support renewing at $330 per six-month period after an initial $495 term. A 180-day return policy on the initial purchase lowers the entry risk considerably. Even at these numbers, model the multi-year figure; the ERP cost guide shows which positions to include.

Who should look at it

A 10-to-50-person US manufacturer with QuickBooks in place and one motivated person to own the rollout: that is the entire target, and inside it DBA is a credible low-cost alternative to cloud systems such as MRPeasy, Katana or Fulcrum for shops that prefer owning software and data on-premises. Anyone requiring a vendor-hosted browser system or consolidated multi-entity financials should drop it. Published flat pricing and the 180-day return window are rare buyer protections in this market; the small family team behind the product is the risk to weigh against them.

What the DBA Manufacturing website looks like

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

Screenshot of the DBA Manufacturing vendor homepage

Comparable products

Related Topics

User reviews for DBA Manufacturing

No published reviews for DBA Manufacturing on usa.erp-software.org yet.

Write the first review →

Share your experience with DBA Manufacturing

Reviews are checked editorially for plausibility before publication (usually 1–3 business days). Your email address is never published and is stored only as a hash. Fields marked * are required.

Frequently asked questions

Is DBA Manufacturing a full ERP, and how does it work with QuickBooks?

Think of DBA as the manufacturing half of a two-system setup. Planning, BOMs, purchasing, scheduling, shop control and WIP costing run in DBA; the general ledger, payables, receivables and payroll stay in your existing accounting package, fed by summarized transfer entries DBA generates. The buyer's obligation in this design is discipline: the posting routine has to run consistently, or the two systems drift apart. Companies that want manufacturing and financials inside one product are shopping in the full-ERP category, not here.

What does DBA Manufacturing cost, and can I run it in the cloud?

Entry costs $2,995 for a five-user pack with the first-year license and nine months of support included; extra users run $499 to $699, annual renewal is $105 per user, and ongoing support is $330 per half year after an initial $495 term. A 180-day return policy softens the bet, though your own implementation hours are the investment you cannot return. There is no hosted SaaS edition: DBA is Windows client/server on your own hardware, and remote access means remote desktop tooling you operate yourself, so a mandatory browser-based, vendor-hosted system rules DBA out structurally.

Who is behind DBA Software, and is the company stable?

DBA Software Inc. of Austin, Texas: founded 1992 by Warren and Michael Hart out of a family manufacturing background, family-owned since, with Joseph Hart at the helm today. Thirty-plus years of continuous releases from an intentionally small team cut both ways, longevity on one side, key-person concentration on the other, so ask about support staffing and release plans during due diligence.