Customer Success

Built-to-Order Fire Protection

How MES Fire replaced manual item creation and offline labels with a custom NetSuite app, returning hundreds of labor hours each month and clearing the runway to add new production facilities.

TL;DR: Techfino helped MES Fire, a mid-market fire protection manufacturer, eliminate hundreds of manual labor hours per month by building a custom iPad-based application for dynamic item creation and automated print labeling, powered by NetSuite SuiteScript, Vue.js, Bootstrap.js, and Harvest Chosen. The solution enabled MES Fire to scale operations and expand to new production facilities.

Custom NetSuite for Built-to-Order Fire Protection

“We've worked with the Techfino team for several years.”

“We've worked with the Techfino team for several years.”

They are our go-to resource for manufacturing and production related NetSuite functionality.”

“They are our go-to resource for manufacturing and production related NetSuite functionality.”

Techfino developed complicated NetSuite features where no out of the box or 3rd party solution existed.”

“Techfino developed complicated NetSuite features where no out of the box or 3rd party solution existed.”

MES Fire: Built-to-Order Fire Protection on NetSuite

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Industry

Manufacturing

Size

Mid-Market

Challenge

MES Fire, a mid-market fire protection manufacturer, faced a growing bottleneck in their built-to-order production process. Every custom fire protection product required manual item creation and print labeling by floor operators, generating hundreds of labor hours of rework each month. Without an automated system, scaling production to new facilities was impossible while maintaining consistent quality and operational speed across their custom product line.

Netsuite Services

inancial Consulting, NetSuite Manufacturing, Custom SuiteScript Development, and Third-Party App Integration

Website

https://www.meslifesafety.com/

Real Impact. Real Clients.

Techfino is our go-to resource for manufacturing and production-related NetSuite functionality. They have a large team of functional NetSuite experts covering most disciplines. We've engaged them for finance consultations, custom SuiteApp development, and the implementation of manufacturing and production enhancements.”

Shridhar-S
Shridhar S.
Executive Vice President,Strategy Growth Initiatives

THE CHALLENGE

When Built-to-Order Outgrew the Stock-Item ERP

Before partnering with Techfino, MES Fire's sales and production teams were running a built-to-order operation on a stock-item ERP. Every new order meant building a new custom item from scratch instead of reusing a template with variation notes, and production labels were still made by hand, item by item. As MES Fire grew across branches, the manual work grew with it: sales reps kept re-creating items that should have been reusable, onboarding a new location meant re-teaching the same workaround, and multi-state sales tax got harder to track without a system built to catch it. NetSuite could do more, but no out-of-the-box module fit how a built-to-order fire protection manufacturer actually works.

The Solution

Built Around How MES Fire Actually Works

Techfino partnered with MES Fire's sales, production, and third-party design teams to build NetSuite around the realities of built-to-order fire protection. The goal was to make NetSuite the system of record for every item and every label, and to cut the manual hours that had been growing with every new branch. That's what gave MES Fire room to open new production facilities without adding headcount at the same pace.

A Custom iPad App, Built on NetSuite

To handle MES Fire's built-to-order workflow, Techfino built a custom iPad application on top of NetSuite using SuiteScript, Vue.js, Bootstrap.js, and Harvest Chosen. Sales, third-party designers, and the production floor share one visual interface for spinning up dynamic items, recording variations against a template, and pushing the order downstream without leaving NetSuite. What used to be a manual, error-prone handoff became a few taps on a tablet.

Hundreds of Hours Back on the Production Floor

Print labels were the second domino. Every custom item used to mean a custom label, hand-built on the floor. Techfino wired a print-label routine into the new iPad app and its SuiteScript logic, so the label generates the moment an item is finalized. That put hundreds of manual labor hours back on the floor each month, cut mislabels, and gave MES Fire a labeling system that scales as new branches come online.

Hundreds of Hours Back on the Production Floor

Print labels were the second domino. Every custom item used to mean a custom label, hand-built on the floor. Techfino wired a print-label routine into the new iPad app and its SuiteScript logic, so the label generates the moment an item is finalized. That put hundreds of manual labor hours back on the floor each month, cut mislabels, and gave MES Fire a labeling system that scales as new branches come online.

Testing, Training, & Governance

With testing compressed and roles in flux, Techfino provided on-site hypercare - triaging issues in real time, cleaning and reloading critical data, and coaching users through day-one processes. Techfino also pushed governance: clearer ownership for core workstreams, earlier test cycles, and crisp design docs. The result was not only a stabilized system but a team that trusted it.

Results

From Manual Floor Work to a Scalable NetSuite Backbone

MES Fire moved from a manual, item-by-item built-to-order process to a NetSuite environment that sales, designers, and production all rely on daily. The custom iPad app, automated labeling, template-based re-orders, and automated sales tax together return hundreds of labor hours to the team each month, with room to scale into new production facilities.

  • Custom iPad app adopted across sales, third-party designers, and production

  • Hundreds of manual labor hours per month returned to the floor

  • Template-item re-orders replaced repeated custom-item creation

  • Automated sales tax across multi-branch jurisdictions

Customization That Works in the Real World

Netsuite Solutions

NetSuite Customization

Techfino’s custom NetSuite solutions are built to extend the capabilities of NetSuite through integrations and third-party solutions. They integrate seamlessly into existing setups, enhancing NetSuite’s functionalities to address unique business processes, requirements, and demands.

KEY FEATURES

Scalability

Scalability

As businesses grow, their needs evolve. SuiteApps are designed to scale with the business, supporting increased complexity without compromising performance.

Integration

Integration

These apps are built to integrate smoothly with NetSuite, ensuring that data flows between systems without manual intervention, thereby reducing the risk of errors and improving efficiency.

Techfino-Team-1-mid

KEY BENEFITS

Enhanced Functionality

Enhanced Functionality

Extends NetSuite’s core feature set with specialized tools that match the way manufacturers actually work - while maintaining visibility across quoting, production, and finance.

Improved Efficiency

Improved Efficiency

Automates handoffs between ERP and shop-floor systems and reduces manual rework, so teams spend less time fixing data and more time shipping product.

Streamlined Operations

Streamlined Operations

Operate from a unified system and avoid juggling disparate processes - even when external systems have rigid constraints.

NetSuite’s Manufacturing Suite

NetSuite’s Manufacturing Suite is designed for manufacturers and offers a comprehensive set of tools to plan, execute, and manage manufacturing operations. This suite is integrated within NetSuite’s ERP system, providing real-time visibility into various manufacturing processes.

KEY FEATURES

Techfino-Team-2-mid
programming-code-data-checkmark

Production Management

Manage all aspects of production from the shop floor to the top floor, improving production efficiency with detailed work center and routing management.

Delivery, Shipment

Supply Chain Management

Enhances visibility across the entire supply chain, enabling better decision-making and more effective control over supply chain operations.

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Quality Management

Provides tools to define inspection plans that assess the quality of received and produced goods, ensuring product quality meets the required standards.

KEY BENEFITS

increased

Increased Visibility

Real-time data from all areas of manufacturing operations helps improve decision-making and operational efficiency

cost-reduce

Cost Reduction

Optimized production planning and inventory management lead to reduced production costs and minimized waste.

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Improved Customer Satisfaction

Better quality control and production efficiency ensure that customer demands are met more reliably and promptly.

NetSuite Built-to-Order Manufacturing Implementation FAQ

How did Techfino customize NetSuite for MES Fire's manufacturing needs?

Techfino developed a custom iPad-based application for MES Fire using NetSuite SuiteScript, Vue.js, Bootstrap.js, and Harvest Chosen. The solution automated dynamic item creation and print labeling for their built-to-order fire protection product line, replacing a fully manual process and eliminating hundreds of labor hours per month.

What technologies did Techfino use in MES Fire's custom NetSuite application?

The custom solution for MES Fire was built with NetSuite SuiteScript for backend logic, Vue.js for the dynamic front-end interface, Bootstrap.js for responsive iPad layout, and Harvest Chosen for enhanced item-selection components — all integrated natively within the NetSuite platform.

How many labor hours did MES Fire save with Techfino's solution?

Techfino's custom NetSuite application eliminated hundreds of manual labor hours per month for MES Fire by automating the dynamic item creation and print labeling process that previously required manual configuration for every built-to-order product.

Can Techfino build custom iPad applications for NetSuite?

Yes. Techfino builds custom iPad-optimized applications embedded within NetSuite using SuiteScript and modern JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js and Bootstrap.js. These solutions allow floor operators to interact with NetSuite data in real time, directly from a tablet on the production floor.

What is SuiteScript and how does it extend NetSuite for manufacturers?

SuiteScript is NetSuite's built-in JavaScript API that lets developers create custom workflows, automated scripts, and user interfaces within NetSuite. For manufacturers like MES Fire, SuiteScript enables automation of complex built-to-order processes, custom item creation logic, and real-time integration between production floor applications and the ERP system.

Does Techfino support built-to-order manufacturing workflows in NetSuite?

Yes. Techfino specializes in customizing NetSuite for built-to-order manufacturers. For MES Fire, this included automating the full item-creation workflow, dynamic print labeling, and enabling expansion to new production facilities with consistent, repeatable processes powered by custom SuiteScript development.

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