counterpart-erp.com

What It Is

COUNTERPART is an ERP system from Smooth Logics, LLC built for Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and custom manufacturing companies. It is not positioned as a general-purpose finance or inventory management system; instead, it focuses on the complex custom manufacturing workflow from sales, engineering, and procurement through manufacturing, assembly, and delivery. It aims to solve issues such as manual BOM transcription, delayed design-change communication, opaque costs, and inefficient cross-department collaboration.

Core Features and Integrations

The product’s standout capability is its proprietary two-way CAD/ERP integration with SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor. It can generate and synchronize dynamic BOMs from CAD, reducing reliance on Excel and duplicate data entry. The system covers modules such as real-time job costing, purchasing screens, RFQs/POs, inventory allocation, production work queues, project milestones, budget vs. actual costs, shipping and receiving, and reporting analytics. It also mentions support for PDM, QuickBooks, and other CAD scenarios. For team collaboration, COUNTERPART emphasizes a single source of truth and real-time work queues, allowing design changes to flow downstream to procurement, manufacturing, and other teams. However, its permission system is only briefly referenced as “appropriate permissions,” without detailed explanation.

Pricing, Implementation, and Support

The website does not publish plans or pricing, nor does it specify whether there is a free version or trial. The main path into the sales process is to Request a Demo. Implementation appears to be service-led: the company says it typically provides 1-2 weeks of on-site implementation, including installation, environment configuration, and employee training. Afterward, it offers unlimited remote support via web, email, and phone, along with a user forum and additional on-site training in the first year. Deployment is not clearly described as cloud-based or on-premises/self-hosted; the site only mentions support for the latest Windows operating systems, open database technology, and on-site installation/configuration.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

Its strengths lie in its strong industry focus, making it especially suitable for ETO manufacturers with complex BOMs, frequent design changes, many long-lead-time materials, and a need for real-time project costing. For engineering teams, the two-way CAD integration is a clear differentiator. The limitations are also apparent: there is no public pricing, security and compliance details are insufficient, and although the site mentions defense-related items such as ITAR and FEDRAMP, the main content does not provide evidence of certification. API/developer support is also not disclosed. As a result, it is best suited to mid-sized and large custom manufacturing companies that are comfortable with consultant-led implementation and whose production environment is centered on Windows and CAD workflows.

Access from China and Alternatives

Information on access from mainland China, payment methods, and localized support is unknown. If a team plans to deploy it in China, it should carefully verify network availability, remote support time zones, contract payment options, Chinese-language interface availability, and local finance/tax compatibility. Comparable options include Epicor, Infor, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, as well as Chinese solutions such as Kingdee Cloud Galaxy and Yonyou U9 cloud.