The "Job Shop" Chaos: Unlike mass production, job shops run different products every day. You need a maintenance system that handles Frequent Changeovers and Flexible Scheduling.
The "ERP" Overkill: Using a heavy ERP to manage job shop maintenance slows down the floor. You need agility.
The Top Contenders: We review Fabrico, JobBOSS², ProShop, and others to find the best fit for the dynamic machine shop.
Running a Job Shop is the hardest game in manufacturing.
In a bottling plant, you run the same product for weeks. In a Job Shop, you might change setups three times a day. You are constantly fighting Changeover Time, Tooling Availability, and Short-Notice Orders.
If your CNC machine breaks in the middle of a "Hot" custom order, you can't just switch to another line. You miss the delivery date.
Standard CMMS tools often fail here because they are designed for static, repetitive schedules. Job Shops need Dynamic Maintenance that adapts to the production schedule.
Here are the 5 best CMMS options for Job Shops in 2025.
Best For: Job Shops that want to reduce Changeover Time and prevent Tooling failures.
Fabrico is built for agility. It understands that in a high-mix environment, the machine isn't just running; it is constantly being set up and adjusted.
Digitized Changeovers (SMED): Fabrico allows you to build digital checklists for every setup. Technicians follow a standard process to swap tooling faster, reducing the "Downtime" between jobs.
Tool Life Tracking: In a job shop, tool wear varies by material (Aluminum vs. Titanium). Fabrico connects to the CNC to count cycles and prompts tool changes based on actual usage, not guesses.
Visual Scheduling: The maintenance schedule shouldn't fight the production schedule. Fabrico’s visual calendar lets you drag-and-drop PMs into the gaps between jobs.
Knowledge Capture: When "Old Tom" retires, does he take the knowledge of how to trick the lathe into working with him? Fabrico captures his tricks in digital SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
The Verdict: If you need to be fast, flexible, and reliable, Fabrico is the shop floor choice.
Best For: Shops that want Maintenance inside their Quoting system.
JobBOSS² is the gold standard ERP for job shops. It manages quotes, shipping, and employee time tracking.
Pros: Single database. You can see if a machine is down for maintenance before you schedule a job on it.
Cons: The maintenance module is basic. It is a "Calendar" feature, not a deep reliability engine. It lacks the mobile-first inspection tools and OEE diagnostics of a dedicated platform.
The Difference: JobBOSS² is for the Office; Fabrico is for the Floor.
Best For: Paperless shops that need strong Quality Management.
ProShop calls itself a "Digital Manufacturing Ecosystem" (DME). It is excellent for aerospace and medical job shops.
Pros: Incredible depth for AS9100 and ISO compliance. It links tool calibration directly to the job traveler.
Cons: It is a massive system. Replacing your current quoting/tracking system to get better maintenance tools is a big leap. It can be "click-heavy" for simple repairs.
The Difference: ProShop is an entire business system; Fabrico is a targeted reliability booster.
Best For: Shops focused on Spindle Utilization.
If your primary goal is to know "Are my machines cutting chips?", MachineMetrics is the analytics leader.
Pros: It connects directly to the CNC controller (Fanuc/Haas). It tells you exactly how much valid cutting time you are getting vs. setup time.
Cons: It is an analytics tool, not a workflow tool. It tells you the machine is down, but it doesn't manage the spare parts or the technician's repair workflow natively.
The Difference: MachineMetrics finds the lost time; Fabrico helps you recover it through better maintenance.
Best For: Small shops getting off paper.
If you have 10 machines and 2 technicians, and you just want to stop using a whiteboard, Limble is a great start.
Pros: Very affordable and easy to use. You can set it up in an afternoon.
Cons: It lacks the deep integration with machine cycles (Tool Life) and the specific Changeover/SMED workflows that high-mix shops need to stay profitable.
The Difference: Limble is for organizing tasks; Fabrico is for optimizing machine performance.
| Feature | Fabrico | JobBOSS² | ProShop | MachineMetrics |
| Focus | Maint. & OEE | Shop ERP | Shop DME | CNC Analytics |
| Changeover Tools | ✅ Native | ❌ No | ✅ Native | ✅ Analytics |
| Cycle Counting | ✅ Automated | ❌ Manual | ⚠️ Manual | ✅ Automated |
| Tool Life | ✅ Integrated | ❌ No | ✅ Integrated | ✅ Analytics |
| User Experience | Modern | Legacy | Technical | Modern |
In a Job Shop, you are selling capacity. If your machines are down, you have nothing to sell.
Stick with JobBOSS² if: You just need a calendar reminder to check oil levels.
Choose ProShop if: You are rebuilding your entire business operating system.
Choose Fabrico if: You want to maximize Machine Availability. If you need to speed up changeovers, track tool life automatically, and keep your CNCs running without disrupting your quoting system, Fabrico is the agile layer you need.
Turn job shop chaos into control.
Book a Demo with Fabrico to see how we handle high-mix maintenance.
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