NetSuite

Please note that the Netsuite integration is available as a paid add-on. Contact your customer success manager to learn more about pricing and how to enable the Netsuite integration for your account.

NetSuite is a comprehensive cloud-based ERP solution that offers businesses a robust platform for managing their finance, operations, and customer relations. For companies utilizing ION to manage manufacturing processes and workflows, integrating with NetSuite can significantly enhance data visibility, streamline operations, and consolidate financial reporting. This integration bridges the operational efficiency of ION with the financial intelligence and scalability of NetSuite, empowering businesses to achieve a holistic view of their operations and strategic financial outcomes. However, the integration between ION and NetSuite is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it requires careful configuration to align with specific business needs and the existing setup of NetSuite. Tailored integration ensures that organizations can maximize the benefits of both systems, making critical business data actionable and enhancing operational decisions.

Recommended System Configuration

High-level goals of the integration:

  1. Billing integration with proper 3-way matching functionality

  2. AP/AR/GL tracking

  3. Accurate cost of goods sold (COGS) for make parts (labor and materials)

  4. Controlled sales order process

When thinking about how your systems interact it is important to define a business process "swimlane." The swimlane should contain key business processes and in which system you desire them to be performed. Here is a common NetSuite<>ION business process swimlane:

In the above example, Business A wishes to do all their factory operations like purchasing, receiving, warehouse management, work order execution, etc... in ION and use NetSuite for sales, employee configuration, vendor onboarding, billing, etc... The two systems need to talk to one another to ensure the right data is available to perform said processes.

Once you have a high-level idea of your business processes and where they will be performed it is helpful to understand how and where the systems will interact & the level of detail required to be pushed between systems. Here is an example NetSuite configuration diagram based on tried and true business practices & with the simplicity/reliability of the integration in mind:

In the above diagram, ION handles everything from plans to work order execution. Telling NetSuite when it makes purchase orders, consumes material on runs, and scraps material due to quality defects. An (optional) addition to the software stack is a PLM to manage engineering development and part release. The PLM sends parts to both systems, and BOMs to ION, so that activities can happen on the ION side and GL configuration can happen on the NetSuite side. A few additional notes:

  1. Sales orders, created in NetSuite, transfer over to create Autoplan inputs

  2. Purchase orders are generated from plans in ION. These purchase orders are duplicated on the NetSuite side to add inventory to the system and to enable billing

  3. Receiving activities in ION to generate item receipts in NetSuite to enable a 3-way match

  4. Billing activities can take place in NetSuite

  5. Runs are generated from ION plan items using procedures. Runs can generate workOrder objects in NetSuite (optional) or upon run completion an assemblyBuild record can be generated to put assemblies into NetSuite at cost (labor and materials)

  6. When material is scrapped in ION, the material is scrapped in NetSuite

  7. Both systems have inventory but ION maintains the granular location-based tracking & NetSuite has a bucketed view. Doing so gives finance teams a simplified, yet accurate, view of inventory. Bucketizing the inventory in NetSuite also greatly simplifies the integration between the two systems.

Remember, this is our recommended flow and can be altered based on the preferences of your business. We recommend this flow for its simplicity and efficiency although we have seen other customers be successful with other configurations.

Additional NetSuite <> ION Integration Workflows

In addition to the recommended swimlane and configuration described above, it is important to note that workflows between ION and NetSuite can be tailored to fit each organization’s operational and financial requirements. Below are three illustrative examples of how the integration can be configured at different levels of complexity. These examples are not exhaustive but provide a sense of how the integration can be adapted to specific business processes.

1. Basic Workflow (Foundational Integration)

  • ION manages purchasing, receiving, and work order execution.

  • NetSuite manages vendors, billing, and general ledger.

  • Purchase Orders initiated in ION are mirrored in NetSuite for financial tracking.

  • Receiving in ION automatically creates Item Receipts in NetSuite to enable 3-way matching.

  • Inventory is tracked in detail within ION; NetSuite maintains simplified, bucketized balances.

  • Billing and invoicing occur exclusively in NetSuite.

Use case: Ideal for early-stage teams needing reliable financial reporting and auditability while keeping factory operations simple.

2. Medium Complexity Workflow (Operational & Financial Alignment)

  • Sales Orders originate in NetSuite and flow into ION as demand signals for Autoplan.

  • ION executes planning, purchasing, receiving, and production runs.

  • Purchase Orders and Receipts in ION sync back to NetSuite to drive AP/AR and vendor performance tracking.

  • Work Orders in ION can generate corresponding Work Orders or Assembly Builds in NetSuite, enabling accurate COGS calculations.

  • Scrap, rework, and disposition data in ION syncs with NetSuite for visibility into material variances.

  • Finance teams rely on NetSuite dashboards for consolidated reporting, while operators use ION for granular traceability.

Use case: Companies scaling production who need tighter operational and financial visibility while maintaining efficiency.

3. Complex Workflow (Full Lifecycle Integration)

  • PLM → ION + NetSuite: PLM pushes part data and BOMs to ION and part master data to NetSuite.

  • Sales Orders → Autoplan: NetSuite sales orders drive Autoplan scheduling in ION.

  • Procurement: Purchase Orders are generated in ION, synced with NetSuite for vendor invoicing, and tracked bi-directionally.

  • Receiving + Quality: Receiving in ION creates receipts in NetSuite and optionally triggers quality workflows (inspection, NCRs).

  • Production: Runs in ION trigger Work Orders in NetSuite; on completion, ION passes assembly build data (materials + labor) to NetSuite for COGS and financial reconciliation.

  • Inventory: ION manages granular, location-level inventory while NetSuite holds consolidated inventory positions for finance.

  • Disposition + Analytics: Scrap, rework, and further actions in ION are synced to NetSuite for accurate reporting.

Use case: Organizations in regulated industries (aerospace, defense, medical) requiring tight digital thread integration from engineering through production to finance.

Notes on Customization

  • These workflows represent common integration archetypes. Actual configurations may vary depending on existing ERP setups, compliance requirements, and operational preferences.

  • Customers often start with a basic integration and evolve toward medium or complex workflows as production volume and reporting requirements grow.

  • ION’s flexible, open API ensures integrations can scale with your business needs, avoiding rigid “one-size-fits-all” approaches.

In the following pages, we outline the details of various flows.

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