Providing Production Planning and Scheduling Solutions since 1991
Over three decades of innovation in manufacturing resource planning and production scheduling.
Continuing Innovation & Customer Focus
In the last decade, User Solutions continues to enhance and adapt their flagship offering (Resource Manager DB with EDGE Overlay) to accommodate various customer challenges while at the same time focusing on developing a new generation of powerful but easy to use production planning and scheduling tools on latest technology to take advantage of AI, Mobile, Subscription Based, and more.
With a flexible approach, we are continuing to develop tools for both the smallest manufacturing concerns, folks who basically have no system except perhaps a whiteboard or manual Excel, all the way to Fortune 500 companies who need to fill in serious gaps with their ERP installation.
Construction Industry Adaptation
Partnered with FC Modular to adapt Resource Manager-DB for Modular Construction Industry. Used Office/Excel 365 on tablets for foreman task management with quality checks. Touch screen updates on ruggedized tablets provided real-time status for 26 apartments per floor across 34 floors, meeting Brooklyn Building Code requirements.
Advanced Scheduling Tools
Enhanced SweetRP Cloud Based Resource Planner. New Resource Manager-DB version included advanced production scheduling tools: alternate workcenters, alternate routings, parallel workcenters, and estimates and quoting capabilities.
Visual Scheduler .Net
Announced Visual Scheduler, a .Net offering featuring graphical replacement of standard whiteboards for scheduling. Single screen management of all job aspects. Partnered with Director yacht service in Florida for drag-and-drop job intelligence overlay on blueprint layouts for dock slips.
SweetRP Cloud Launch
Announced SweetRP, the first affordable and easy to use Cloud Based Resource Planner. Users could manage Workcenters (people, machines, workcenters) and materials for production scheduling. Featured KISS (Keep It Simple Scheduling) with simplified finite capacity scheduling for everyday users.
Executive Information Systems
Announced new .NET dashboard add-on for Resource Manager-DB called Executive Information Systems (EIS) for creating graphical production scheduling reports. EIS could run independent of RMDB and consolidate data from various systems. Successfully integrated with Fourth Shift, Infor, JD Edwards, and others.
Million Row Capacity
Released new versions of Resource Manager for Excel and Noah compatible with Office 2010+. With million row capacity, Resource Manager for Excel became the quickest MRP engine on the market! Joined Peach Tree/Sage development program.
Sandia Labs & Custom Solutions
Created customized .NET rewrite of Resource Manager-DB for Sandia National Laboratories for strategic weapons development and manufacturing planning/scheduling. Developed custom .NET applications for injection molding job tracking and heat treat oven optimal loading.
Customer-Driven Innovation
New Resource Manager-DB versions driven by excellent user feedback. Customers found value in systems that fit their workflow rather than forcing adaptation. Features designed to be easily configurable, allowing customization with minimal effort and maintenance.
Exact Software Partnership
Exact Software invited User Solutions to Engage User Conference and Service Summit to demonstrate Resource Manager-DB value for Macola clients. Successfully integrated with Made To Manage, Peachtree, DMSi, custom Access Systems, Epicor, Microsoft Great Plains Dynamics, JD Edwards, SAP, and more.
15 Year Milestone
User Solutions celebrated 15 years in business, serving thousands of customers worldwide with affordable and flexible Excel compatible manufacturing and business solutions.
Core Products Enhancement
Released new versions of all core products: Resource Manager for Excel, , and Resource Manager-DB. RMDB offered choice of MS JET or SQL Server backends. Significant Advanced Planning and Scheduling improvements from increased customer feedback.
SQL Server & Global Distribution
Released Microsoft SQL Server compatible Resource Manager-DB. Signed agreement with Digital River for global distribution of Excel templates through hundreds of online complementary software resellers worldwide.
Microsoft Partnership
Continued Resource Manager-DB enhancements. Partnered with Beacham Consulting for Business Partner Network of qualified manufacturing professionals worldwide. Became Certified Microsoft Partner and began developing for SQL Server.
Partnerships & Lean Manufacturing
Became Exact North America Complementary Software Provider with Macola Link. Partnered with Instruments for Industry (IFI) to add Lean Manufacturing to Resource Manager-DB. Orca Technical Services opened East Coast Lean Training Center.
Resource Manager-DB Launch
Released Resource Manager-DB written in Visual Basic with Jet Engine runtime database (same as Microsoft Access). Included Resource Manager for Excel as flexible report writer, providing unparalleled flexibility for Excel leverage and network data sharing with Data Integration Wizard.
ERP Integration
Added complementary services and Data Integration Wizard to Resource Manager for Excel to facilitate integration with ERP systems including MAPICS, JD Edwards, SAP, Macola, and many more.
Excellence Award
New Equipment Digest readers voted Resource Manager the Winner for Software in the Excellence In Innovation. Upgraded for Excel and Office 2000, plus added links with QuickBooks and Peachtree Accounting offerings.
MRP2 & NIST Recognition
Announced Resource Manager v3 for Excel 97 with production feedback capability - first affordable MRP2 system for SMEs. Selected by NIST MEPs as ideal solution for manufacturers starting computerization. Offered turnkey implementation for $5,000-$10,000 vs traditional $50,000-$500,000.
GE Partnership Success
Announced Resource Manager (version 2) for Excel 97 with 64,000 rows capacity and multi-user capability. Partnered with General Electric Capital – Railcar Services for "Noah" (later ), improving on-time delivery from 30% to 90%+ managing 200,000 railcars at $20/day - phenomenal ROI.
Resource Manager v1
User Solutions announced Resource Manager (version 1) for Excel. A complete rewrite (Visual Basic) of Spreadsheet Resource Manager that was compatible with Excel version 5 and 7.
Microsoft Transition
User Solutions became a Microsoft Solutions Provider and began converting the Lotus 1-2-3 macro based Spreadsheet Resource Manager to Visual Basic – Applications Edition for Microsoft Excel. Also executed agreement with Novell for including select templates with Quattro Pro and Perfect Office Suite.
Spreadsheet MRP Launch
User Solutions announced Spreadsheet MRP, the first general purpose Material Requirements Planning product that ran with Lotus 1-2-3. APICS reviewed Spreadsheet MRP and called it a "Unique and a Valuable Tool". Later enhanced to Spreadsheet Resource Manager with capacity planning and scheduling.
Lotus Partnership
User Solutions became a formal Lotus Business Partner and Lotus Selects (Lotus Development Corporation's Catalog Sales) began carrying User Solutions' templates for resale.
Product Expansion
User Solutions acquired additional spreadsheet models for Scheduling and released Spreadsheet Scheduler. They also acquired StatMax, an extensive collection of SPC/SQC templates and announced Spreadsheet QC.
Company Founded
User Solutions, Inc. is formed as an independent spin-off from Lotus Development Corporation to sell and support Lotus @Factory as well as other products under development at Lotus including the Spreadsheet Operations Manager (a collection of spreadsheet templates still available today).
Our Legacy & Future
From our founding in 1991 to today, User Solutions has consistently delivered innovative, affordable, and flexible manufacturing solutions. We've evolved from Lotus 1-2-3 templates to cutting-edge cloud-based systems while maintaining our core commitment to customer success.
35 Years of Production Planning Excellence - Here's to the Future!