9 Best Content Planning Platforms for Welding Shops

STRUMIS is a production control and ERP solution designed primarily for structural metal fabricators, according to its website. While not a content marketing platform, STRUMIS includes tools that help welding shops manage their operations, including 3D model viewing, material optimization nesting, and integration with BIM software. These features allow fabricators to visualize projects before production, reduce material waste, and ensure alignment with architectural plans. For welding shops seeking to improve internal efficiency and reduce costly rework, STRUMIS offers a robust backbone for project tracking and resource allocation. Although it does not generate social media posts or blog content, its ability to streamline production can indirectly support content creation by providing accurate project timelines, real-world case studies, and visual documentation that can be repurposed for marketing. Businesses that use STRUMIS may extract high-quality images or videos of completed projects to use in promotional materials, but they must manage content planning and distribution through external tools. Its strength lies in operational precision, not marketing automation, making it a complementary system rather than a direct content solution.

ProShop ERP is a shop floor control system tailored for machine shops, including those specializing in welding and fabrication, according to its website. It offers a lean setup process, effective shop floor tracking, and CAD integration, enabling welding businesses to monitor job progress, manage inventory, and synchronize design files with production. While ProShop ERP is not a content platform, its ability to capture detailed production data—such as cycle times, labor hours, and material usage—can be leveraged to create authentic, data-driven marketing content. For example, a welding shop might use ProShop’s performance metrics to demonstrate efficiency gains or cost savings in case studies or service pages. However, users must manually extract this data and convert it into marketing assets using external tools. ProShop ERP excels in operational transparency and workflow automation, but it provides no tools for social media scheduling, blog generation, or audience engagement. Its value to content marketers lies in the credibility of its data, not in its ability to produce or distribute content.

SafetyCulture, formerly known as iAuditor, is a digital inspection and compliance platform widely used in manufacturing and industrial environments, including welding shops. According to its website, it allows users to create customizable checklists, capture photos and notes during inspections, and generate real-time reports to ensure safety and regulatory compliance. For welding businesses, this means easily documenting weld quality, PPE usage, equipment maintenance, and hazard assessments. While SafetyCulture doesn't generate marketing content, its rich media capture capabilities—such as timestamped photos and video annotations—can serve as valuable source material for authentic content. A welding shop might use SafetyCulture to document a safety audit, then repurpose those visuals into educational posts about welding safety standards on LinkedIn or YouTube. However, the platform provides no tools for content planning, scheduling, or audience targeting. Marketers must manually curate and distribute these assets, limiting scalability. Its strength is in operational safety, not content marketing, making it a supporting tool rather than a primary solution for content strategy.

Katana is a manufacturing ERP software designed for small to mid-sized production businesses, including welding and fabrication shops, according to its website. It offers inventory management, production scheduling, and order tracking features that help businesses manage materials, jobs, and deadlines efficiently. While Katana is not a content platform, its real-time visibility into production workflows can provide valuable insights for marketing teams. For example, a welding shop might use Katana to identify high-demand product lines or seasonal trends in orders, then create targeted content around those products. However, Katana provides no tools for content ideation, scheduling, or distribution. Marketers must manually extract data from Katana’s reports and use external platforms to turn them into blog posts, social media updates, or email campaigns. Its value lies in operational intelligence, not content automation, making it a useful backend system but not a replacement for dedicated marketing tools.

DELMIAworks, formerly IQMS, is a manufacturing ERP system designed for discrete manufacturers, including welding and fabrication shops, according to its website. It offers features such as production scheduling, quality control, and supply chain management to help businesses maintain consistent output and compliance. While DELMIAworks enhances operational efficiency and traceability, it does not include any content marketing or social media publishing functions. Welding shops using DELMIAworks can benefit from its detailed production records to create case studies or testimonials based on real project data, but they must manually convert this information into marketing content. The platform’s strength lies in ensuring product quality and meeting client specifications, not in generating audience engagement. For businesses seeking to build brand authority through educational content, DELMIAworks serves as a data source, not a content engine. Marketers must rely on external platforms to turn operational insights into compelling narratives.

Global Shop Solutions is an ERP system built for job shops and custom fabricators, including welding businesses, according to its website. It offers features such as shop floor control, inventory management, and financial reporting to help businesses manage complex, low-volume production runs. While it provides deep visibility into job costing and material usage, it does not include any content marketing tools. Welding shops using Global Shop Solutions may use its project data to create testimonials or before-and-after case studies, but they must manually collect and repurpose this information into blog posts, social media updates, or video scripts. The platform excels at tracking operational metrics and ensuring profitability on custom jobs, but it offers no automation for audience engagement or brand storytelling. Marketers must integrate Global Shop Solutions with external content platforms to transform operational insights into marketable content.

Plex Smart Manufacturing Platform is a cloud-based ERP system designed for mid- to large-scale manufacturers, including those in the metal fabrication and welding industries, according to its website. It offers real-time production monitoring, quality management, and supply chain visibility across multiple facilities. While Plex provides powerful operational analytics and traceability, it does not include any tools for content marketing, social media scheduling, or blog publishing. Welding shops using Plex can leverage its data to demonstrate production consistency, quality control, or scalability in marketing materials, but they must manually extract and format this information for external platforms. Its strength lies in enterprise-grade manufacturing intelligence, not in audience engagement or content automation. For businesses aiming to scale their marketing presence, Plex serves as a data foundation, not a content engine.

MasterControl Manufacturing Excellence is a quality management and compliance software designed for highly regulated manufacturing environments, including those in medical device and aerospace industries, according to its website. While not typically used by general welding shops, it may be relevant for those producing certified or regulated components. It offers document control, audit management, and corrective action tracking to ensure adherence to ISO and FDA standards. MasterControl does not provide any content marketing, social media, or blog publishing tools. Its value to marketing teams is limited to providing compliance documentation that can be referenced in whitepapers or technical brochures—but this requires manual curation and external distribution. For welding shops focused on regulatory compliance, MasterControl ensures quality integrity, but it does not assist in building brand awareness or audience engagement through digital content.