Manufacturers

Manufacturers are the companies that made your equipment. They are different from vendors, which are the companies that service or supply it.

Manufacturer or vendor?

Manufacturer = made the equipment. Vendor = services it, sells to you, or performs work for you. The same company can sometimes be both, but the two records serve different purposes.

Add a manufacturer

Open Manufacturers, select + New manufacturer, and add the information your team may need later.

Field	Why it matters
Company name	Required identity for linked assets
Main phone / email	General contact information
Website	Public company reference
Support portal URL	Technical support, warranty, or parts access
Account number	Useful for support or warranty calls
Address	Account and warranty reference

Add direct support information

Use support phone and support email for the contact a technician should actually use when equipment is down.

General contact and technical support are different

A main switchboard may be fine for account questions but slow during an equipment failure. Keep the direct support path current when the manufacturer provides one.

Link manufacturers to assets

Assign the manufacturer on each asset record. Once linked, the manufacturer page shows the equipment from that maker that you currently track.

That helps in both directions: from the asset, a technician can reach support quickly; from the manufacturer, you can see all equipment from that company in your operation.

See The asset registry for asset setup.

Keep shared documents with the manufacturer

Use the Documents area for files that apply broadly to a product line or manufacturer relationship.

Put it on the manufacturer	Put it on the asset
Product-line manual	Serial-specific warranty
Technical bulletin	One-unit service record
General support instructions	Photo or file unique to that equipment
Shared specification sheet	Unit-specific documentation

This keeps staff from guessing which record contains the file they need.

When the same company is also your service provider

If a manufacturer also services your equipment, keep a vendor record when you need to track dispatch contacts, invoices, contracts, compliance documents, or service history separately.

Next step

For outside service providers and suppliers, continue with Vendors. For equipment records linked to a manufacturer, see Asset details and lifecycle.

Removing a manufacturer

Select Delete when a manufacturer should no longer appear in active lists. The equipment history remains; the manufacturer link is cleared rather than erasing past asset records.