Scaling Clean Industrial Energy with Manufacturo

BREA, Calif., Nov. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Antora is turning intermittent clean electricity into dependable industrial energy. As they moved from engineering prototypes to real production, they needed an operational backbone that could keep pace with rapid iteration while establishing audit-ready traceability for future scale. This is how Manufacturo helped them go from first articles to a repeatable, controlled operation.

Executive Snapshot

• Company: Antora
• Industry: Clean industrial energy and storage
• Challenge: Move from prototype builds to production with traceability, inventory accuracy, and test data linked by serial and lot
• Why Manufacturo: Configuration for a rapidly growing company, unified execution and test traceability, phased integrations that did not block the production floor
• Highlights: Work Orders, Inventory, Receiving and Inspection, Procedure Runs with structured data, Test Reports linked to equipment and calibration, integrated systemic quality controls
• Results: One record of truth for execution and tests, cleaner kitting and inventory, smoother readiness for increased output
• What's next: Ramp throughput, expand governed change and ERP depth, strengthen test coverage

Customer Overview
Antora's factory-built thermal batteries deliver reliable industrial heat by storing  low-cost clean electricity as heat in solid carbon blocks. These batteries support always-on industrial operations by absorbing low-cost, surplus electricity and releasing reliable, dispatchable energy for use in industrial processes.

The Challenge: Prototypes to Production
As Antora moved from engineering prototypes to repeatable builds, they needed a production system that would stand up quickly, avoid brittle tool sprawl, and still capture the essentials for scale, including:

• governed work orders
• clean inventory control and receiving
• structured data collection for first-article and pilot builds
• end-to-end traceability tying test articles and subassemblies to their results.

They also wanted minimal upfront configuration that met them where they were, with headroom to ramp output as processes stabilized.

Why Manufacturo: Fast Now, Scalable Later
Antora chose Manufacturo for its out-of-the-box configurability and the ability to refine processes as production evolved. The team started with Work Orders and electronic work instructions, then added Inventory, Receiving and Inspection, Procedure Runs with structured data capture, and Test Reports linked directly to work orders and equipment IDs.

Manufacturo's service team helped tailor execution flows — for example, reducing allocation noise in kitting — and supported early integrations without slowing day-to-day work. As Antora's operations matured, they expanded ERP integration while continuing to use Manufacturo as the primary system of record for execution and traceability.

Partnership in Practice: Configuration, Integration, and Cadence
Antora's needs encompassed more than software; they needed a hands-on partner to remove early friction and concretize the path to scale. Here's how we worked side by side.

• Standing start to working system: We configured core workflows quickly so production could begin capturing data without long consulting cycles.
• Floor-first design: Early iterations prioritized technician clarity - fewer clicks, clear buy-offs, embedded checks.
• Noise removal: We tuned kitting and allocation to match the operating model, reducing re-picks and manual overrides.
• Phased integrations: Manufacturo ran execution and traceability from day one while ERP sync expanded in lock-step with operations.
• Cadence and ownership: Weekly working sessions and a shared backlog made scope and timelines visible. Customer success owned unblockers, service owned configuration, product advised on roadmap fit.

"Antora is transforming clean power into dependable energy for industry. We're proud to provide the execution and traceability backbone that helps them scale with confidence."
— Zane Shewalter, CXO, Manufacturo

From Requirements to Results
The list below connects real shop-floor requirements to what we implemented with the right number of controls for safety, and without the unnecessary layers of added complexity.

What Antora needed and how Manufacturo delivered:

• Quick stand-up with minimal configuration → out-of-the-box workflows for Work Orders, Inventory, Receiving and Inspection, and Procedure Runs so production could begin capturing data immediately
• Single record across builds and test → work-order-level Test Reports with equipment IDs, calibration state, and acceptance criteria - preserving lineage from receiving through build and test
• Cleaner inventory and kitting → tailored allocation and kitting behaviors aligned to the operating model - fewer on-floor workarounds and clearer picks
• Repeatable execution data → procedure-driven capture for critical parameters and test conditions - consistent evidence for quality and audits
• Integrations without stalling execution → phased ERP synchronization while keeping execution and test traceability in Manufacturo
• A path to a regular output cadence → hardened routings and buy-offs that make scaling volume a controlled step, not a risky leap

Reliable operations require reliable tools, and first-of-a-kind designs require flexibility. It is challenging to create systems which can adapt to both needs; I think Manufacturo's product line and service team shines in both.

When I started at Antora our production floor was an empty building. Manufacturo is one of the tools we relied heavily on to rapidly scale into our current steady-state production line."
— Ian Reed, Manager, New Product Introduction, Antora

Future Outlook
Antora is moving from early repeatability to sustained throughput. With core execution and test traceability in place, the next phase focuses on increasing volume while protecting quality and audit readiness.

• Throughput ramp
  As routings and approvals stabilize, the team is progressing from pilot cadence toward a regular output rhythm. The emphasis is a predictable drumbeat without adding friction on the floor.
• Quality coverage and controls
  Extend effective updates and role-based approvals across more procedures, so improvements roll out without disrupting active work, keeping audits straightforward.
• Test coverage and traceability
  Broaden structured data capture within procedure runs and test reports. Link results, equipment identifiers, and acceptance criteria to each build to tighten feedback loops and speed issue resolution.
• Integration depth
  Expand ERP synchronization across items, receipts, costs, and inventory reconciliation while keeping Manufacturo as the source of truth for execution and test history. Goal: fewer manual touches and cleaner handoffs between operations, supply chain, and finance.
• Operational readiness at scale
  Maintain audit-ready evidence from receiving through final acceptance in a single record of truth, using the same controls and visibility established during initial production as volume grows.

Conclusion
Antora's path shows that rapid growth can go hand in hand with disciplined operations. With Manufacturo in place, they're equipped to raise output while keeping every build traceable and audit ready.

About Antora
Antora builds and deploys thermal energy storage to power always-on industrial operations with low-cost energy. Factory-built in the United States, Antora's thermal batteries deliver reliable and cost-effective heat and power for industrial loads of any size.

About Manufacturo
Manufacturo is a manufacturing software platform built to unify quality, production, inventory, and compliance workflows into a single system of record. Designed for high-complexity manufacturing environments, it enables companies to move faster with fewer integrations, greater visibility, and stronger control - from prototype through scale-up and long-term lifecycle traceability.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Manufacturo, Inc.