Paperless Manufacturing Software
Streamline your shop floor with Accevo paperless manufacturing software. Replace paper forms with digital work instructions, capture electronic batch records, and access production data securely from anywhere – creating a more efficient, audit-ready operation.
One paperless manufacturing solution covering digital documentation, electronic work orders and EBR – the fastest route to a digital shop floor, natively integrated with Accevo MES and MOM.
ESG Excellence in Manufacturing
A paperless system is essential to meet ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals in modern manufacturing. By eliminating paper-based processes, manufacturers can significantly reduce their environmental impact, including paper waste and carbon emissions. Paperless operations enable more efficient resource management, improving energy efficiency and supporting compliance with environmental regulations.
Combined with an Energy Management System (EMS), a paperless system provides real-time monitoring and control of utilities, helping factories optimize processes, reduce energy consumption, and enhance overall sustainability, making it a key driver for ESG excellence in the manufacturing sector.
What is paperless manufacturing?
Paperless manufacturing means eliminating the standard form of documentation in favour of its digital counterpart. Electronic archives, signatures and correspondence replace tons of paper files – and in a paperless factory, that shift goes further than storage: the document becomes part of the production workflow.
In practice, Accevo Paperless handles digital guidance of the operator – displaying the activity to-do list for production and changeovers, with dedicated documentation (image, document, movie) for each step. Any paper form can be transferred to the system through Factory Forms, and every step of production is kept as an electronic batch record. Eliminating paper in production processes is now not just a popular measure, but a necessity: it is one of the highest-return steps in any digital transformation programme, and a practical way to realise the Industry 4.0 concept rather than talk about it.
The business case: cost, compliance and sustainability
Paperless production brings tangible benefits in the form of increased productivity and process quality – and the case is rarely about paper cost alone. These are the six returns our customers measure.
Increased efficiency
Paperless systems eliminate the time-consuming tasks of printing, filing and retrieving documents. The result is faster decision-making, improved workflow and overall efficiency gains.
Enhanced accuracy
Digital records are less prone to errors and inconsistencies than paper documents. Automated capture from machines removes transcription entirely, reducing the risk of costly mistakes and improving data integrity.
Cost reduction
By eliminating paper, printers, scanners and archive storage space, manufacturers significantly reduce operational costs – before counting the labour hours spent handling documents.
Compliance and audit readiness
Electronic records with version control, e-signatures and complete audit trails mean evidence is generated continuously. Audit preparation becomes a review rather than a search through binders.
Improved collaboration
Cloud-based paperless systems enable real-time collaboration between production, quality and management regardless of location, improving communication and knowledge sharing across sites.
Sustainability and ESG
Paperless manufacturing reduces environmental impact by minimising paper consumption and waste – a measurable contribution to ESG goals, and increasingly a procurement requirement rather than a nice-to-have.
Before and after: what changes on the shop floor
Before: instructions live in binders and shared folders, forms are filled by hand and typed in again later, and nobody is certain the printout at the workstation is the current revision.
After: the operator panel shows the right instruction for the running order, data arrives from machines automatically, and every action is timestamped and attributed as it happens.
Paper-based production:
- Outdated printed instructions left at workstations, with no way to know
- Handwritten forms re-typed into systems later, introducing transcription errors
- Documents found by walking to a binder, if the binder is where it should be
- Archive rooms, retention risk and slow retrieval during an audit or complaint
Paperless production:
- One current version of every document, shown at the panel and acknowledged by the operator
- Measurements read directly from scales, torque wrenches and calipers into the form
- Every document searchable in seconds, in the production context it belongs to
- Audit-ready electronic records with full traceability for the whole retention period
Key features of Accevo paperless manufacturing software
What makes a paperless manufacturing solution work in a real plant: not a document viewer, but documents wired into production execution, machines and quality.
Digital work instructions
Step-by-step guidance delivered to the operator panel, linked to the product, order or machine – as PDF, image or video, always in the latest approved version.
Factory Forms (low-code)
Any paper form becomes a digital form through the low-code Forms Builder. Your team creates and adapts forms without programming, so new processes go live in days, not quarters.
Electronic work orders
Production orders, to-do lists and changeover activities are dispatched electronically, with progress and completion recorded as work happens instead of at end of shift.
BPM workflow automation
The Business Process Management tool models approval flows, decisions and escalation paths, so documentation follows your procedures rather than forcing you to follow the software’s.
Machine data capture
Scales, mixers, calipers and torque wrenches connect directly to the form. Measurements are filled in automatically – the single biggest source of both time saved and errors removed.
Electronic batch records
Every production step is retained as an electronic batch record with e-signatures and audit trail, producing the PDF batch documentation needed for release. See Accevo EBR.
Document types supported
Replace binders and shared folders with controlled digital access. Production teams work with many document types: workstation instructions, assembly guides, quality checks, maintenance procedures, changeover notes, safety instructions and forms. Accevo brings them into one electronic documentation system that is easier to find and maintain than paper.
Document types
SOPs, work instructions, forms, checklists, images, movies, PDFs and CAD drawings.
Shop-floor access
Operators open relevant documentation from the panel during ongoing production, on any device.
Manufacturing context
Documentation supports production, quality, maintenance, changeovers and safety routines.
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The three building blocks of a paperless factory
Paperless manufacturing is not one product but three capabilities working together. Most plants start with one and grow into the others – each has its own page if you want the detail.
1
Digital documentation
One controlled source for every SOP, instruction and checklist, shown at the operator panel with version control and read acknowledgement. Where most paperless journeys start.
2
Digital forms & electronic work orders
Factory Forms and BPM workflows turn every paper form into a guided, validated digital step – with machine data filled in automatically and approvals routed to the right people.
3
Electronic batch records
Digital work instructions: always the latest approved version
The most common paper failure is not a missing document – it is an old one still hanging at the workstation. Accevo makes the current revision the only one an operator can see, and proves they saw it.
Update and publish
Publish a revised instruction when the process changes or quality feedback comes back from a complaint. The old version is retired the moment the new one is approved.
Display at order start
The updated version is shown at the start of the production order, in the context of the work being run – not buried in a folder someone has to remember to open.
Acknowledge and follow up
The operator confirms the updated instruction has been read, creating a practical acknowledgement record for controlled manufacturing documentation and audits.
GMP compliance and electronic batch records for regulated production
Compliance and regulatory alignment
Going paperless raises the obvious question from quality and IT: will the auditor accept it? Built correctly, electronic records are not a compliance risk – they are stronger evidence than paper ever was.
Company certifications
ISO 9001Â – certified quality management across development, delivery and support.
ISO/IEC 27001 – certified information security management; your production data sits under independently audited security controls.
Verify us – certificate copies, scope statements and audit evidence for your supplier qualification, available at any stage of evaluation.
GMP & FDA
FDA 21 CFR Part 11 & EU GMP Annex 11 – electronic signatures, unique user authentication, role-based access and tamper-evident audit trails on every record.
ALCOA+ by design – every record Attributable, Legible, Contemporaneous, Original and Accurate, with full change history for the whole retention period.
Version control – one approved version live in production, with operator acknowledgement recorded on every update.
ISO & validation
ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 support – controlled documentation practices, document approval flows and audit evidence generated as production runs.
CSV/CSA support – standard validation documentation packages and requirement traceability, aligned with GAMP 5 (2nd Edition).
Data security – encryption, access control and ISO/IEC 27001 certified information security management protecting your production records.
ROI calculator: what going paperless is worth
Most plants underestimate the return because they only count paper. The real value sits in the hours your team spends printing, filling, filing, retrieving and re-typing – plus the errors that digital validation prevents before they become scrap, rework or a deviation. Try your own numbers.
Paperless manufacturing ROI calculator
Estimate the annual value of removing paper from your shop floor. Adjust the numbers to match your plant.
Assumptions: paperless removes roughly 70% of document-handling time and roughly 2% of orders carry a documentation error that digital validation prevents. Indicative only - book a demo for a modelled business case using your own figures.
1000s
of paper pages per assembly removed at RECARO
45%
faster batch release with electronic batch records
0
outdated instructions left at the workstation
24/7
access to current documentation, on any device
Client story:
How RECARO took paper off the assembly line
RECARO Aircraft Seating, headquartered in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany, specialises in the assembly of aircraft seats and operates under stringent regulatory requirements that mandate secure, long-term storage of detailed production documents. Facing the challenge of managing thousands of pages of physical paperwork per assembly, RECARO implemented the Accevo paperless system.
The solution transformed their assembly line by giving operators instant access to technical drawings and required documents on any device, eliminating physical copies. The shift streamlined documentation, enhanced data quality through automation, improved internal communication and increased transparency by tracking responsibility for each production order.
Workflow automation for Accevo MES
Underneath the digital documents sits a process engine. This is what lets a customer model their own procedures – and change them later without calling a developer.
1
Process
Standardise, automate and digitise business processes. Map activities directly into process models, integrate with other systems and services as needed, and connect business data through process flows. Designed in Process Modeler.
2
Forms
Describe the actions available and the consequences of activities in different contexts – handling operations in MES, taking data from devices, or human system mediation. Designed in Forms Builder.
3
Decisions
A comprehensive set of digital tools to model dynamic and complex scenarios that respond to business needs: decision tables, formulas and loops.
4
Process reports
Reporting of activities performed by specific users within defined processes – the audit trail that turns a workflow into compliance evidence.
5
Output reports
A set of business reports based on data collected during processes, such as EBR batch reports and quality data – generated automatically rather than assembled by hand.
6
Low-code by design
The whole solution is low-code, so your team creates documents, manages approval processes and decides when versions go live – without a development project for every change.
Integration with MES, ERP and your machines
Accevo paperless manufacturing is natively integrated with Accevo MES and Accevo MOM, which is what makes documents production-aware: real-time machine data endpoints, traceability through material scanning and validation, and one workflow instead of two systems to reconcile.
It connects to SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and other ERP systems through standard APIs, and to Accevo QMS for inspections and non-conformances. Machine data endpoints allow real-time capture from scales, torque wrenches, calipers and other equipment directly into digital work instructions and batch records – so the measurement never has to be written down and typed in again.
Industries going paperless with Accevo
Paperless manufacturing looks different depending on what your paper is for – a compliance record, an assembly drawing, or a hygiene checklist. Accevo is deployed across all four.
Pharma & life sciences
GMP batch documentation with e-signatures and audit trails, deviation handling and release by exception through EBR. Novartis, Sandoz, Servier, Polpharma and Bormioli Pharma among them.
Aerospace & discrete assembly
Technical drawings and long assembly instructions delivered to any device, with responsibility tracked per production order – the RECARO scenario, and typical of complex, low-volume assembly.
Food, beverage & FMCG
Startup checklists per shift, hygiene and allergen routines, changeover instructions and quality cards linked to the machine and order. Danone, Bahlsen, Reckitt, Maspex and Lorenz.
Cosmetics & tobacco
Regulated documentation with the throughput of fast-moving lines, standardised across plants so the same product is made and recorded the same way everywhere.
Are you ready to start your paperless journey?
Start small
Begin on a small scale and expand over time. Create a pilot programme on one line or one workstation to see the benefits before committing the whole plant.
Involve your employees
Make sure operators are engaged and understand the benefits. A paperless system that operators resent gets worked around; one they helped design gets used.
Be patient
Implementing a paperless system takes time and effort. Stay patient and focus on continuous improvement – each digitised form makes the next one easier.
Paperless is a solution offering enormous possibilities, suitable for almost any type of production, which fully adapts to the customer, their procedures, processes, production and machines, allowing them to create any document for production themselves.
These can be very simple workstation instructions to show operators what the process or detail should look like, instructions on how to prepare the workstation for production, or even quality control cards linked to machines – showing only the process steps performed on a specific machine – products and customer orders, for easy verification during audits or complaints.
The next step may be to connect machines and devices used in production, such as scales, mixers, calipers or torque wrenches, to read measurements from them and automatically fill them in the appropriate document.
The whole solution is low-code, so the customer can create their own documents, manage them by creating an appropriate approval process, and decide when they will be used, so that operators only have access to the latest version of the document. All this results in better efficiency and real-time data available to everyone in the organization.
Sebastian Perz
New Business Manager, Accevo
Contact with our Expert
Sebastian Perz, Industrial Software Expert
- AÂ 60-minute online meeting with a dedicated specialist presenting a top system from an industry similar to yours
- Live modeling of your production process
- A budget quotation after the meeting
Frequently Asked Questions
Paperless manufacturing, explained
Paperless manufacturing software replaces paper forms, batch records and work instructions with digital equivalents that integrate with MES, MOM, ERP and quality systems. Accevo's solution combines electronic batch records (EBR), factory forms, workflow automation through BPM and real-time machine data capture - eliminating manual data entry, transcription errors and archiving costs.
Digital work instructions are electronic, step-by-step guidance delivered directly to operators at the workstation, replacing paper SOPs with interactive media (images, videos, PDFs, CAD drawings) linked to specific products, orders or machines. Accevo lets you build and update them through a low-code editor, then automatically deliver the right version to the right operator for every production order.
Paperless manufacturing is the broader concept: removing paper from every shop-floor process - instructions, forms, work orders, checklists. Electronic batch records are the regulated subset, covering the complete documentation of a production batch under GMP. Most pharma plants need both; a discrete assembly plant may need only the first.
Paperless systems built for regulated industries generate audit-ready electronic records with full traceability. Accevo includes 21 CFR Part 11-compatible electronic signatures, tamper-evident batch records, version control on every document and complete audit trails - the controls GMP and FDA inspectors expect.
When a document changes, the updated version is shown at the start of the production order and the operator confirms it has been read. That gives you a practical acknowledgement record and guarantees one current version live in production - no outdated printouts at the workstation.
Yes. Accevo paperless manufacturing is natively integrated with Accevo MES and MOM, and connects to SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics and other ERP systems through standard APIs. Machine data endpoints allow real-time capture from scales, torque wrenches, calipers and other equipment directly into digital work instructions and batch records.
Yes. It uses fewer resources and has a smaller carbon footprint: less paper, ink and energy, less waste to landfill, and no incineration of archived documents. For manufacturers with ESG commitments it is one of the more directly measurable contributions, and it pairs naturally with energy monitoring through EMS.
A pilot on one line or workstation typically goes live in weeks. Full rollout depends on how many document types and processes you digitise - which is exactly why we recommend starting small, proving the benefit, then expanding process by process.
Recent articles
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