Cicada for manufacturers.
It reads your orders, stock and production in MRPeasy, chases the suppliers, and tells you what runs short before it does. The floor can ask it in the WhatsApp group.
300 free credits to start. Live in two minutes.
What does Cicada do for manufacturers?
For a manufacturer, Cicada is an AI agent that keeps production, stock and suppliers in view. It reads manufacturing orders, customer orders, purchase orders, BOMs and stock in MRPeasy, and shipments in ShipStation. It works out days of stock for every component, flags what will run short before the next purchase order lands, and drafts the chase to the supplier for your yes. It reads batch records and certificates sent as PDFs or photos and pulls out the numbers you ask for. In the floor's WhatsApp group it answers when someone names it.
What your manufacturer does.
Reads production in MRPeasy
Manufacturing orders, customer orders, purchase orders, BOMs and stock, read one request at a time and summarized in plain words. Changes in MRPeasy can be set to Ask first.
Tracks days of stock
Works out how many days each component lasts at the current order rate and compares it with the next purchase order. The shortfalls come first.
Chases suppliers
Drafts the email to the supplier with the PO number, the quantity and the date you need, sends it from your inbox after your yes, and tells you when they answer.
Watches shipments
Reads ShipStation for orders that haven't shipped and parcels that stopped moving, and tells you before the customer asks.
Reads batch records
Batch records, certificates of analysis and spec sheets sent as PDFs or photos: it pulls out the lot numbers, weights and dates you ask for and puts them in a sheet.
Answers the floor
Add it to the floor's WhatsApp group. It stays quiet until someone names it, then answers: which MO is next, how many units are left, where an order is.
Who uses it at a manufacturer.
The week's risks in one message
What could stop production, what's late from suppliers and what shipped, every morning.
Numbers without the exports
MRPeasy and ShipStation read and compared, with the sheet behind every answer.
Suppliers chased on time
Late POs found early, chase emails drafted with the right numbers, replies reported.
Know what's short before you schedule
Days of stock for every component against the MOs on the board.
Records read, not retyped
Lot numbers, weights and dates pulled out of batch records and certificates into one sheet.
Answers on the floor
Ask in the WhatsApp group and get the MO, the count or the order status without a call to the office.
Set up in three steps.
Say what the job is
Describe the role in a sentence when you sign up, or tell the agent in the chat. It writes its own brief, which you can read and change any time.
Connect the apps it needs
One click for most apps. Each one can be Full, Ask first or Read-only, for every agent in the workspace.
Link your phone, or don't
Scan a code and it's in your iMessage or WhatsApp. Or keep it in the app, Slack and email. Hand it the first job in the same message.
Nothing goes out without your yes.
Nothing goes out without your yes
Anything that can't be undone, and any message to another person, waits for your OK. Approve with a 👍 in the chat, or set a role to full autonomy once you trust it.
Read-only is a real lock
Make any app read-only and the agent can look but never change a thing. It applies to every agent in the workspace, from their next run.
Every step on the record
Each run shows what it read, what it did and what it sent, step by step, in the Activity tab. Corrections you make stick.
What it won't do.
Won't pretend
If it couldn't confirm something, it leaves it out and says so. A number without a source doesn't go in a message.
Won't go around you
It never messages anyone on your behalf unless you asked, never spends money, and never makes a judgement call about money on its own.
Won't read what isn't shared
Teammates' agents work only through the apps the workspace shares. Your inbox and your personal apps stay under your own login.
Three ways to keep production on track
| Task | Doing it by hand | Your MRP's own reports | Cicada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days of stock | A spreadsheet updated on Mondays | A stock report to read | Worked out for every component against the next PO, shortfalls first |
| Supplier chases | Remembered when it's late | A list of open POs | Late POs found early, the chase drafted with the numbers, sent after your yes |
| Production status | Walk the floor | Screens in the MRP | "What's next on line 2" answered in the chat |
| Shipments | Customer emails | The shipping app's dashboard | Unshipped orders and stuck parcels flagged from ShipStation |
| Batch records | Retyped from paper | Not covered | Read from PDFs and photos, the numbers put in a sheet |
| The floor's questions | A call to the office | A login on the shop floor PC | Their WhatsApp group; it answers when named |
| Where it happens | The office | The MRP's screens | Your WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack or email |
Things to ask your manufacturer.
- 01
"what's going to run short this week?"
You get: Components with their days of stock against open MOs and the next PO date, the ones that won't last first.
- 02
"which POs are late and who do I need to chase?"
You get: Open purchase orders past their date, by supplier, with a chase email drafted for each, for your yes.
- 03
"pull the lot numbers and fill weights out of these batch records into a sheet"
You get: A sheet with one row per batch: lot number, weights and dates, and any field it couldn't read flagged.
- 04
"Every Monday at 7 text me the week: MOs due, short components, late POs."
You get: A recurring message that lands on the minute, built from MRPeasy.
- 05
"where's the Northwind order"
You get: What MRPeasy and ShipStation say: the customer order, the MO behind it, and the parcel if it shipped.
Frequently asked questions.
Does it work with MRPeasy?
Yes, with both of MRPeasy's APIs: manufacturing orders, customer orders, purchase orders, BOMs, stock, shipments and more. It reads one request at a time so it stays inside MRPeasy's limits.
Will it change anything in MRPeasy?
Only what you ask. Set MRPeasy to Ask first and every change waits for your OK; set it to Read-only and it can look but never change a thing. Reads never need approval.
Will it email our suppliers on its own?
No. Every chase is drafted with the PO number and dates and waits for your yes, then goes from your own inbox. Replies are reported to you as they come in.
Can the floor use it?
Yes. Add it to the floor's WhatsApp group and it answers when someone names it. It acts on your instructions only, and never messages anyone privately unless you ask.
Where do I talk to it?
WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack, email or the web app. It answers in the same thread you asked in.
Can it read our batch records?
Yes. Send PDFs, scans or photos and it reads them, pulls out the numbers you ask for and puts them in a sheet. It reports what's in the record; it doesn't sign anything off.
Can my team use it too?
Yes. Everyone in your workspace gets their own agent. MRPeasy and ShipStation are connected once for the team; personal apps like your inbox stay under your own login.
What does it cost?
Every workspace starts with 300 free credits. You add a card at sign-up and nothing is charged until you run low; then it's $25 for 200 credits, with no subscription. A quick reply is about 5 credits and a typical run under 20; plans start at $99 a month.
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One teammate. The output of a team.
Works nights, remembers every decision, answers in the thread. Start free with 300 credits.