Sortera Technologies

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The Challenge

Sortera Technologies is a fast-growing metals recycling company using advanced sorting and AI technology to separate and process aluminum scrap. They were scaling quickly: starting their second location, planning to scale to 10 facilities, and facing growing operational demands, but their systems weren’t keeping up.

After switching from QuickBooks to NetSuite Starter Edition, Sortera expected improved structure and visibility. What they found was fragmented workflows, manual inventory tracking, and a platform that didn't understand the scrap industry.

Some of the core issues included:

• Lot tracking only supported one unit at a time, making high-volume entries impractical
• Manual journal entry uploads through error-prone Excel templates
• No native support for material grading, transformation, or bulk scrap movements
• Delays in financial reporting due to disconnected operations

The Problem: ScrapIT + NetSuite Integration Was a Bottleneck

Sortera was not just using a suboptimal operational platform; they were trapped in a fragmented system where ScrapIT had to be manually integrated into NetSuite. This meant all core processes, including purchasing, inventory, production, costing, and reporting, lived in silos, requiring constant reconciliation and re-entry.

There Was No Real Integration, Only Duplication

• ScrapIT didn't push data into NetSuite automatically. Every transaction processed in ScrapIT had to be re-keyed into NetSuite.
• Production data was manually tracked in spreadsheets, then entered into ScrapIT, then entered again into NetSuite, tripling the work.
• Inventory updates from ScrapIT to NetSuite lagged 24+ hours, creating blind spots in operations.
• Back-office teams had to manually reconcile weights, costs, and transactions daily to keep the systems aligned.

In short, the "integration" wasn't integrated at all, and Sortera paid the price with inefficiencies, frustration, and inaccurate reporting.

What Was Broken With ScrapIT

Manual, Duplicative Processes

Requisitioning, ticket entry, production tracking, and weight variances all required duplicate entry across Excel, ScrapIT, and NetSuite.

Delayed and Disjointed Inventory

• ScrapIT's inventory updates were nightly; NetSuite was always a day behind.
• Monthly inventory reconciliation required Excel spreadsheets, workarounds, and late nights.

Rigid and Limited Functionality

• Scale operators struggled with ScrapIT's UI.
• No real support for multi-output production.
• Supplier weights couldn't be captured.
• Production inputs and outputs didn't auto-balance, forcing manual intervention.
• Edits required transaction reversals, which were tedious and error-prone.

Fragmented Costing and Accounting

• Processing costs weren't handled properly.
• Weight-based price variances were manually expensed, distorting true COGS and margin visibility.
• Tolling inventory was difficult to track, requiring "dummy" entities in the system.

Why Loop ERP Was the Right Choice

Loop ERP doesn't integrate with NetSuite; it is built within it.

Unlike ScrapIT, Loop ERP is embedded natively inside NetSuite. That means no APIs, no syncs, no batch jobs, and no middle layers. Every scrap operation, including ticketing, production, inventory, costing, and settlement, is executed directly in NetSuite. All financials, operational data, and reporting live in one unified platform, with no duplication and no reconciliation required.

What Loop ERP Fixed

Real-Time, Integrated Operations

• Purchase requisitions, production moves, and inventory updates all happen in real time, within NetSuite.
• Weight data is captured directly from the scale, eliminating manual entry and delay.
• Bin-level inventory tracking is built in, with no Excel workarounds required.

Advanced Scrap-Specific Functionality

• One-to-many production entries from a single screen.
• Automated daily production moves, with no more manual month-end entries.
• True cost assignment for multiple output items.
• Production inputs and outputs auto-net to zero, preventing negative inventory.

Unified Financials and Operations

• No reconciliation between systems.
• Automated supplier settlements with support for using different weights for receiving vs. paying.
• Driver signatures, photo capture, and scale automation all live within Loop ERP.

Built for the Scrap Industry

• Forecasting reports, production efficiency metrics, yield analysis, and credit limit tracking, all built within NetSuite using real-time operational data.
• Tolling inventory stays within owned locations with proper classification, with no more confusing workarounds.

The Outcome: Unified System. Real-Time Operations. No More Integration Headaches.

With Loop ERP, Sortera eliminated the integration entirely. Instead of managing a fragile, stitched-together architecture, they now operate with a single, cohesive system that handles both their financials and their scrap operations natively.

The move to Loop ERP has brought Sortera:

• Massive time savings
• Reduced errors
• Real-time visibility
• A platform that supports their growth and complexity, without compromise

Loop ERP isn't just an upgrade from ScrapIT. It's a complete rethinking of what a scrap ERP should be: embedded, efficient, and built for scale.

About Loop ERP

Loop ERP is the only ERP solution built natively inside NetSuite for the scrap and recycling industry. It eliminates the need for third-party integrations by embedding all operational and financial processes, such as scale ticketing, production tracking, costing, settlements, and reporting, directly within the NetSuite platform.

If you're tired of clunky integrations, siloed systems, and spreadsheet overload, it's time to switch to a unified, purpose-built solution for scrap operations.

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