ERP software | High Point, NC
PDC Software Suite: ERP for North Carolina Manufacturers and Distributors
The PDC Software Suite is business management (ERP) software for manufacturers, distributors and importers, written and supported by Preferred Data in High Point, North Carolina since 1987. It runs order entry, inventory, purchasing and accounting in one system installed on your own server, and we change it to fit how you work. Schedule a demo or call (336) 886-3282.
One database
Modules in the PDC Software Suite
- Order entry and invoicing
- Inventory
- Purchase orders
- Bill of materials and production
- Accounts receivable
- Accounts payable
- General ledger
- Fabric inventory
Windows application on an Actian Zen (Pervasive) database, installed on your own server.
- In business since 1987
- 39 years
- Active clients
- 100+
- Average client tenure
- 20+ years
- BBB Accredited rating
- A+
- On-site radius from High Point
- 200 mi
- Threat monitoring on every plan
- 24/7
What is the PDC Software Suite?
The PDC Software Suite is an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system: one program and one database that run a company's orders, inventory, purchasing and accounting. Preferred Data has written and supported it in High Point since 1987 for manufacturers, distributors and importers, and each installation is shaped around how that business actually operates.
The Suite is a Windows application that stores its data in Actian Zen, the database engine long known as Pervasive. Actian renamed its PSQL product to Zen, as its release notes record, so if your team still says "Pervasive", it is the same database. The Suite is installed on your own server on-premise, so your data stays in your building.
Because the modules share one database, an order entered once flows through shipping, invoicing, inventory, receivables and the general ledger without being keyed again. When a process does not fit, we change the software rather than asking your people to work around it.
Key takeaway: The PDC Software Suite is ERP written and supported by Preferred Data in High Point since 1987, installed on your server and tailored to your process.
What modules does the PDC Software Suite include?
The Suite covers the full order-to-cash and purchase-to-pay cycle: order entry and invoicing, inventory, purchase orders, bill of materials and production, accounts receivable, accounts payable and the general ledger. Fabric and textile businesses can add fabric inventory that tracks individual rolls and cuts.
| Module | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Order entry and invoicing | Sales orders, ship-to addresses, shipping and invoices, which post to receivables |
| Inventory | Stock on hand, updated as orders ship, purchase orders are received and production is recorded |
| Purchase orders | Vendor orders and receiving, which update stock and create payables |
| Bill of materials and production | Component lists, production records and cost rollups, including overhead |
| Accounts receivable | Customers, salespeople, terms, payments and aging |
| Accounts payable | Vendors, purchase invoices, check runs and 1099 reporting |
| General ledger | Chart of accounts, journal entries, trial balance and financial statements, with a multi-company option |
| Fabric inventory | Roll and cut tracking by pattern and width, for fabric and textile businesses |
Not every business runs every module. Custom reports, pricing rules and integrations specific to your business are scoped and priced as custom software development before any work starts.
Is a custom-fit ERP better than off-the-shelf software for a small manufacturer?
For many small manufacturers, yes, because most of them are small: in 2022 around three-quarters of the 239,265 U.S. manufacturing firms had fewer than 20 employees, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. A business that size rarely has staff to reshape its processes around a large package, and large ERP projects often overrun: in Panorama Consulting's 2026 ERP Report, more than a quarter of organizations exceeded their project budgets.
| Factor | Spreadsheets and QuickBooks | Off-the-shelf ERP package | PDC Software Suite |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it fits your process | Your process lives in people's heads and files | You adapt your process to the package | The software is changed to fit your process |
| Orders, inventory and accounting | Separate files, keyed more than once | One system | One system and one database |
| Who you call for help | Whoever built the spreadsheet | The vendor or a reseller | The High Point team that wrote the code |
| Where the data lives | On a PC or in a file share | Usually the vendor's cloud | Your own server, on-premise |
| Changes and reports | Do it yourself | Limited to configuration, or a partner project | Custom programming, quoted before work starts |
| Best fit | Very small shops with simple inventory | Firms that want a standard process and a cloud subscription | Manufacturers and distributors whose process is their advantage |
An off-the-shelf package is the right answer for some businesses, and we will say so. If you are comparing options, our ERP selection guide for North Carolina manufacturers walks through the questions to ask any vendor, including us.
Key takeaway: Choose ERP by how well it fits the way you make and ship product, and by who will support it in five years, not by the length of its feature list.
Who is the PDC Software Suite built for?
The Suite is built for manufacturers, distributors and importers, the kinds of businesses that fill the Piedmont Triad. North Carolina had about 450,000 manufacturing jobs in August 2026 (preliminary), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many of them sit in small and mid-sized companies that need real inventory and costing without an enterprise price tag.
If you are also weighing shop-floor systems, read MES vs ERP for North Carolina manufacturers to see which problems each one solves.
- Furniture manufacturers and textile businesses, including roll and cut tracking for fabric
- Manufacturers that need bills of materials and production costs posted to the ledger
- Distributors, importers and logistics businesses that live on order entry, shipping and inventory accuracy
- Companies that want their business software supported by a local team they can reach, on-site within 200 miles of High Point
How is the PDC Software Suite priced and supported?
The PDC Software Suite is licensed on its own agreement, separate from our managed IT plans, and we do not publish a rate card because every installation is scoped to the business. Custom programming is priced per project and quoted in writing before any work starts, as listed on our pricing page.
- Support comes from the Preferred Data team in High Point that writes and maintains the software
- Changes, reports and integrations are scoped, priced and agreed before programming begins
- We start with a walk-through of how your orders, inventory and accounting work today, then quote in writing
How does the Suite fit with your IT, security and backups?
Because the Suite runs on your own Windows server and workstations, the health of that equipment is the health of your ERP. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, according to Microsoft, so any PC still running it for order entry no longer receives regular security fixes.
Your ERP database holds your customers, pricing, inventory and books, which makes it the one system you cannot afford to lose. Our managed IT plans cover the server it runs on, and restore-tested backup and disaster recovery plus cybersecurity services protect the data itself.
Import costs are a live example of why the numbers in your ERP matter: see how NC manufacturers track landed cost and protect margin.
Key takeaway: Having one team responsible for both the ERP and the IT it runs on means there is nobody to point a finger at when something stops.
PDC Software Suite questions we hear most
What is the best ERP software for small manufacturers in North Carolina?
The best ERP is the one that fits how you make, ship and bill product, and that a team you can reach will still support in five years. Large packages suit firms willing to adopt a standard process; the PDC Software Suite suits manufacturers and distributors that want the software shaped around their own process, supported from High Point. Our ERP selection guide lists the questions to ask any vendor.
How much does the PDC Software Suite cost?
We do not publish a price because each installation is scoped to the business: which modules you need and what has to be customized. The Suite is licensed on its own agreement, and custom programming is quoted in writing per project before work starts. Call (336) 886-3282 to start with a walk-through.
Is the PDC Software Suite cloud-based or on-premise?
It is on-premise. The Suite is a Windows application whose data lives in an Actian Zen database on your own server, so your records stay in your building. If you want that server monitored, patched and backed up, our managed IT plans cover it.
Is Actian Zen the same as Pervasive SQL?
Yes. Actian Zen is the current name of the database engine previously sold as Pervasive PSQL; Actian's own release notes describe the renaming of PSQL to Zen. The PDC Software Suite has run on this database engine for years.
Can Preferred Data customize the software for our processes?
Yes, that is the point of it. New features, reports, pricing rules and integrations are written by the same team that maintains the Suite, and each change is scoped and priced before programming starts. See our custom software development service for how projects run.
What is the difference between ERP and MES?
ERP runs the business side: orders, inventory, purchasing, costing and accounting. MES (manufacturing execution systems) runs the production floor minute by minute: machine status, work in progress and quality checks. Our article on MES vs ERP explains when a manufacturer needs one, the other or both.
Who supports the PDC Software Suite, and where?
Preferred Data supports it directly from our office at 1208 Eastchester Drive in High Point. We work remotely and on-site within 200 miles of High Point, which covers the Piedmont Triad, Charlotte, Raleigh and most of North Carolina.
Sources
- Actian, What Was New in Zen v14 (renaming of PSQL to Zen)
- National Association of Manufacturers, Facts About Manufacturing
- Panorama Consulting Group, 2026 ERP Report press release
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, North Carolina Economy at a Glance
- Microsoft Learn, Windows 10 Enterprise and Education lifecycle
Related services and resources
See the PDC Software Suite with your own process in mind
Walk us through how an order moves through your business today. We will show you how the Suite handles it, and put in writing what would need to change and what it would cost.
Preferred Data Corporation, 1208 Eastchester Drive, Suite 131, High Point, NC 27265