Both tools solve inventory replenishment. eTurns automates stockroom replenishment for distributors. Arda puts Kanban-powered inventory on autopilot for manufacturers. Here's how they compare.
TL;DR
For Manufacturers
✓ Physical Kanban cards + QR-triggered ordering
✓ Eliminates stockouts without ERP complexity
✓ Top customers doubled revenue in 9 months
$149/seat/mo
For Distributors
• IoT SensorBins + RFID + barcode scanning
• Automates stockroom and service truck inventory
• 1,600+ customers, mature VMI/CMI feature set
$40/stockroom/mo
The short version: Distributor managing customer stockrooms? eTurns was built for that. Manufacturer losing production time to stockouts and manual ordering? Arda was built for you.
Category
Arda Cards
eTurns TrackStock
Best for
Manufacturers (10–500 employees)
Distributors and their customers (VMI/CMI)
Starting price
$149/seat/month (yearly)
$40/stockroom/month (semi-annual)
Key strength
Physical Kanban + digital backend for shop floor simplicity
IoT sensors and RFID for hands-free stockroom replenishment
Key limitation
No IoT hardware option (by design — cards cost pennies)
No manufacturing-specific workflows or shop floor context
Free trial
7-day free trial + free $650 Welcome Kit (annual)
30-day free trial
Pricing model
Per seat, unlimited items and orders
Per stockroom or vehicle, tiered feature plans
eTurns and Arda don’t do the same thing with different features. They start from different assumptions about what the inventory problem actually is.
eTurns answers
“How do we keep this customer’s stockroom stocked efficiently?”
Arda answers
“How do we make sure our shop floor always has what it needs — without the owner spending all day managing it?”
Arda Cards
✓ Built for the manufacturer’s own operation
✓ Manufacturer controls their own materials + ordering
✓ No distributor in the middle
✓ Solves operational bottlenecks on the production floor
eTurns TrackStock
• Built around the distributor-buyer relationship
• Distributor supplies consumables to customer stockrooms
• eTurns sits in the middle, managing the supply relationship
• Solves stockroom replenishment efficiency
A tool built for distributors won’t solve bottlenecks inside a manufacturing facility. Different problems, different solutions.
How Kanban Pull Systems Transform Inventory Management →eTurns argues that IoT SensorBins replace traditional Kanban — that physical cards depend on staff compliance, and break down when employees forget the rules. Fair point against the static, 1970s-era two-bin system.
But that is not what Arda does.
Arda connects physical Kanban cards to a digital backend. Scan a QR code → purchase orders generated, suppliers notified, records created. No card traveling to a purchasing desk. No second bin. The digital system handles everything downstream.
eTurns claims
“Kanban depends on staff following rules, and cards get misplaced.”
Arda’s rule is one action: scan the card. No software to navigate, no dashboard to check. Compliance is high because there is nothing to forget.
Cards don’t circulate — they’re anchored to their storage location. Scanning creates a digital record. No cards get lost because cards don’t move.
eTurns claims
“Kanban can’t handle demand fluctuations, and two-bin systems waste space.”
Arda’s Pro plan includes AI-powered quantity recommendations that adjust based on actual consumption. Not static min/max — the system learns and adapts.
And Arda is not a two-bin system. One card per item at the reorder point. No backup bins, no double inventory.
eTurns claims
“IoT sensors save labor over manual cards.”
This is where the cost math matters. For a manufacturer managing hundreds of SKUs across a shop floor, the hardware investment adds up fast. An Arda card costs pennies to print and works the moment it is placed. The simplicity of the card is the labor savings.
eTurns SensorBins
~$96 per item
Arda Cards
Pennies to print
The deeper issue: eTurns’ Kanban criticism comes from a distributor’s lens. They’re talking about stockroom consumables managed through VMI. Manufacturers managing production materials and shop floor workflows need a system built for their context.
Top customers have doubled revenue within nine months. Start with a 7-day free trial and a free $650 Welcome Kit.
Arda Cards
✓ Print a card, place it at a bin
✓ Start with one part, scale from there
✓ Free $650 Welcome Kit (printer, laminator, scanner)
✓ Operational within days
✓ No full inventory map required upfront
eTurns TrackStock
• Upload item list, configure plans
• SensorBins need installation + calibration
• RFID requires tower setup
• Designed for ongoing management by ops team
• Plans billed semi-annually
Tried and failed to implement an ERP? Arda’s incremental approach changes the equation. Start with your biggest pain point. Expand as you see results.
Arda Cards
eTurns TrackStock
The most common failure mode for manufacturing inventory systems: low adoption on the shop floor. Arda’s physical cards achieve high compliance because they meet workers where they are.
Arda Cards
eTurns TrackStock
eTurns excels at distributor supply chain connections. Arda fills the gaps ERPs handle poorly — abrasives, adhesives, welding gas, cutting tools, shipping materials.
Arda Cards
eTurns TrackStock
eTurns has a mature reporting suite — a genuine strength for multi-location stockroom management. For SMB manufacturers coming from whiteboards and spreadsheets, Arda's real-time consumption data is visibility they've never had.
Pro
$279/seat/mo
Enterprise
$299/seat/mo
Growth
$149/seat/mo
Replenish
$40/stockroom/mo
Manage Lite
$100/stockroom/mo
Manage
$249/stockroom/mo
Optimize
$399/stockroom/mo
The pricing models reflect the approaches. eTurns scales cost with locations and automation hardware. Arda scales with users — the per-item cost is zero.
“If your inventory problem lives on the production floor, the solution should too.”
eTurns has served over 1,600 customers and has a mature feature set for the distributor-managed inventory model. If your inventory needs align with that model, it is a well-established option.
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