Yeah, this comes up quite a bit when searchability isn't aligned with how people actually look for products.
If the system doesn't support combining fields natively, a common workaround is to either:
- create a calculated/display field (if your ERP allows it), or
- adjust the search index so manufacturer is included in the “item” lookup (sometimes via tags, keywords, or custom attributes)
Another option is to keep the article name clean, but enrich the searchable fields behind the scenes so users can still find items by manufacturer without changing how orders display.
It's a small tweak, but it really improves usability — same idea SalesAR often highlights in lead gen for manufacturing and ERP environments: structure your data around how users search, not just how it's stored.
Curious which system you're using — some handle this much more flexibly than others.