In this guide 6 sections
Control panel manufacturing software follows one job number from order review through BOM release, wiring, testing and dispatch, with a separate record kept at every desk. Each stage holds its own record: the accepted order, the released drawing revision, the wire list, the test sheet and the packing list. Nothing is retyped between desks.
Start with the order, not the drawing
Orders drift. A job begins as a purchase order that seldom matches the quotation line for line, since the buyer adds a spare feeder late. The buyer adds a spare feeder or changes the incomer rating after the quote has gone out, and nobody tells the shop floor.
Capture the accepted version first. Note the enclosure type, busbar rating, feeders, control voltage, paint shade, applicable standard, delivery date and the customer’s approval drawing number, all against the job number.
Skip this and the design office works from the quotation while the buyer expects the purchase order. The gap surfaces at the factory acceptance test.
- Purchase order number and accepted quotation revision
- Enclosure, IP rating and paint shade
- Busbar rating and feeder list
- Control voltage and applicable standard
- Customer drawing approval and its date
Release the BOM only against an approved drawing
The bill of materials comes from two drawings. Every breaker, contactor, relay, meter, terminal block and cable gland needs a make, a rating and a catalogue number before anyone orders it.
Release it once, with a revision letter. Purchase orders the bought out items from that release, while anything fabricated in house goes to CNC punching and bending with the same letter on its drawing.
Stores reserves stock against the job number. A short item then lands on a shortage list days before a wireman stands idle at the bench waiting for a contactor.
- Revision letter on every released BOM
- Bought out items split from fabricated items
- Lead time noted against long delivery parts
- Stock reserved by job number
Tie fabrication and wiring to the wire list
Sheet metal is cut, bent, powder coated and assembled into the enclosure, then the mounting plate is drilled and the devices are fixed. Busbars are cut, bent and tinned to the drawing before they are fitted, and the torque on each joint is checked and marked.
Wiring follows the wire list. That list gives each wire a number, a colour, a size and two termination points. It also drives the ferrules, lugs and cable markers, which stores must issue before wiring begins.
A wireman should never guess a gauge. Track wires completed too. The supervisor then sees a panel at sixty wires of ninety, not a vague “in progress” scribbled on a whiteboard that nobody updates.
Record every test against the panel’s serial number
Testing is where trust is earned. Run a visual check, a continuity check and an insulation resistance test. Add a functional check of interlocks and indicators, plus a high voltage withstand test where the specification asks for one.
Each result goes on a signed test sheet. Photographs of the nameplate and the wiring settle a query that arrives six months later, when the people who built the panel have moved to other jobs.
A failed check opens a rework note. It never becomes a quietly corrected figure. Without a serial number tying the sheet to the panel, the paper floats loose in a file and proves nothing to anyone.
- Insulation resistance reading and instrument used
- Withstand test result and duration
- Interlock and protection relay settings
- Tester’s name, date and witness if the buyer attended
Close the job with papers that match the panel
Dispatch needs a packing list, a nameplate that matches the order, a copy of the test sheet, as-built drawings and transport details. If the buyer sent an inspector, attach the inspector’s release note as well, so the dispatch file shows who approved the panel before it left the gate.
Compare the final drawing revision with what was actually wired, because differences belong in the as-built set. A verbal promise at the gate does not count, and neither does a friendly nod.
Take your last dispatched panel and try to find its order, released BOM, wire list and test sheet in under five minutes. Fix the slowest record first.
Panel job traveller sheet
A one page sheet that travels with each panel. It has six rows, one per stage: order review, BOM release, fabrication, wiring, testing and dispatch. Beside every stage sit boxes for document number, revision, person responsible, date completed and rework notes, while a header block carries the job number, customer and delivery date.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
What does a panel shop need to track on each job?
The accepted order, the drawing and BOM revision, material shortages, wiring progress, test results and dispatch papers. Hang all of it off one job number. Anyone can then open the full history without phoning three separate desks.
Is a spreadsheet enough for a small panel shop?
For a handful of jobs, yes. Trouble starts when several panels run together and revisions change, because the BOM, stock sheet and test records drift apart and nobody trusts a single file.
Why should test sheets link to a serial number?
A serial number lets you pull the exact readings for one panel when a customer queries it months later, even after the panel has left your gate. Loose sheets get misfiled. A missing sheet weakens your position in any dispute.
When should purchase start ordering parts?
Order long delivery items such as breakers and drives once the approval drawing is signed. Order the rest from the released BOM. A late change then cannot leave you holding unusable stock.