Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for automotive plastics manufacturers.
A checklist built from how automotive plastics manufacturers work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Resin, masterbatch and dryer records
- Mould and cavity management
- Press settings and cycle records
- Paint and assembly stages
- Fixture and gauge checks
- Sequenced and call-off dispatch
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For plant managers
- For production planners
- For press operators and setters
- For the tool room
- For despatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Presses by mould, cycle time and reject rate
- Rejects by cause and mould
- Moulds ranked by shot count since last service
- Paint defects by moulded batch
- Resin and masterbatch used against parts shipped
- Purge material by colour change
- Sequence deliveries against releases
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Press data file import
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does it stop a press order that has not been dried?
- Can settings be recalled for the next run?
- How is mould life tracked?
- Can paint defects be matched to moulding?
- Does it handle sequence calls?
- Can we import press data?
- What affects the cost?
- Can records be exported?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Resin lots and drying times are not recorded
- Mould shot counts drift from maintenance
- Press settings differ shift to shift
- Paint defects are separated from moulding
- Sequenced deliveries are built by hand
Prefer to talk it through? See the automotive plastics manufacturers page.