Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for construction material manufacturers.
A checklist built from how construction material 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.
- Orders, price lists and dealer accounts
- Mix designs and bills of materials
- Production batches and planning
- Test results and quality records
- Raw material and finished stock
- Weighbridge, dispatch and vehicles
- Invoices, claims and dealer dues
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners and plant heads
- For the sales and order desk
- For production supervisors
- For the lab and quality team
- For stores, dispatch and accounts
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Orders open and delivered by dealer
- Production by batch, line and shift
- Raw material used against the mix design
- Test results by product and batch
- Finished stock by stage
- Loads dispatched by vehicle and destination
- Dues by dealer, oldest first
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- SMS
- Weighbridge indicator
- Barcode scanners
- Accounting software export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can it handle products that need curing or firing?
- Can a dispatched load be traced to its batch?
- Can we compare actual material use with the mix design?
- Does it work with a weighbridge?
- Can dealers log in?
- How are breakage claims handled?
- Can open orders and stock be moved?
- Who owns the data?
- What does it cost?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Batches are not linked to tests
- Mix and consumption drift apart
- Stock is counted in several states
- Dealer terms are scattered
- Dispatch and billing are separate
Prefer to talk it through? See the construction material manufacturers page.