Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for deep drawing companies.
A checklist built from how deep drawing companies 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.
- Coil and blank register
- Draw stage routing
- Press and tool register
- Annealing and washing batches
- Wall thickness and height checks
- Defect and scrap log
- Outside plating and polishing
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For press supervisors
- For the tool room
- For quality inspectors
- For stores and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Coils issued and remaining, with blanks cut and offcut weight
- Lots by stage with count in, count out and the gap
- Tool sets by strokes since polish, with sets due
- Scrap by defect, press, stage and tool set
- Wall thickness and height readings by lot
- Plating counts out against counts back, by vendor
- Orders due with the stage each lot has reached
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Barcode and label printers
- Weighing scales
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Where do lost shells show up?
- Can I tell which coil a lot came from?
- Does it track how worn a draw ring is?
- How are anneal loads recorded?
- Can thin-wall complaints be answered from the system?
- Does it handle plating done outside?
- Does the software approve parts?
- Do operators need to type a lot of data?
- What decides the price?
- Can tool and lot data be taken out?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Stage counts and quantities drift apart
- Sheet gauge and temper are not tied to the job
- Tools are sharpened on feel
- Annealing and plating batches mix
- Wall thickness complaints arrive late
Prefer to talk it through? See the deep drawing companies page.