Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for fabric manufacturers.
A checklist built from how fabric 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.
- Yarn lots and warp beams
- Loom and machine output
- Roll register and grey inspection
- Outside processing
- Final inspection and packing lists
- Remnants and stock lots
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the planner
- For weaving and knitting
- For inspection
- For the processing desk
- For dispatch and sales
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Loom efficiency and stoppage time by shift
- Yarn issued and balance by count and lot
- Rolls at processing houses and days out
- Defect points and grades by quality
- Shrinkage and shade by processing batch
- Stock of rolls, fents and seconds
- Packing lists and dispatch by buyer
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Loom monitoring exports
- Barcode and label printers
- Weighing scale
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does a roll keep its number through processing?
- Can loom efficiency be read daily?
- Which inspection system can we use?
- Can yarn lots be traced from a roll?
- How do fents get sold?
- Is knit fabric different?
- Can we send fabric to many processing houses?
- How is the cost explained?
- Can we move existing roll stock?
- Who adjusts grading rules later?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Yarn lots are lost in the warp
- Loom output is counted late
- Grey and finished lengths disagree
- Defect points depend on the inspector
- Remnants and short rolls sit unsold
Prefer to talk it through? See the fabric manufacturers page.