Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for flexible packaging manufacturers.
A checklist built from how flexible packaging 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.
- Structure and artwork library
- Film, ink and adhesive lots
- Press, laminator and slitter planning
- Cylinder and plate register
- Bond, seal and friction tests
- Roll labels and dispatch
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For estimators and sales
- For press and laminator crews
- For quality staff
- For stores and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Rolls by stage with curing dates and slitter readiness
- Film and ink consumed against metres delivered
- Edge trim and web waste by press, laminator and slitter
- Bond and seal results per roll with pass or hold status
- Gravure cylinders and flexo plates ranked by metres printed
- Pouch rejects by bag line, shift and film lot
- Brand invoices still open, longest overdue listed first
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Barcode and roll label printing
- Weighing scale input
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting software export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can a finished roll be traced to every film layer in it?
- How does it handle curing before slitting?
- Can it follow cylinder life?
- What if a brand changes its artwork?
- Can pouch lines be managed with the same record?
- Does it support winding specifications per customer?
- Can we start with open orders?
- Which records can we take out when we stop?
- How is pricing decided?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Layers lose their lot trail
- Cylinders and plates are untracked
- Colour matching is repeated
- Curing time is not scheduled
- Roll counts and cores differ per customer
Prefer to talk it through? See the flexible packaging manufacturers page.