Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for modular furniture manufacturers.
A checklist built from how modular furniture 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.
- Design sheet and revision control
- Panel list and sheet nesting
- Edge banding and drilling stages
- Hardware kit builder
- Carton packing and labelling
- Installation schedule and snag list
- Stage invoices and receipts
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For designers and planners
- For the saw and edge banding crew
- For packers and dispatchers
- For installers
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Orders by stage with design revision and dispatch date
- Sheets issued, waste and offcuts returned by board and finish
- Panel rejects by machine, operator and reason
- Hardware kits short at packing, by fitting
- Cartons packed and dispatched by order and room
- Snags open and closed by installer and module
- Stage invoices raised and receipts matched by customer
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Design software export
- Label printer
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can it read panel sizes from our design software?
- Does it do the cutting optimisation?
- Can we track offcuts?
- How does it stop short hardware kits leaving?
- Can one order cover several rooms?
- Do installers need signal on site?
- Can quotations be revised after a site visit?
- How are warranty claims handled?
- What does the demo show?
- Can our data be taken out later?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Revisions reach the saw late
- Sheets and offcuts are not tracked
- Hardware kits ship incomplete
- Cartons are mixed across rooms
- Site snags have no owner
Prefer to talk it through? See the modular furniture manufacturers page.