Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for plastic packaging manufacturers.
A checklist built from how plastic 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.
- Film structure and recipe
- Artwork and cylinder register
- Reel tracking
- Stage-wise waste
- Colour and treatment checks
- Pouch count and pallet
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For planners
- For press and laminator operators
- For quality staff
- For artwork and prepress staff
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Total scrap per order, split by stage
- Reel genealogy from film lot to carton
- Artwork proofs awaiting approval
- Cylinders by owner, rack position and impressions
- Seal, bond and dyne results by order
- Machine loading by web width and colour count
- Pouches dispatched by customer with film lot references
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Tablet entry at the machine
- Weighing scale
- Barcode label printer
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How does it follow a reel through slitting?
- Can it convert pouches to kilograms?
- How does it control artwork versions?
- Can cylinders owned by customers be listed separately?
- Can scales feed weights straight in?
- What does the waste figure include?
- Can we export reel and order history?
- What happens in the demo?
- How is plant staff trained?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Waste is lost between stages
- Reels lose their identity
- Artwork versions are confused
- Cylinders and plates are not tracked
- Order quantity is counted in the wrong unit
Prefer to talk it through? See the plastic packaging manufacturers page.