Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for solar inverter manufacturers.
A checklist built from how solar inverter 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.
- Board and component lot receiving
- Kits and work orders
- Firmware and configuration record
- Burn-in and final test results
- Repair and return bench
- Warranty and installation records
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the plant manager
- For assembly supervisors
- For test and firmware engineers
- For service engineers
- For purchase and stores
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Units by model through burn-in and final test
- Firmware version installed, by serial and date
- Failure codes by model and component lot
- Returns and repairs by serial and visit count
- Warranty claims against dispatch and commissioning dates
- Spares used against reorder levels
- Board assembler deliveries against work orders
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Test rack file import
- Label printer
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How do we know which firmware each unit has?
- Can we trace a unit to a capacitor lot?
- Does it keep burn-in data?
- What about an outside board assembler?
- How are returns handled?
- Can warranty periods differ by buyer?
- Do operators need training?
- Can test limits be changed?
- Who owns the unit records?
- Is there a price list?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Firmware images drift across a pallet
- Component lots are not captured
- Burn-in logs sit on a rack PC
- Repair benches work from paper fault slips
- Warranty start dates are guessed
Prefer to talk it through? See the solar inverter manufacturers page.