Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for solar panel manufacturers.
A checklist built from how solar panel 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.
- Cell, glass and film receiving
- String and layup tracking
- Electroluminescence and flash test records
- Power bin sorting and labels
- Rework and rejection codes
- Packing lists and dispatch
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the plant head
- For line supervisors
- For test engineers
- For stores and purchase
- For dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Flash-test counts by bin, shift and line
- Cell lots consumed against modules built
- Rework and scrap by cause and station
- Laminator batches that departed from the approved recipe
- Consumables used against reorder levels
- Pallet contents by buyer order
- Serials by cell lot, for a warranty claim
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Label printer
- Flash tester file import
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How does a serial link back to its cells?
- Can it store flash test results?
- How are power bins applied?
- Does it cover half-cut cell modules?
- Can we compare laminator batches?
- What happens to a rejected module?
- Can a buyer’s audit pack be produced?
- Can the packing list name serials?
- Who owns the production records?
- How do we see it before committing?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Cell lots are not tied to serials
- Flash test data lives on the tester
- Power bins decide the price, and sorting is manual
- Consumables run out mid-shift
- Rejected modules have no reason code
Prefer to talk it through? See the solar panel manufacturers page.