Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for structural steel fabricators.
A checklist built from how structural steel fabricators 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.
- Drawing and revision control
- Piece mark list and bill of material
- Heat number traceability
- Cutting, fit up and welding stages
- Erection sequence and loading plan
- Loose items and bolt sets
- Tonnage billing
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For project managers
- For the detailing and planning desk
- For shop and yard supervisors
- For quality staff
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Packages by tonnes fabricated, primed and delivered
- Marks at each fabrication stage, by bay
- Drawing revisions issued and marks affected
- Heat numbers on hand and the members they feed
- Shortages of cleats and bolt sets reported from site
- Stage bills raised, retention held and balances
- Galvanising and painting yards holding members, with dates due
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Detailing software export
- SMS
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does it replace our detailing package?
- What happens when a drawing revision arrives after cutting?
- Can an inspector see the certificate for a single beam?
- How are trucks planned for the crane?
- Are loose items handled?
- Can it handle work done by outside blasting and painting yards?
- How is tonnage worked out for billing?
- Can we move open packages across?
- Who owns our drawing and piece data?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- The shop fabricates from a superseded drawing
- Heat numbers are lost between mill and member
- Dispatch ignores erection order
- Cleats and bolt sets go missing
- Tonnage billing does not match the shop
Prefer to talk it through? See the structural steel fabricators page.