Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for tile manufacturers.
A checklist built from how tile 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.
- Body and glaze recipes
- Press and dryer log
- Kiln firing lots
- Sorting and grading
- Box, pallet and shade labels
- Dealer orders and dispatch
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For line supervisors
- For sorting and packing staff
- For the sales desk
- For store and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Tiles pressed, fired and sorted by size and line
- Yield by grade for each firing lot
- Defects by stage and cause
- Stock by design, size, grade and shade
- Raw material and frit use against recipe
- Dealer orders, deliveries and claims
- Dealer dues by age
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Barcode label printers
- Handheld scanners
- Accounting export
- Spreadsheet import
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How does it keep shades apart?
- Can we compare yield by kiln or by line?
- Where are defects recorded?
- Do we need scanners for pallets?
- Can dealers see their own orders?
- How do traded tiles from other makers fit in?
- Can recipes be changed safely?
- How is it priced and shown?
- Can we take our data away later?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Shade differs between lots
- Grade splits are not reconciled
- Breakage hides in the process
- Design and size changes disturb planning
- Mixed pallets confuse dealers
Prefer to talk it through? See the tile manufacturers page.