Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for toy manufacturers.
A checklist built from how toy 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.
- Item tree with parts and accessories
- Mould and cavity register
- Resin, colour and paint lots
- Moulding, decoration and assembly runs
- Sample tests and release
- Buyer orders and carton packing
- Season planning view
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For factory owners
- For planners
- For toolroom staff
- For moulding and assembly supervisors
- For the quality desk
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Shots and rejects by mould, cavity and shift
- Mould service due, by shot count
- Granule and paint lots consumed against moulded and decorated batches
- Parts out with embroidery and painting units, by delivery note and age
- Assembly output and short screws, wheels and decals by line
- Drop, pull and torque results and lots on hold
- Open buyer orders against packed cartons and ship window
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- Barcode and label printers
- Tablet entry at the line
- Accounting export
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can one toy have parts made in several places?
- How are moulds with several cavities handled?
- Can we record colour changes on a press?
- What happens when a sample fails a test?
- Do buyers get their own carton labels?
- Does it handle battery operated and electronic toys?
- Can our current parts and orders be loaded?
- Can the system show the cost to make an item?
- Who owns the production records?
- How do we see a price?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Which resin lot is in this carton?
- Mould use is guessed
- Decoration and subcontract counts drift
- Test reports are filed apart from production
- Seasonal orders collide on shared tools
Prefer to talk it through? See the toy manufacturers page.