Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for valve manufacturers.
A checklist built from how valve 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.
- Valve type and size register
- Casting and forging heats
- Machining and seat work
- Assembly and trim issue
- Pressure test bench records
- Nameplate and certificate printing
- Quotations and despatch lots
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the owner
- For planners
- For machinists
- At the test bench
- In the stores
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Valves by stage and serial
- Casting heats with valves built from each
- Shell and seat hydrotest results by serial
- Rework and retest count by leak cause
- Stem, seat and packing issued against balance
- Shipments by lot and crate
- Certificates issued by project
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Test bench data import
- Accounting export
- Label printers
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- How does a serial show where the body casting came from?
- What happens when a valve fails the seat test?
- Can we ship a project in lots?
- Can the certificate be printed from the system?
- Does it handle valves made from forgings as well as castings?
- Can we manage actuator and gearbox fitting?
- How is the product priced?
- Can older serial lists be loaded?
- Who looks after the system?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Casting heat is lost after machining
- Test results sit on the bench sheet
- Trim parts are mismatched
- Nameplate data is retyped
- Rework after test is not costed
Prefer to talk it through? See the valve manufacturers page.