Custom digital file software for customer drawings
Appfront builds digital job files for companies that produce to customer drawings: for each order, all drawings with their revisions, the customer's approval recorded against the correct version, and a workshop that only sees the released drawing. So a change sent by email never again ends up on the workbench next to an outdated print.
What is digital job file software for customer drawings?
A digital job file for customer drawings keeps track, per order, of which drawings exist, in which revision, who made them and what the customer thought of them. The customer reviews the drawing in a portal, leaves comments directly on the drawing and approves a specific revision. That revision is then released for production, and the workshop sees only that version. Every step is recorded in the file with the time and the name of the person responsible.
Without such a file, the drawing lives in an email, the comment in a reply, the approval in a third message and the print on the workbench. At revision C, someone builds from revision B because the new print had not yet been put up. The customer says he never approved that, and the email in which he did is nowhere to be found. That is unpaid rework that nobody is billed for.
We build custom software because the file has to match how your company draws and produces: which CAD package, which file formats, what role the estimator and the production planner play, and how the order is set up in your ERP. A generic document management system does not know about revisions with customer approval or about releasing work to a workshop.
Drawings with revisions
For each order, every drawing in versions, with who made it, what changed and which version applies. Older revisions remain viewable but cannot be built from.
Customer approval on the drawing
The customer reviews the drawing in a portal, leaves comments on it and approves a revision, with name, time and the version approved recorded.
Release to the workshop
Only the approved revision is visible on the shop floor, on a screen or tablet at the workbench. A print then becomes the exception rather than the rule.
How we build your digital job file software for customer drawings
We start with an order that went wrong: which revision was built, which one had been approved, and where the discrepancy arose. The file is designed from there.
Which CAD package, which file formats, who draws, who checks, how the customer currently gives approval and how the workshop receives the drawing. We look at the orders with rework from recent months.
Per order, the file with drawings, revisions and change descriptions, linked to the order in your ERP. With the roles of draughtsman, production planner and sales.
The customer views drawings in the browser, leaves comments on the drawing and approves a revision. Reminders are sent if an approval is outstanding.
The approved revision goes to the workshop, on screen or tablet, followed by management and integration with CAD if that is not yet in place.
What digital job file software for customer drawings actually does
The components below come up at almost every company that works to customer drawings. Which ones you need depends on your CAD package and on how your customers give approval.
Revision management
Every drawing in versions with a description of changes, who and when, and one valid revision per drawing. Older versions remain visible.
Customer portal
The customer sees their orders and drawings in the browser, without software, on a phone or computer, with comments placed directly on the drawing.
Approval with signature
Approval per revision, with name, time and a signature or confirmation code. The approval belongs to the version, not to the order.
Release for production
The workshop sees only released drawings, per order and per operation. A revision issued after release is clearly marked.
CAD and ERP integration
Drawings from your CAD package in the file, and the order and customer from your ERP. No duplicate entry.
Additional work and history
Changes made after approval are marked as additional work, with a comparison between revisions. The basis for the conversation with the customer.
Who we build customer drawing file software for
The software is intended for businesses where every order has its own drawing and where the customer has a say in what is made.
Interior builders
Custom furniture and interiors with clients who have comments on every drawing. The customer portal with comments on the drawing is the core.
Metalworking firms and machine builders
Single-off structures and machines, with revisions that carry technical weight. Revision control and release are what matter.
Joinery factories
Window frames, staircases and doors per project, with the building contractor as the client. Release per operation and integration with production are at the core.
Suppliers working from the client's drawings
Drawings come from the client and change during the order. The file keeps track of which version has been received and which has been built.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page covers the drawing file and client approval. For the interior builder as a whole, including costing and planning, see our page on interior construction software. For drawings at the component level, see our page on exploded drawings and parts ordering. You can read about our way of working at building software.
For architectural practices, with a register per project and issue to contractors and structural engineers, see our drawing revision control software for architects.
Why choose Appfront for your customer drawing file software?
A drawing file is only as good as its answer to the question of which version applies. That is what we build on: one valid revision, one approval, one release.
Approval belongs to the version
Not to the order, not in an email. The client approved revision C, and that is recorded against revision C. That ends the argument over what was approved.
The workshop sees one version
No printouts from yesterday beside today's drawing. What has been released is visible; the rest is not.
Additional work becomes visible
A change after approval is additional work, and the file shows what has changed. You have that conversation with evidence, not memory.
Security and privacy in customer drawing file software
Drawings are the intellectual property of you or your client. Access is set up by role and by client: a client sees only their own orders, the workshop only released drawings, and every download is logged. Drawings are stored encrypted, and the portal uses a login per client with two-factor authentication where the client wants it.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. Integrations with CAD and ERP use their own keys, which can be revoked per integration.
Frequently asked questions about customer drawing file software
Questions manufacturing companies ask before getting started.
It tracks the drawings for each order in revisions, lets the client leave comments and approve a specific revision in a portal, and releases that revision to the workshop. Every step is recorded in the file with a name and a time, and changes after approval are marked as additional work.
With the common packages via export or interface. Drawings arrive as PDF or in their original format in the file. Which package you use determines whether the integration is automatic or whether the draughtsman uploads a revision. We align with what you already have.
No. The customer views drawings in the browser, on a phone or computer, leaves comments on the drawing and gives approval. They receive a link per order and log in with a code; regular customers get a permanent account.
A new revision is created, marked as a change after approval, with a comparison between the two versions. That revision needs approval again and can be costed as additional work. The workshop sees the previous release marked until the new one has been released.
On a screen or tablet at the workbench, per order and per operation, showing only the released revision. Printing is possible, but the print carries the revision and the date, and a new release makes the old print visibly outdated in the file.
Yes. Orders, customers and items come from your ERP, so the file belongs to the right order and the release is visible in the planning. We connect to the package you use; the file does not become a second order administration.
Check that first. A document management system stores files with versions, and that may be enough if the customer's approval plays no part. Custom development makes sense if the customer approves each revision, if the workshop may only see released versions, and if additional work has to be traceable from the file.
Every order built on the drawing the customer has approved?
Tell us which CAD package and ERP you use and how often you went unpaid for additional work because the approval could not be found. We will show you what the file, the customer portal and the release look like.