Navigator

Industry

Tooling

For tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers, where each tool moves from request and design through manufacture, trial and commissioning into a working life of use and maintenance.

  • Tool & die manufacturers
  • Press tool manufacturers
  • Progressive die manufacturers
  • Forging die manufacturers
  • Plastic injection mould manufacturers
  • Die casting die manufacturers
  • Jigs & fixtures manufacturers
  • Gauge manufacturers
  • Special purpose tooling manufacturers

Introduction

About the tooling industry

Tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers design and build press tools, progressive dies, forging dies, injection moulds, jigs, fixtures and gauges — for their own production or for customers.

Each tool is effectively a project: request, feasibility, quotation, design, BOM, machining, trial and correction before approval. Once in production, its life, maintenance and repairs decide how long it keeps making good parts.

Segments

Segments in this industry

Segments

  • Tool & die manufacturers
  • Press tool manufacturers
  • Progressive die manufacturers
  • Forging die manufacturers
  • Plastic injection mould manufacturers
  • Die casting die manufacturers
  • Jigs & fixtures manufacturers
  • Gauge manufacturers
  • Special purpose tooling manufacturers

Process

Typical tool room flow

  1. Tool request
  2. Feasibility
  3. Quotation
  4. Design
  5. BOM
  6. Routing
  7. Procurement
  8. Tool manufacturing
  9. Inspection
  10. Trial
  11. Correction
  12. Re-trial
  13. Approval
  14. Commissioning
  15. Tool life
  16. Maintenance

Challenges

Challenges without industry-specific software

What tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers typically face when the business runs on spreadsheets, paper and disconnected tools.

  • Tool life is tracked in spreadsheets that are never reconciled with production.
  • Trials and corrections are not recorded, so lessons are lost on the next tool.
  • Drawing revisions change requirements without a clear baseline.
  • Development cost is not accumulated against the tool, so quotations rely on guesswork.
  • Nobody knows where a tool is, or whether it is available, in production or under repair.

Generic ERP

Where generic ERP falls short

Generic ERP is built around a clean, linear order-to-invoice flow. These are the gaps that usually push teams back to spreadsheets.

  • Has no concept of a tool rated for a given life with usage remaining.
  • Treats tool development as a generic work order instead of a project with trials and corrections.
  • Schedules maintenance by calendar, ignoring actual usage.
  • Does not tie tool usage to the work orders that consumed it.

Why Navigator

Our USP and key benefits

Navigator is customized to how tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers work, on a manufacturing-first core — engineering, PPC and MRP, purchasing, production, quality, maintenance and finance — shaped by customized ERP work across varied manufacturing segments since 1997. Our no-code development tool, launched in 2020, greatly speeds up that customization, so the system follows your process instead of forcing you into a generic template.

  • Engineering from request to commissioning

    Tool requests, feasibility, revision-controlled design, tool BOM and routing, manufacture and inspection in Navigator - ToolRoom.

  • Every revision, trial and correction kept

    A separate record for every trial and correction, with the tool request, development project and tool master kept apart so history is never lost.

  • Tools tracked through their working life

    Tool master, movement, usage against expected life, maintenance, breakdowns and repairs in Navigator - ToolRoom.

  • Gauges calibrated on time

    Calibration plans, jobs, records and the due register in Navigator - QMS.

From our journey

Where Navigator has worked in this industry

In 2006 Navigator delivered a solution for an automobile OEM that included outsourced and in-house die and tool room management. See our journey

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which segments does Navigator cover in tooling?

Tooling covers tool & die manufacturers, press tool manufacturers, progressive die manufacturers, forging die manufacturers, plastic injection mould manufacturers, die casting die manufacturers, jigs & fixtures manufacturers, gauge manufacturers and special purpose tooling manufacturers.

What is the typical process in tooling?

A typical flow runs Tool request → Feasibility → Quotation → Design → BOM → Routing → Procurement → Tool manufacturing → Inspection → Trial → Correction → Re-trial → Approval → Commissioning → Tool life → Maintenance.

What challenges do tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers face without industry-specific software?

Tool life is tracked in spreadsheets that are never reconciled with production. Trials and corrections are not recorded, so lessons are lost on the next tool. Drawing revisions change requirements without a clear baseline. Development cost is not accumulated against the tool, so quotations rely on guesswork. Nobody knows where a tool is, or whether it is available, in production or under repair.

Why is generic ERP not enough for tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers?

Has no concept of a tool rated for a given life with usage remaining. Treats tool development as a generic work order instead of a project with trials and corrections. Schedules maintenance by calendar, ignoring actual usage. Does not tie tool usage to the work orders that consumed it.

What are the benefits of Navigator for tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers?

Navigator is customized to how tool rooms and tool, die and mould makers work, on a manufacturing-first core — engineering, PPC and MRP, purchasing, production, quality, maintenance and finance — shaped by customized ERP work across varied manufacturing segments since 1997. Our no-code development tool, launched in 2020, greatly speeds up that customization, so the system follows your process instead of forcing you into a generic template. Key benefits: Engineering from request to commissioning — Tool requests, feasibility, revision-controlled design, tool BOM and routing, manufacture and inspection in Navigator - ToolRoom. Every revision, trial and correction kept — A separate record for every trial and correction, with the tool request, development project and tool master kept apart so history is never lost. Tools tracked through their working life — Tool master, movement, usage against expected life, maintenance, breakdowns and repairs in Navigator - ToolRoom. Gauges calibrated on time — Calibration plans, jobs, records and the due register in Navigator - QMS.

Which Navigator products are relevant for tooling?

Products to look at first are Navigator - ToolRoom, Navigator - ERP and Navigator - QMS. Navigator ToolRoom covers tool room engineering, from tool request to commissioning, and tool room management through movement, usage, maintenance and repair.

Next step

See Navigator against your own process

Tell us how you manufacture and where planning breaks down. We will walk you through the parts of Navigator that fit.