A handover pack with gaps
The steelwork repaint in the warehouse is finished. The client's specification asks for records per area: surface preparation, ambient conditions and dew point at application, product batch numbers, and dry film thickness readings for each coat. The records are on paper sheets, some damp, some missing the dew point, one area missing the second coat readings entirely.
The supervisor spends two days typing them up, and the client queries the gaps before releasing payment.
Why coating records are incomplete
Industrial and protective coating work produces many readings across many areas and coats. Paper sheets let fields be skipped, readings are written up later, and nothing checks them against the specification until the end.
- Readings are written on paper during the shift.
- Fields like dew point or surface temperature are skipped.
- Batch numbers are not linked to the coat they were used in.
- Readings outside the specification are not flagged at the time.
- Reports for the client are typed up at the end.
The specification, inspection methods and acceptance criteria come from the client, the product manufacturer and your inspector. We do not set them. The system records against the values you enter.
What gaps in records cost
Payment held until records are complete. Areas re-inspected or recoated because readings cannot be shown. Days of admin at the end of the job. And a weak position if a coating fails later and the records cannot show what was done.
Coating records are often required as part of a wider quality or handover process on industrial and commercial sites, and they can be looked at long after the job, if a coating shows early signs of failure. At that point, a clear record of conditions, batches and film thickness for each area is the difference between a straightforward investigation and an argument about what probably happened.
Inspectors also spend less of their day on paperwork. When readings go straight into a tablet and are checked on entry, the inspector can spend their time looking at the work rather than filling in forms that someone else will type up later.
The digital inspection records we build
- The job is set up with areas and the coating system for each, with the specification values you enter: film thickness ranges, conditions and other limits.
- On a tablet, the inspector records surface preparation checks, ambient conditions, surface temperature and dew point before each coat. Required fields must be completed.
- Batch numbers for each product are scanned or photographed and linked to the area and coat.
- Film thickness readings are entered or taken from gauges that export data, and readings outside the range are flagged at once.
- Photos are attached to each area and stage.
- The client's report is produced from the records in the format they want, per area, with nothing missing.
| Record | Captured |
|---|---|
| Surface preparation | Check against specification, photo |
| Ambient conditions | Air and surface temperature, humidity, dew point |
| Product | Batch numbers per coat |
| Film thickness | Readings per coat, flagged if outside range |
| Report | Produced per area |
A complete pack at handover
Records are complete because incomplete ones cannot be saved. Readings outside the range are dealt with while the coat can still be corrected. The client's report is produced from the records, not typed. And payment follows completion rather than waiting for paperwork.
Are your coating records at risk?
- Readings are recorded on paper.
- Handover packs take days to type up.
- Clients have queried missing records.
- Batch numbers are not linked to coats.
- Out of range readings are found after the fact.