Datum North
Better systems for the realities of manufacturing

Keep production moving. Stop chasing paperwork.

Custom, paperless software for manufacturing quality and operations. Start with one workflow, cut the chasing around it, and add more as you grow.

Installed on your network · Fixed-price phases · Start with one workflow

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Built for Machine shops Plastic and polymer parts Metal fabrication Assembly and equipment builders Contract manufacturers
ISO 9001 and AS9100

Certified to ISO 9001? Keeping it up between audits is the hard part.

Steps get skipped when people are busy: an NCR nobody closes, a gauge past its due date, a drawing change that never reaches the floor. Datum helps you stay compliant. Every step gets an owner, a due date and a reminder, and the evidence your auditor asks for is kept as the work happens.

  • Working toward certification?Your procedures run in Datum from day one, so the records the standard asks for build up as you work.
  • Already certified?Overdue steps show up weeks before the audit, not during it. Audit prep stops being a scramble.
  • Still on paper?Go paperless one form at a time, with the same fields and the same approvals.

Datum keeps the records and runs the steps. Certification still comes from your registrar's audit.

Keep your forms

Your team already knows how to use it. It's your form.

  • Same fields, same order as your controlled paper form
  • Prints in the layout your auditors already know
  • Each sign-off is recorded with a name and time
  • Paper still works on the floor; enter it later
On paper today
The same form in Datum

Form F-104 is a sample. Yours is built from your own form during setup.

Illustration · the same NCR on paper or by email
  1. Day 1Printed and left in the review tray.
  2. Day 4Emailed to the approver, who is out until Monday.
  3. Day 9Parts still on hold. Nobody is sure who has it.
  4. Day 23Found unsigned during audit prep.
23 days and an audit finding
Illustration · the same NCR in Datum North
  1. Day 1Raised. Hold placed. Approver notified.
  2. Day 2Reminder sent. Disposition signed.
  3. Day 3Re-inspected. Hold released.
  4. Day 3Closed, with the full history on file.
3 days with every step signed

An illustrative scenario, not a measured client result.

Integrations

Works with the tools you already use

Some connections come with every setup. Others depend on your systems, so we check them during discovery and quote them before any work starts.

Included Every setup

Sign-in, notices and documents your team already uses.

Microsoft or Google sign-inYour existing work accounts
Outlook and GmailReminders and approvals by email
Microsoft TeamsNotices where people already chat
Excel and CSVImport your lists, export any record
Word and PDFReports and packages in your layout
SharePoint and OneDriveLink the files you already keep there

Possible Scoped in discovery

Connections to the systems and equipment you run today.

AccountingOrders and invoices to QuickBooks, Sage or Xero
Your current ERP or MRPShare parts, orders and stock both ways
CMM and test equipmentRead result files as they're saved
CAD and drawing filesLink drawings by part and revision
Barcodes and labelsScan lots and print tags on the floor
Power BI and reportingFeed your own dashboards

Integrations use your organization's own accounts and services.

How we set it up

Start with one form, add more when it pays off

Each phase has a fixed price agreed before it starts, a demo every two weeks and your written sign-off at the end. Nothing starts until the step before it is agreed in writing.

1
Discovery

Your process is mapped as it runs today. Scope and acceptance criteria are agreed in writing.

2 to 3 weeks
2
Pilot

One or two forms set up, installed and used for real, with a demo every two weeks.

Fixed price
3
Acceptance

Signed off against the agreed criteria before final payment. Training included.

End of each phase
4
Grow and support

Add the next module when you're ready. Remote updates and fixes on a monthly plan.

Ongoing

Every record keeps its history.

Generated is not signed.

Blank, none and unknown are different answers.

The software flags. People decide.

Problems show up early.

Your data. Your network. Your control.

The application and database run on your own network. Integrations such as sign-in, email and SharePoint use your organization's existing accounts. You own your records and can export them at any time.

  • Backups and recovery stay with your IT, on your hardware
  • No servers on site? We can host it for you as a web app
  • Every change logged with who and when

Datum North supports the records ISO 9001 and AS9100 ask for. Certification comes from a registrar's audit of your whole quality system.

On your premisesYour computers, your network
Full historyWho changed what, and when
Export anytimeExcel, PDF and a database copy
Traceable recordsDesigned to support your quality system
Common questions

The questions worth asking first

Do we have to change all our forms at once?

No. Start with the one that causes the most chasing, often NCRs or calibration. Everything else stays on paper until you decide otherwise.

Can we still print for the binder or the auditor?

Yes. Every record prints in your existing form layout, with its signatures, dates and history.

What if a computer or the network goes down?

Datum runs on a computer in your own building, so your records don't depend on an outside service. If a PC or the network is down, fill in the printed form by hand and enter it when things are back. The record shows when it was entered.

Do my people need to be good with computers?

If they can fill in a form and read an email, they can use it. The screens are your own forms, and training is part of every phase, signed off before the phase is accepted.

Can it connect to our accounting or current ERP?

Often, yes. Sign-in, email, Teams, Excel and PDF come with every setup. Connections to accounting, an existing ERP or measuring equipment are checked in discovery and priced before any work starts.

We don't have our own server. Can we still use it?

Yes. We can host it for you as a web app, with the same screens and records.

Who handles backups?

Your IT, on your own hardware. If we host it for you, backups are part of the hosting.

Who owns the records?

You do. They stay on your machines, you can export them at any time, and the contract says so.

What if Datum North stops trading?

You choose the protection when you sign: a copy of the source code held by an independent escrow agent and released to you if that happens, or a source licence for your own use.

What does it cost?

Each phase has a fixed price agreed before it starts, after a short discovery. A one-module pilot is the usual first step.

About

Who's behind Datum North

Datum North is a small studio that builds software for manufacturers that still run on spreadsheets, paper forms and email chains. The founder works in quality and inspection, and has seen these problems first-hand on the shop floor. We work with companies across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

  • CQTASQ Certified Quality Technician (CQT)
  • ISO 9001Certified ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor
  • BEngMechanical
Get in touch

Tell us which form to replace first

Send a short note about the process and the tools you use today, or ask for a 30-minute call. The reply comes within two business days, with questions, then a decision on whether a pilot makes sense.

Or email
Prefer a call? Say so in the message.

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