Product traceability—the capability to monitor manufactured products throughout their journey from raw materials to finished goods—has long been essential in the industrial sector. However, its significance has broadened well beyond the most regulated segments of the economy and has become integral to modern manufacturing strategies.
As the emphasis on traceability grows, supply chain managers must identify the most cost-effective and efficient methods for tracking, verifying, and documenting assets and materials. A successful traceability program should integrate seamlessly into a company’s production process, avoiding any bottlenecks in throughput or output.
To assist you in achieving your traceability objectives, we’ve gathered several tips and best practices. Explore these insights to uncover opportunities that align with your operations.
What is Traceability?
Traceability is about keeping track of all the raw materials, parts, and finished products during the manufacturing process.
The term combines “Trace” and “Ability,” which means the ability to follow products through different manufacturing areas. It’s especially important for things that can spoil, like food and cosmetics.
Having a traceability program helps you find important information about a product, such as:
- Who supplied it
- What the items are
- Inspection notes
- Manufacturing details
- Time spent at each workstation
- Distributors
There are two main types of product traceability:
1. Chain Traceability:
This means tracking products both forward and backwards. It allows manufacturers to follow products from raw materials to the distributor and helps distributors and customers know where the product came from
2. Internal Traceability:
This type focuses on just one part of the supply chain. For example, if you work with outside manufacturers, the information you get about their parts is part of internal traceability.
Ensure Traceability in Manufacturing in 6 Easy Steps:
1.Use Traceability Software:
Product traceability in manufacturing software is changing how manufacturing works. This smart software collects and organizes real-time updates about products or parts in one online place. It not only stores this information but also makes it easy to create reports, analyze data, manage recalls, and find faulty parts.
Different industries have different rules for product traceability, so many software options are available for specific fields.
For example, there is food traceability software for the food industry and aerospace traceability software for the aerospace sector. It’s a good idea to look for software that fits your specific industry. These tools work with product identification systems like barcode labels and tags to help track products effectively.
2. Set Up Supplier Traceability Controls:
Many manufacturing businesses depend on outside suppliers, known as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), to make specific parts for their products. A good example is the car industry, where many parts for a single car come from different suppliers.
The well-known Takata airbag recall shows why it’s important to track parts made by suppliers. To set up traceability with your suppliers, ensure clear data sharing. This can involve using batch numbers, compliance certificates, and production records.
Labelling parts with strong identification tags is one effective way to keep track of supplier-sourced components.
You can also keep an eye on supplier performance through audits, quality checks, and electronic data sharing to ensure you have the right traceability information when you need it.
3. Use Barcoding:
Barcoding is one of the simplest ways to track products. Each part or batch gets a unique code linked to an online database, which could be part of specialized traceability software or a management system.
Barcoding allows you to track each step of the manufacturing process in real-time. You can update records, confirm job completions, or time-stamp production milestones quickly, usually just by scanning a code. High-quality tags made from strong materials can handle even the toughest manufacturing conditions.
4.Add RFID Technology:
Like barcoding, RFID technology is another useful way to connect physical items with digital systems. RFID stands for Radio frequency Identification, and it uses radio waves to send data from a microchip. To gather data, the RFID chip needs to be close to a scanner, which activates it.
Using RFID for tracking has several benefits. You can read multiple RFID chips at once, and they can be reused, which can support smart packaging solutions. However, RFID systems can face issues like signal interference and security risks, and sometimes scanners might pick up signals from too far away.
Moreover, to work well, RFID tags need to be set up correctly to ensure they can be scanned accurately. If not configured properly, you might miss tracking some items, which can cause problems. Because of these challenges, barcoding is often a more dependable choice in many cases.
5. Train Your Employees:
Workers on the shop floor are key to making a traceability system work. Their ability to follow tasks like scanning barcodes or signing documents is crucial. Teaching them why traceability matters can help them take ownership of their role in the supply chain.
Good training not only increases compliance but can also improve morale, giving employees a stronger sense of purpose in their work.
6. Use Lean Manufacturing Processes:
Making it easier to trace material sources in manufacturing often means simplifying the whole manufacturing process. Lean manufacturing, a method first developed by Toyota, is a great example.
Even though recent product shortages have raised questions about how lean a production process should be, reducing excess materials still offers clear benefits for tracking.
With fewer raw materials on hand, it’s easier to identify where defects or recalls come from. Smaller production batches also help quality control teams check finished goods more effectively.
If there’s a problem, smaller batches allow for quicker recalls, process corrections, or supplier audits. Overall, lean manufacturing helps your company become more flexible and clear, which is important for tracking and tracing materials.
Why is Traceability in Manufacturing Important?
Now that we understand what traceable manufacturing is, let’s explore its importance in the manufacturing sector.
1. Facilitating Root-Cause Analysis:
Traceability allows manufacturers to quickly identify and locate when and where a problem occurred, providing details about the issue. This capability significantly enhances quality and efficiency by offering real-time visibility into the manufacturing process.
2. Resolving Inefficiencies:
Traceability helps pinpoint and address inefficiencies throughout the product lifecycle and supply chain. By optimizing manufacturing processes through traceability, companies can reduce waste, particularly by identifying problems early.
Enhanced visibility from traceability systems allows manufacturers to streamline their production processes, increasing efficiency and minimizing resource wastage.
For example, if certain parts are found to be defective, having visibility into the entire production process is crucial. It may reveal that a specific operator is consistently handling defective products, indicating gaps in training, or that raw materials weren’t properly dried, leading to defects.
3. Preventing Product Recalls:
Product recalls can disrupt business operations significantly. Industries implement traceability to manage and prevent unnecessary recalls. By lowering the risk of recalls, traceability minimizes damage and addresses common challenges faced by manufacturers. When the source of components is traceable, there’s a better chance of identifying compromised raw materials before they are used in production. It’s always better to prevent an error than to fix one after the product has shipped.
4. Enabling History Management:
In today’s fast-paced environment, managing manufacturing data and complying with frequently changing regulations can be challenging. Therefore, a history management system is essential. The rise of globalization has further emphasized the need for a system that records details of the manufacturing process and the plant.
5. Ensuring Compliance and Quality Control:
Tracking production processes helps businesses comply with regulatory requirements. It also ensures quality control by monitoring every stage of manufacturing. Traceability provides comprehensive quality assurance by maintaining standards throughout the production process.
6. Enhancing Customer Satisfaction:
Traceability plays a vital role in managing customer relationships and addressing complaints. If a customer spots an error in a product, traceability simplifies the process of identifying where the mistake occurred.
Strong traceability systems position organizations better in the market. They allow for continuous improvements in products, enabling manufacturers to develop higher-quality offerings that meet customer needs.
FAQ: 6 Steps to Improve Traceability in Manufacturing
What are the limitations of traceability?
Traceability can be limited by high costs, complex systems, data integration issues, and reliance on accurate data input. Human error can also undermine its effectiveness in tracking products accurately.
What is the role of traceability in compliance?
Traceability ensures that products meet industry regulations by tracking their origin and processing history. It helps businesses provide the necessary documentation, verify compliance, and facilitate audits, enhancing product safety.
What is the main component of traceability?
The main component of traceability is data collection, which includes information about products’ origins, manufacturing processes, and distribution paths. This data allows for accurate tracking and effective management of products.
Conclusion:
Improving traceability in manufacturing is essential for enhancing quality, efficiency, and compliance. By implementing effective strategies and utilizing advanced technologies, companies can achieve better product management. Qodenext offers solutions that can help streamline your traceability processes, ensuring you stay ahead in the competitive landscape.
