6 Reasons Why Manufacturing Traceability is Essential Now
Traceability in manufacturing refers to the ability to trace the parts, components and subassemblies to its point of origin. This is achieved through unique QR code or serial numbers that will be used in the entire production cycle until it reaches the final customer. When traceability is implemented, an organization is able to know the origin of components, inspection notes, production lifecycle, time spent at each workstation and production destinations.
Here are the six reasons why traceability in manufacturing is essential now.
Product Recall
When product recalls are required, traceability systems help to find out which component or system caused the problem. This helps in removing that component, part or sub component and ensures quality of product supplied. Product recalls can be costly and traceability helps in continuous improvement to obtain customer confidence and trust in the brand. Today, a company is part of a global supply chain and tracing the origin of a component or product is vital for sustenance and profitability. Meet Compliance Standards
In many industries such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, defence, food and electronics, it is mandated in regions such as the European Union as per law to implement traceability. Non adherence to traceability can lead to penalties or denial of access to markets.
Minimize Interruptions and Downtime
To remain competitive in global markets, it is essential to reduce down time and interruptions to manufacturing. Unless products, inventory and spares are easily traced to origin, it may be difficult to implement quality control and disruption in manufacturing operations. Advancement in technologies such as 2D bar codes, internet of things (IoT), RFID, datamatix ID have made it easier to permanently mark parts or components. Such technologies were costly to implement in the past but now quite affordable and available at competitive rates. Prevent Counterfeiting
Counterfeiting of goods is costing billions of dollars in lost business opportunities to industry across the world. Implementation of traceability helps in knowing whether the product or component used was fake or counterfeited. Use of barcodes, identifying marks known as 2DMI helps having the entire information captured in the database. It helps in resolving disputes about counterfeited goods. Customer Satisfaction
Implementation of traceability for the product and components helps in attaining higher satisfaction levels. Achieving end-to-end traceability is important to attain high levels of consumer satisfaction and resolving their issues. Root Cause Analysis
With traceability it is possible to identify potential problems before shipping a product and also when integrated with enterprise resource planning software (ERP), it is easier for the administration and accounts departments to get details of defective products. It makes it easier to trace it to the suppliers or vendors. Conclusion Manufacturers need to use different types of traceability to attain their goals which include downstream, upstream, internal and external traceability. Upstream tracing is meant for tracing of products from customer to manufacturer and to supplier, while external traceability refers to the ability to identify a product before entering the manufacturing facility and where it goes after leaving the facility. Downstream tracing is meant for products with guarantee or warranty provided by manufacturer or dealer. Downstream tracing is vital for recall of products. With more service providers to help you implement traceability in manufacturing, it is now easier to attain traceability standards with high performance, well-integrated traceability systems. It fully integrates into your internal enterprise resource planning (ERP) system thereby achieving internal and external efficiencies. It helps companies to have greater control over manufacturing processes and understand what makes products unique and successful. In short, manufacturing traceability improves supply chain visibility, quality control systems and reduces risk of business. If you are looking forward to implementing traceability in manufacturing or looking for manufacturing traceability solutions, Qodenext can provide you with all the support and assistance.
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