Industrial traceability systems are quickly becoming an important part of the manufacturing process for companies in various sectors. Although some believe that it only applies to products that can be recalled from the market, such as spoiled food, cars with defects or airplanes, traceability should be part of the processes of all Spanish manufacturers.
Considering the significant advantages it brings in terms of costs, resources and productivity, it is not difficult to understand why. The fact that companies trust SINCI to implement industrial identification systems that foster high-level track and trace capabilities, allowing them to have more precise control over their manufacturing process. This, in turn, helps them make safer, higher quality products, and create processes that can be optimized for continuous improvement.
What is an industrial traceability system?
Traceability is the ability to track all aspects of the manufacturing and distribution of a product and allows producers to track and locate every component of a product, from suppliers to the end consumer, through the manufacturing process.
Traceability is regulated by the ISO 8402 standard, which defines it as “the ability to trace the history, application or location of a product using recorded data.” Companies that implement industrial labeling procedures and systems can access historical information about their products, such as:
- Origin of the components.
- Inspection notes.
- Production life cycle.
- Time spent at each workstation.
- Product destinations.
Traceability primarily focuses on enabling accurate tracking and tracing of products, and these form the pillars of the concept. Tracking capabilities allow companies to closely follow the progress of a product throughout the manufacturing process (sometimes also from the supplier) and to the end consumer.
Tracking provides the means to follow the production sequence vertically throughout the supply chain allowing companies to discover the origin and history of products.
Types of track and trace in an industrial traceability system
Industrial traceability monitoring can be downward or upward, or internal or external. Downward traceability allows companies to track copies or batches of individual products throughout the production chain, from manufacturer to consumer. Upward traceability allows products to be traced from the consumer to the manufacturer, and even to the supplier.
Downward traceability is especially essential for products associated with a manufacturer or distributor warranty. This is the case, for example, of automobiles and household appliances. Perfect traceability is especially important in product recall campaigns.
Internal traceability includes all aspects of tracking and tracing production activities within a single facility or company. External traceability encompasses the ability to identify where a product has been (and what has been done to it) before it enters the next destination.
For manufacturers and distributors, traceability is also an essential resource for marketing success and customer loyalty. Manufacturers and distributors who know which products have been used by whom and for how long can target their customers with very specific marketing actions and thus guarantee ideal loyalty.
Upward tracking in the industrial traceability system
Upward tracking is essential to ensure security and transparency in the logistics chain. This process consists of following the journey of products from the consumer to the retailer, supplier and in some cases, the original manufacturer.
Upward tracking offers multiple benefits in logistics chain management. These include:
- Food safety: Allows you to quickly detect and address any food quality or safety issues. This helps protect the health of consumers and prevents possible disease outbreaks.
- Normative compliance: Complying with regulations and standards regarding upstream tracking is essential for companies. Proper tracking of products throughout the logistics chain ensures legal compliance and avoids penalties and legal issues.
- Efficiency in crisis management: Should a product-related crisis or incident arise, upstream tracking allows for a quick and effective response. Identifying the source of the problem promptly helps minimize negative impacts and take timely corrective actions.
- consumer confidence: Upward traceability provides transparency to the consumer. By knowing that products are traceable and that companies have the ability to identify and resolve problems, consumers have greater confidence in the quality and safety of the products they purchase.
- Internal traceability in industrial labeling systems
In addition to external traceability along the production and supply chain, internal traceability of parts and products also plays an important role in companies. Especially large companies that need to know which items and products have been processed in which plants and in which manufacturing processes.
In practice, each product or batch is assigned its own identification number, which allows internal tracking of the company and the plant. Additional information can be assigned to this identification number throughout the manufacturing process, such as dimensions or inspection results.
Internal traceability also plays a vital role in companies' parts management. Traceability is used here to control and manage reusable parts, such as tools. By using specific serial numbers, detailed tracking can be performed.
The meaning of an industrial traceability system
The traceability of products and parts is of vital importance, especially for companies in the Spanish manufacturing industry, since they are obliged to maintain the highest quality standards. If a problem arises related to product quality, the company must be able to rectify it immediately. The costs of product recall campaigns, for example, in the automobile industry, often run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Furthermore, in a global economy, the supply and service chains of almost all industries are internationally interconnected. In this context, the traceability of products and merchandise is a necessary prerequisite for the proper functioning of companies within the national and international sphere.
Furthermore, many current supply chains do not have visibility and transparency at every stage of the journey, from raw materials to consumer products, sometimes causing the waste of valuable natural resources that could be avoided.
And last but not least, consumer protection is also a reliable factor in transparency in value chains. Companies that are not able to practice upstream and downstream tracking can face enormous legal difficulties if in doubt.
How does an industrial identification system work?
There are two main components on which effective traceability systems are based:
- Reliable identification/coding.
- Centralized record keeping.
The process requires the adoption of an identification or coding system that allows the unique labeling of individual products, batches or production of a geographical area. This involves the use of technologies such as permanent marking of parts or components as they enter the assembly process or directly from the supplier. Companies can use 2D barcodes, data matrix IDs or RFID tags here.
Once the product or component begins the manufacturing process, its ID is captured in real time and transmitted to a central database, along with information about how it has been treated at each workstation. This is repeated in all the workstations through which the product or component passes, creating a detailed history of the production journey of each product in a unique way.
This data can be compared to production planning systems to ensure that no steps are missed. The industrial identification system can be applied automatically at each stage of the process by checking the part against a bill of materials to confirm that it has arrived at the correct location and has gone through the correct assembly process.
When a product accumulates a complete manufacturing history, it is said to be fully traceable. Although in the past it was expensive to implement industrial traceability systems such as those described, now even more sophisticated methods are available at competitive costs.
Why is an industrial identification system important?
As more facilities and manufacturers move from traditional manufacturing to digital processes, it is becoming clear that traceability is the future of manufacturing.
Technology has already revolutionized the manufacturing process, saving costs and resources. However, as the industry 4.0 solutions continue to gain speed, companies can begin to fully enjoy the broad benefits of technology-enhanced production through robust industrial traceability systems.
There are other important considerations to understand the importance of traceability in companies. They are between them:
- Product recall: Product recalls can be fatal. Traceability is vital for fast, efficient and less costly product recalls. Not only does it help companies better manage these situations, but traceability also helps prevent avoidable product recalls.
- Quality control: With the high-level control it provides over the manufacturing process, traceability encourages thorough quality control. This is invaluable in sectors such as automotive, food production and manufacturing.
- Operational efficiency: Too often, the manufacturing process is characterized by waste, especially when it is caused by factors that could have been avoided if they had been discovered in time. With the implementation of industrial traceability systems, companies can optimize their production processes to increase efficiency and reduce waste of resources.
- Customer satisfaction: In short, the business is about solving consumer problems and positioning yourself as a valuable solutions provider.
With powerful industrial traceability and material handling systems, like the ones we offer you at SINCI , companies are better positioned to implement incremental improvements that help them present higher quality products that fully satisfy customer needs.
Advantages of traceability with an industrial identification system
Companies that begin to implement traceability can begin to benefit from the radically greater vision and control they have over how their products are manufactured and distributed. They can easily avoid manufacturing problems and, when they do occur, finding the solution will be much easier.
Product recalls can be a nightmare, leading to terrible costs and significant damage to a company's brand, reputation and goals. Keep in mind that this threat affects all companies, regardless of their sector.
By implementing well-designed industrial traceability systems, companies can prevent disaster and access multiple benefits, including:
- Analysis of the root cause of the problem: Traceability makes it much easier to identify potential issues before a product is shipped, accurately predict the scope of the problem, and focus on its source.
- continuous improvement: The modern company is efficient, agile and flexible. Traceability encourages the adoption of an efficient manufacturing process that minimizes waste and encourages continuous improvement.
- Value stream mapping and optimization: With greater control over the manufacturing process, companies are better able to understand what makes their products unique or successful and optimize these aspects.
- Meet compliance standards: Regions such as the EU require traceability in certain industries, such as food production. Other industries, such as automotive, aerospace and defense, also require strict traceability programs.
- Avoid the costs of non-traceability: Many companies do not want to know about product failures that could have been avoided or mitigated if an industrial traceability system had been implemented. They can avoid these disasters by ensuring they have a good industrial identification system that covers their entire process.
- Effective overall production: With increasing globalization, companies have to maintain global supply chains, manufacturing and distribution. Over those thousands of miles, there are many things that can go wrong. Traceability helps minimize the risk of disasters and provides the tools necessary to nip problems in the bud when they occur.
Letting technology support you will make your manufacturing company stronger. These are some of the advantages of using industrial traceability systems in your manufacturing process:
- To be preparedEven before the manufacturing process begins, collecting data on the availability of manufacturing resources can contribute to an efficient workflow by ensuring you are fully prepared to start and maintain production. Being able to see both the quantity and location of raw materials prevents unexpected shortages from causing unnecessary disruption to the production line.
If your company handles perishable products, tracking ingredients also ensures that they are used in the order they are received, reducing the risk of costly waste. Tracking the location of mobile test tools and equipment dramatically reduces time spent searching for these resources, allowing workers to focus on their core tasks.
- Increase productivityMany companies don't know precisely how long exactly it takes for their products to travel down the production line. This information is vital when setting production goals and checking performance against them. Being able to clearly see how long products remain in each phase of the manufacturing process can also help you spot bottlenecks, so you can identify the cause and respond accordingly.
For example, if products are piling up at a specific point in the process due to lack of staff, you can consider redistributing the equipment in several phases to avoid fewer jams and help unblock the situation.
For more complex products that consist of multiple components, it is even more beneficial to have visibility into how they behave on the production line. Uniquely identifying work in progress at each phase of production can help ensure that the correct options are installed for each product variant.
For example, during its construction, it may be necessary to equip a car seat with additional extras, such as a heating pad or armrests. Tracking each seat through the various phases of production can help you quickly identify which phase it is in and specify what needs to be installed next. This not only speeds up the process, but helps minimize errors.
- Optimize quality control processesUsing automated tracking data for your quality control process helps ensure compliance and improve efficiency. Automated registration eliminates the risk of human error that comes with a manual process. It also means that you can be sure that your finished products have gone through all the necessary warranty phases, with no room for error.
Tracking manufacturing data and setting limits around key parameters can surface issues before they become critical within a production process.
For example, over time, wear and tear on production equipment will impact the quality of finished products. Degradation may not be noticeable on a day-to-day basis, but if trends become evident over a period of time, it may be possible to predict component failure and intervene before a production line is stopped.
- Improve stock managementAccurately tracking the quantity and location of your products ready for shipment can help you identify potential stockouts before they occur or prevent overstocking.
If your company produces perishable products, knowing the exact whereabouts of your finished products helps you quickly locate them and ship them in the proper order. Ensuring older perishable products are shipped first significantly reduces the risk of them expiring before you've had a chance to ship them, thus avoiding waste.
The use of industrial traceability systems to control stocks and materials handling allows you to considerably reduce the time spent searching for products, manually checking stocks or cycle counting (periodic and regular counts of a subset of the products or materials). available, rather than counting all inventory at once). In some cases, when technology is used effectively, these processes can be eliminated entirely, allowing staff to focus on other critical tasks.
- Deliver effectivelyIn addition to helping you protect and refine your manufacturing processes, tracking data can also help you ensure more efficient shipping and delivery. Shipping errors are not only frustrating for customers, but also inconvenient, costly, and time-consuming for businesses to correct.
By tracking products as they are loaded onto transport vehicles, you can ensure that all necessary items are loaded before they leave for their final destination. Knowing that products have been picked up on time and in the correct quantities helps you get it right the first time when it comes to a satisfactory customer experience.
How the SINCI industrial traceability system helps businesses
For more than 30 years, SINCI has been integrating intelligent systems in the production of industrial sectors such as Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Automotive, Chemical, among others, which has led to a 20% improvement in efficiency and a significant reduction in waste of up to 45%.
Request a quote now and learn how our industrial traceability and materials management systems allow you to obtain all the information and methodology necessary to understand the entire process from the production order.