Inbound Logistics | January 2024

[ INSIGHT ] SCVISIBILITY

by Dave Snider Vice President of Marketing, Advantive advantive@alloycrew.com | 855-300-8209

8 Steps to Cracking the Traceability Code

As supply chain disruption and competition increase at a global scale, supply chain visibility has become vital for business success. Lack of visibility along the supply chain not only poses a risk to the seamless flow of goods but also raises concerns about product quality and overall productivity. With only 13% of manufacturers having full visibility into their supply chain network, it’s important to manage this challenge.

assurance, and traceability in modern manufacturing environments. 3. Mark materials. Marking products with identiers is a key step in developing an accurate traceability system within a manufacturing facility as it enables the tracking of materials and products throughout the entire production process. Products can be marked through an RFID tag, barcode, or another technology in the rmware of a machine, station, or test stand to trace the process as raw materials are received and nished goods are produced. Marking is a continuous aspect of the production process that is critical to quality control, regulatory compliance, and overall process efciency. 4. Begin collecting evidence for traceability. Once manufacturers are ready to begin collecting information, they should focus on the raw materials. Manufacturers must record the arrival of raw materials to the workstation, their movement through the manufacturing process, and how they associate with the specic products being produced. This systematic approach ensures a clear record of which materials are used and how, laying the foundation for accurate traceability throughout.

process. This can be organized through either a standards-based naming system or an internally established naming system, allowing manufacturers to make sense of the information that has been collected as it’s being gathered. 2. Develop your lot definitions. To determine the level of traceability needed, it’s important to dene and understand lot sizes. Traditionally, a production lot encompassed a specic product’s extensive, multi-day production process, but as manufacturers optimized production, lot sizes became signicantly smaller. Today, the denition of a production lot is no longer solely based on the number of products, but is more nuanced, considering specic elements of the production process to enable better control, quality

Navigating this issue prompts the question: How can manufacturers enhance visibility into their supply chain while simultaneously safeguarding product quality and increasing productivity? The answer lies in prioritizing traceability. Ensuring accurate traceability goes beyond mere processes into the importance of guaranteeing product quality and building and

maintaining consumer trust. The benets of traceability

signicantly outweigh the time and cost required to establish an effective system. Here are eight essential steps needed to build an accurate traceability system that customers can rely on: 1. Identify your processes and materials. The rst thing manufacturers must do is identify both the materials and the individual steps along the production

80 Inbound Logistics • January 2024