The Power of Product Traceability in Manufacturing

Product Traceability in Manufacturing 

To improve processes in all industrial sectors, product traceability is essential. Product traceability is critical to enhancing efficiency and quality in every industry. Having high-level tracing procedures allows industries to take a closer look at their production processes and have more control over their performance. Manufacturers can enhance processes at the workstation by applying product traceability. We have created a guide below explaining the many forms of product traceability in manufacturing, what it is, and four ways producers may utilize traceability data to improve their processes.   

What is Product Traceability? 

The capacity to locate and confirm the whole history of manufactured parts is known as traceability, sometimes as product traceability. It includes tracking, analyzing, and reporting from the minute a worker begins the shift until the product arrives in receiving.  

1. What is Internal Traceability?  

Tracking parts as they move through a single company’s or plant’s procedures is known as internal traceability.  The process by which raw materials enter a facility, are transformed into intermediate goods, and finally become finished products is described by internal traceability.

Records related to internal processes, shipments, and acceptance are all included. When all this data is combined, the whole part of the production process is displayed.  

After that, the data may be examined in more detail through the integration of Industry 4.0 software. For instance, the AR solutions from Dropslab Technologies, which use the iOS and Android versions Dropslab Sense and connectivity with RealWear and other smart glasses, serve as traceability software solutions by providing manual process data including accurate and incorrect bin selections, step timings, appropriate inspections, and part placement. 

2. What is Supply Chain Traceability? 

While internal product traceability monitors parts within the organization or manufacturing facility, chain traceability follows parts as they travel across the supply chain. Traceability of this kind raises quality significantly by giving additional insight throughout the whole product manufacturing and distribution process.  

The transfer of an automobile headliner from a Tier 1 supplier to an OEM may be utilized to show supply chain traceability. Headliners of different varieties could be produced by the same Tier 1 plant. Manufacturers must track every headlining that leaves the production and the order it was in when it is carried off the premises.

It reduces throughput and creates problems between the OEM and supplier if a set of headliners are broken during transportation. 

Parts leaving the production in good condition can be verified by the Tier 1 supplier with complete chain traceability. The confidence OEMs and tiered suppliers need may be achieved by integrating augmented reality into car manufacturing through technologies such as Dropslab Technologies’ AR solutions. Every step of the way, its snapshot capability may offer unwavering confirmation of part quality along with an additional date and the failure catalog feature can tell what things must be changed to improve quality. 

Why is Traceability Important in Manufacturing? 

Real-time visibility into a manufacturer’s processes through product traceability may significantly increase output efficiency and quality. Product traceability aids in production efficiency and continual development in four ways.   

1. Product Traceability Puts Data into Context 

Individual data points might be challenging to interpret on their own. Full traceability, on the other hand, enables the compilation of data into dashboards and reports that provide a more comprehensive picture of your process and the many products that go through it. 

Modern digital platforms and devices, including as PLC systems and MES, may capture several types of product traceability data, such as the following: 

• Cycle timings 

• Worker IDs 

• Product Barcode scans 

• Gauge values 

• Serial numbers 

• Dates and hours at which the workers started and finished their task 

Each of these is essential for determining how well your method is working. Agile software like Dropslab Sense may be used to compile these separate data points and then display how they all come together to evaluate the whole like your complete production process. Seeing it as a system helps you identify your areas of success and difficulty.   

2. Traceability Improves Quality 

Factory-level indicators, particularly quality, may be enhanced after persistent issues and inefficiencies are identified. When it comes to quality control, traceability aids in containing defective items that may have originated from a batch of raw materials, malfunctioning production equipment, or a flaw in the design. Once you have located the first malfunctioning component, you may proactively locate and fix any additional impacted components by looking up any others that might be having the same issue. 

Product traceability initiatives not only facilitate post-mortem root cause defect identification but also promote responsibility among process operators and your organization. 

For example, having a worker scan their employment card at the station as they begin their shift might remind them of their responsibilities to ensure that they are completing their duties correctly and with the care that the product and your consumer deserve.

E.ON, a leading German energy provider, collaborated with Dropslab Technologies to enhance their network infrastructure maintenance process. Dropslab implemented their advanced technology to digitize and simplify the inspection and documentation processes of network nodes, which previously relied on paper checklists and forms. By providing real-time access to detailed specifications and service expertise through their technology, Dropslab guaranteed a more efficient and accurate process.

This solution offered a complete view of the network infrastructure’s condition with traceability of all maintenance activities. As a result, E. ON reduced errors by 80%, saved costs by 40%, and reduced their process time by 15%. Overall, E. ON experienced significant improvements, including reduced unplanned outages, minimized downtime, and optimized resource consumption. 

3. Product Traceability Informs Better Decision Making 

Data and reports created to prevent errors can also be used to uncover more serious issues with a process, such as overly time-consuming and costly tasks.   

Fully tailored data may also disclose issues that are difficult to uncover with data from a single device alone. Patterns might form that demonstrate the issues that workers experience, such as irrelevant activities that produce an ergonomic danger or a job safety risk. 

When workers are expected to undertake irrelevant or excessively complex duties, they will discover methods to make the process simpler for themselves, often at the expense of safety or quality. Identifying these issues helps fix them, allowing workers to perform their duties more successfully and comfortably.

 

4. Product Traceability Makes Compliance Possible 

Certain sectors, such as aerospace, defense, and medical device manufacture, need traceability throughout their operations. It is critical to understand where a product has gone, who has handled it, and if each stage of the process was completed correctly and securely. Even in businesses that do not need product traceability as part of their requirements, having a completely traceable product promotes confidence and increases the product’s reputation among customers. 

In many circumstances, OEMs may require full product traceability of their suppliers’ operations to obtain complete traceability of their own goods. As noted in the previous automotive headliner example, a traceable procedure can also be used to evaluate whether quality issues emerged in another location in the supply chain. Being able to detect this allows the suppliers to stay safe from blame for problems they did not create.  

Similarly, for businesses that rely on products from several suppliers, traceability standards may help them figure out where the parts that make up their products have gone, allowing them to better assure the quality of their products for their consumers. 

A Fully Traceable Future with Augmented Reality 

Product traceability is transforming every industrial business. As the globe grows increasingly interconnected, more data becomes available. To remain competitive, producers should understand all aspects of a particular process. Fortunately, we can now see our processes at an enterprise level. Overall, this promotes quick issue solving and continual progress.  

Manual data can be traced more effectively across processes by including augmented reality solutions such as Dropslab Sense app that connects with RealWear, iOS, and Android. Manual procedures that were previously impossible to track or change are now more accessible, resulting in greater quality, efficiency, and throughput.  

To find out how AR can enhance product traceability and process improvement in your organization, set up a demo with one of our experts.