Back to the future:
Traceability in production – Track and Trace
In times of complex supply chains and high demands on quality and legal requirements, traceability plays a decisive role in production. It enables seamless monitoring and documentation of the flow of parts or materials along the entire supply chain – from raw materials to the end product. This creates transparency, optimizes processes, improves safety, quality and delivery reliability and thus strengthens customer confidence.
Traceability increases safety and trust
Take automotive manufacturing, for example: just one error in safety-relevant components can have serious consequences. The traceability of all processes enables the manufacturer to identify the affected vehicles and inform customers quickly – traceability is therefore also a safety system that helps to prevent serious accidents.
Traceability applications such as those in FORCAM ENISCO’s MES (Manufacturing Execution System) solutions – E-MES and MES FLEX – or in SAP Digital Manufacturing can help to prevent dangerous scenarios such as the one in the example above by monitoring manufacturing processes.
What is traceability?
Traceability describes the ability to document the life cycle of a product or information from its origin to the current point in time (and vice versa) in a traceable manner. Where do the raw materials and individual parts of a product come from? Which production facilities and machines were involved in the manufacturing process? Put simply, it is about being able to precisely answer the questions “Where does it come from?” and “Where does it go?”.
How does digital traceability work?
Traditionally, traceability in production areas is done by manual documentation or recording. However, this method is very error-prone and time-consuming.
The use of digital traceability systems is much more efficient. The specific implementation of a traceability system depends on the respective area of application. Basically, digital traceability is based on the following elements:
- Unique identification: each object, component or piece of information is provided with a unique identifier – e.g. serial number, batch number, barcode.
- Documentation: All relevant information along the life cycle is recorded and documented – e.g. production data, transportation routes, storage conditions.
- Linking: The collected data is linked together to enable continuous traceability.
- Database: The information is stored in a database and can be retrieved and analyzed as required.
What needs to be considered before introducing a traceability app?
Traceability systems offer numerous advantages. A few points should be considered before implementation in order to find exactly the right solution.
- Analysis: Before introducing and operating a traceability application, a risk and cost/benefit analysis should be carried out – costs for required hardware, software and personnel in relation to the desired goals and possible risks.
- Complexity: The choice of a traceability system should be proportionate to the complexity of the tasks, especially in complex supply chains.
- Data protection and security: The storage and processing of sensitive data in the context of traceability requires a high level of data protection and security.
- Standardization: Standardized interfaces for the integration of a traceability system enable the exchange of data between different systems and companies.
Why is traceability important?
The implementation of traceability offers companies numerous advantages:
Maximum transparency
All steps in the life cycle of a product are clearly and comprehensibly documented. This includes the entire supply chain.
Improved quality assurance
By tracing products, processes or information, sources of error can be identified and rectified more quickly. This enables targeted quality control and improvement.
Efficient risk management
In the event of problems, traceability enables the affected area to be narrowed down quickly and precisely. Negative effects such as product liability risks can be minimized by acting quickly, e.g. through product recalls.
Optimized processes
The analysis of information from traceability helps companies to optimize processes and make them more efficient.
Increased trust
Transparent traceability systems create trust with customers and business partners as they ensure the traceability and safety of products and processes
Compliance with legal regulations
In many industries, traceability is required by law, e.g. in the food industry or in the field of medical products.
What advantages does digital traceability offer?
The increasing digital networking of companies and systems facilitates comprehensive and efficient traceability across company and national borders. By exchanging data, all players within a supply chain can access information in real time and thus react more quickly and effectively to events.
Digitization also enables efficient and cost-effective implementation of track and trace tools. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly important role in event-driven data collection.
What is event-driven data collection?
Event-driven or event-based data acquisition in production means that data is not recorded at fixed intervals, but only when a relevant event occurs. This could be the start or stop of a machine, the change of a parameter or the achievement of a certain quality criterion, for example. The advantages are reduced data traffic, lower resource consumption such as computing power, more flexible scalability, improved data quality and ultimately optimized business processes.
Traceability with MES solutions from FORCAM ENISCO
FORCAM ENISCO’s MES platform concept for discrete manufacturing is integrative and open-interface, modularly expandable and suitable for all types of manufacturing. The solutions support both contract and individual series production with many product variants as well as customized mass production or large series production with less product variance.
MES FLEX is a modular solution for companies that want to implement an MES solution step by step. It is particularly suitable for contract or individual series production.
E-MES is a modular production control system for companies with more complex production environments. It is particularly suitable for series production such as paint shops or for demanding logistics processes.
Both MES solutions use the principle of event-driven data acquisition for their Track & Trace functionality to ensure seamless traceability of products and components across an entire value creation process.
- Data capture: Relevant process data, such as batch numbers, processing time, machine number and operator ID, are captured on an event-driven basis and linked to the respective product or component.
- Data linking: The software creates a digital twin of the product and links this with all relevant process data and associated documents, e.g. test certificates or work instructions.
- Traceability: In the event of a complaint or quality problem, the software can be used to seamlessly trace the entire history of the product or component, for example which components were used in a product, when and where it was produced, which machines and parameters were used and which quality checks were carried out. The recorded data can be used to identify the cause of the problem and initiate appropriate measures.
Advantages with E-MES and MES FLEX
Transparency
Complete transparency across the entire production process
Efficiency
Faster identification and rectification of quality problems
Compliance
Compliance with legal requirements for traceability
Improved customer communication
Detailed information for customers in the event of a complaint
Continuous improvement
Analysis of recorded data to optimize processes
Special functions
- Process data acquisition and visualization
- Batch and individual part reporting
- Upstream tracing to identify sources of error
- Component area with detailed information on each component
Traceability with SAP Digital Manufacturing (SAP DM)
The cloud-based SAP DM solution enables manufacturers to seamlessly trace products and components throughout the entire manufacturing process to increase transparency and meet various requirements.
- Data capture: SAP DM captures and stores process-relevant data such as batch numbers, serial numbers, time stamps, machine parameters, material flow and quality data. Data capture can be automated via sensors, scanners and machine connections or manual.
- Linking: The recorded data is linked to the respective product or component and tracked throughout the entire life cycle. This enables a detailed history of each individual product.
- Visualization and analysis: The data is visualized in clear dashboards and reports. Product history and component tracking are simplified by functions such as upstream and downstream tracing.
Expertenmeinung
FORCAM ENISCO’s MES solutions for traceability offer scalable solutions through easy integration into existing ERP systems and flexible adaptation to unique requirements. This enables companies of all sizes to benefit from the advantages of traceability and optimize their production processes.