by Rusty Bellar | Blog Post | 0 comments
Tracking and tracing is a validation of how you execute your manufacturing processes and ensures your components, routings, testing/validations are aligned with your specifications and accepted tolerances. When a part or finished good has completed its cycle within your facility, you should be able to see all of the steps and “touches” that occurred during the manufacturing assembly.
Tracking and tracing provides you the forensic data to not only show the execution and makeup of your assembly, but also it provides the peace of mind that you are only producing and shipping good parts every time.
The benefit of using an MES for tracking and tracing is in the fact that a true MES should be active in real time, controlling and validating on a shop-floor level. A proper track and trace system will also guide the operators, control component material, verify operations and validate each and every step along the manufacturing cycle. Manufacturers need this data for efficiencies, KPIs and continuous improvement opportunities.
Data from a solid MES system can provide multiple benefits:
In order to configure an MES for your facility make sure you focus on your traceability needs.
If you have these items identified then you are well on your way to configuring what your MES needs to look like and how it needs to execute for tracking and tracing. Putting these pieces together provides you the ability to trace material from the time it enters your facility, until the time it is shipped out of your facility. You also will have the data validating the components, routing, machine values, tooling, etc… to analyze and provide the data to back up your decision making processes and initiatives for continuous improvement.