In today's global economy, manufacturers are up against companies from every corner of the world. To stay ahead of the competition, manufacturers need to employ the most cutting-edge manufacturing techniques and technologies - one of which is Traceability in manufacturing. 

Traceability software helps businesses track and trace the movement of products, parts, and materials as they make their way through the supply chain. This way, businesses can be sure that their products are moving as efficiently as possible from start to finish.

Any company can benefit from increased efficiency via traceability, especially those in the automotive sector. 

Why is traceability important for automotive parts manufacturers?

This is because, as the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has found, the number of recalls for vehicles has increased sharply in recent years. In fact, over a 5 year period there was a 36% CAGR in vehicles recalled by 2021. OEMs have responded to this by demanding greater traceability requirements from their Tier 1 & 2 suppliers.

When a recall happens, it typically causes significant financial and reputational losses to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). That's why it's critical to have a comprehensive recall process that is augmented by technological automation. 

Most automotive OEMs have a zero-defect policy. They encourage component manufacturers who perform well on zero-defect parameters and penalize those that do not. If a recall happens, traceability is key to any damage control efforts.

The recent increase in production rates for vehicles calls for a system to manage parts in real time, not just for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) but also for their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. To put it literally, vehicles need virtual identity cards at the component level.

What are the key elements of traceability?

A robust end-to-end traceability solution should be able to track the following key elements:

• Receipt of Raw materials from supplier
• Where and for how long were they stored in the stores/warehouse
• Quality approval parameters
• Who issued what raw materials into which process and when and how much quantity was issued
• Product (Raw material, semi-finished goods, finished goods) movement from one process to another in the production line

To ensure that you are aware of everything that is happening and to avoid any legal issues, it is important to be able to trace the path of materials and products from when they are first received until they are shipped to the customer, and also to be able to trace products back from the customer shipment to when the raw materials or Parts were received.

Codentrix has developed a SaaS application called Tracerbee that provides end-to-end traceability capabilities for medium to large component manufacturers. This application gives OEMs the granularity and automation they need to feel confident about their component manufacturer's capabilities during a recall or quarantine request.

How do you track products shipped to customer and respond to product recalls?

The Traceability solution should be like a map, pinpointing the location of a defective product. The ability to uniquely identify a part or a batch is essential to the recall management system. This way, the manufacturer can locate the parts/batch and take steps to recall or quarantine the defective parts/batch. Other parts that belong to the same batch can also be quarantined.

Tracerbee's dashboard is a lot like Google Analytics. It allows you to view your data at different granular levels, so you can track an item from RM to FG and back again.

Strengthen your product tracking capabilities with Tracerbee

At Tracerbee, we understand that traceability can be a difficult and time-consuming process, especially for companies with Production lines. That's why we created a cloud-based application to help solve your traceability needs. 

With Tracerbee, companies can track a batch/part uniquely throughout the entire Production line, giving you end-to-end visibility. In addition, using a system that includes full traceability can give you a greater chance of avoiding an expensive recall event and also give your OEMs the confidence that you have the right systems and processes in place.

If you need to keep track of your inventory in a manufacturing setting, Codentrix Technologies can help. We specialize in traceability solutions that help you manage your inventory and track your progress. 

Request a demo of our Tracerbee software to see how it can work for you.