How to ensure tracking and traceability in your manufacturing processes

Whether you are a business producing bespoke products, or mass manufacturing products daily, it is important to ensure tracking and traceability in your manufacturing process.

Why is tracking and traceability in manufacturing processes important? 

There are many benefits to establishing tracking and traceability in your manufacturing process. For example, if you have efficient tracking, you will be able to predict more accurately manufacturing and delivery times, so you can give customers more accurate timeline predictions. You will also be able to monitor production line work more effectively, helping you to identify links in your production chain that are not working as efficiently as others.

Improving traceability in your manufacturing process will help you to organise your inventory data and improve your stock control. With efficient traceability, you will never overproduce products, as you will have a clear understanding of how much stock you have and where it is. Should the worst happen and you have to recall a product, traceability in your manufacturing process will help you to locate the product quickly, discreetly and efficiently.

How do you ensure tracking and traceability in your manufacturing process?

The easiest and most effective way to ensure tracking and traceability in your manufacturing process is to use a manufacturing ERP system. ERP software can help you integrate tracking and tracing naturally into your existing manufacturing processes. Below we list just some of the way’s ERP software can help ensure tracking and traceability.

1. Inventory and resource management

   Inventory and resource management, such as scanning and numbering goods inwards to outwards, can ensure any products you manufacture are fully traceable. All barcodes and serial numbers allocated will be stored on ERP software, providing minute to minute updates on inventory data.

2. Serial tracking

   With ERP software, the status of an order can be efficiently tracked. By monitoring shop floor productivity and the movement of a product serial number, management teams will be able to optimise the production line following customer requirements and what resources are currently available.

3. System auditing

   How efficient are your current manufacturing systems? If you are unsure, a system audit will help identify any areas in your manufacturing process that could be improved. A system audit will allow you to track and trace manufacturing processes more efficiently as it will eliminate processes from the supply chain that are unnecessary or inefficient.

4. Monitoring and storing data

   Manufacturing software can accurately monitor and store data about resources, labour hours and materials to ensure you can offer your customers correct costing and invoicing and have accurate profit margins. If this monitoring had to be completed by a human employee, it would be a time-consuming task and would most likely be subject to human error. With an ERP system, on the other hand, you can be confident in the accuracy of your made to order pricing.

Both discrete and process manufacturers can benefit from having tracking and traceability in their operations. WinMan ERP software can help. To learn more about our manufacturing ERP system is and how it could benefit your business, do not hesitate to contact WinMan today.