Build Your Own Track and Trace System for Quality Control

Across the globe, food and drug industries, whose products are directly relevant to life and health, know very well of the importance of traceability for their products and ingredients, especially after many food and drug contamination cases. Just as important as food safety, manufacturing enterprises build vehicles, machines and electric devices for daily use also need a tracing system. Toyota’s recent recall, though tarnished the company’s reputation overnight, avoid more potential accidents. How to achieve efficient and practical quality control management? 2BizBox ERP brings you a complete traceability function since v3.2.

First we will see how to enable tracking in 2BizBox.

1. Enable tracking function in 2BizBox
To enable tracking in 2BizBox, find “Enable Tracking” setting in “control panel”-“General Settings”-“Company Setting”, tick and submit.

2. Enable tracking for a part
In “updating part” interface, tick “tracking”. Any part after enable tracking will be required to input tracking number and quantity when receiving from a purchase order, or issuing to a work order or sales order.

To look for tracking numbers for a tractable part, check its Part Onhand Information.

Comment:
1. Not all the parts and components need to be tracked. Products such as aircraft and rockets need complete traceability. For most manufacturers, trace the most important parts or components in the product is enough, e.g. to trace a vehicle’s engine and braking system in stead of doorknobs or rearview mirrors. It is according to the products’ industry standard for safety and quality.

2. Set a proper and unique tracking number is the key for successful tracing. Since traceability provides the ability to identify and track a product or a component to its point of origin, this origin, such as a particular lot or batch, production line and time frame, field, or supplier, should be the principle to set tracking numbers, e.g. computer manufacturers use commodities’ series number as the only tracking number. Food processors include exact time and date of manufacture in tracking numbers.

Now we can look into specific situations that traceability functions in 2BizBox.

1. Receive Purchase Order
When a part is set to be traceable, you have to input its tracking number when receiving it to the warehouse and start its life circle in 2BizBox. As shown in “Receive Purchase Order” interface, tracking numbers (can be generated automatically according to the PO Receiver Number) and quantity is compulsory items to fill. You can set separate numbers for each part or set series numbers for the whole batch of parts until all the parts have a tracking number, e.g. every engine should has an independent number while steels arrives at the same time could have a common batch number.

2. Work Order Issuing and Receiving
Quality control happens both during manufacturing and after sale. Therefore, tracking parts when issuing and tracking products when finishing the work order are both necessary. When issuing a part, you have to input the part’s tracking number. It is like telling the system which part you are issuing.

When the product is finished, you still need a number to track after it arrives at your customer. Automatically, 2BizBox will generate a number in format “WO# + Item# + Series#” if you cannot figure out a proper one.

All the issuing and receiving record are kept in Quality Box.

3. Sales Order and Shipping
Usually you need to track products sold to your customers. When making a shipping order, choose product quantity and tracking numbers in the list.

Now you’ve done all the tracking settings. Though it is a bit tedious, this indispensable step adds value to a manufacturing enterprise. How does it work out? When your customer gets problem with one of your products, just search the tracking number in “Quality Box” – “Tracking”, you will see clearly related SO, WO and PO to find origin of the problem.

Click “detail” will show you a complete tracking flow chart as follow: