Traceability
The benefits of traceability cannot be denied. The main focus lies on the knowledge about the products which are really affected by a batch problem, as in this way the call-back quantity and the costs can be reduced. However, the clear identification of those responsibles also plays an important role concerning product liability. And the fulfillment of legal requirements - such as in medical technology - enforces a functioning traceability. At Kuttig Electronic, traceability is implemented in the following ways:
- Traceability of material
- Traceability of employees
- Traceability of processes
- Traceability of tests
Traceability of material
Traceability to the smallest component is implemented in our production process. Upon receipt, each delivery lot is immediately assigned clearly to the consignment, the supplier and the manufacturer by means of a label. We speak of a delivery record ID (or "LRecID"), which is printed on the label both in plain text and as a barcode.
During commissioning, this LRecID is scanned, associated with the production lot and filed in our database "Omnidat". In the production department of Electronic Kuttig each module and each device is equipped with a unique serial number label. The label contains both the legible serial number, as well as the corresponding barcode. During the assembly, the LRecIDs are scanned and assigned to the produced serial number range. By the storing in our database, it is further possible to identify the serial numbers of problematic delivery lots.
During assembly, the serial numbers of the installed components are additionally scanned and assigned to the device serial number. The completeness of the acquisition is enforced by the deposited hierarchical BOM. The result is stored as a building structure in our database and printed out as a S/N detection together with the delivery note. Of course, this S/N detection can also be sent by e-mail as an EXCEL file in order to enable an automatic import into the ERP system.
Traceability of the employees involved
In the production planning, a process card is created for each production lot and each step is provided with a work step-ID in the barcode. Before an employee starts a work step, he identifies himself at his terminal and then scans the step ID. This way not only the assignment is saved, but also the time tracking for post calculation is started. If a production lot is split into subsets, the detection of employees matches the subsets.
In the evaluation it is thus possible to display the involved employees and their working time for each step and each subset.
Traceability of processes
As part of the production planning, specifications are defined for each production. Via the manufacturing lot number, which is part of the serial number, all relevant process parameters are assigned.
These are in particular:
- Manufacturing technology and working steps
- Paste printer and print parameters
- Paste used incl. batch number
- Automatic placement machine and placement program
- Reflow soldering machine, solder program and temperature profile
- Wave soldering program and Selective soldering program
- Test facilities and AOI program
- Ambient temperature and humidity
The process parameters are archived for 10 years along with the complete manufacturing documents and the production lot number.
Traceability of tests
In the production planning department the standard test steps are planned for each production lot and documented as working steps in the process card. Additional test steps are further defined together with the customer. If the test is carried out with computer assistance, such as AOI or function tests, the test results are also archived via the serial number.
In the AOI test, images of each component are made and stored in a database together with the serial number. These images are archived, so it is possible to execute the test program with modified criteria to the entire image data set of an assembly, even though the modules are no longer in the house.
The test results of the function tests are also archived together with the auditor, the testing time and the serial number. So it is possible to scan the serial number at the delivery and to view the test results to ensure that the function test was carried out within the desired standards.
If you provide the function testing software, it is advantageous to store the test in our test data format. For a description of the test data format see the download section.
Your benefits:
- In a call-back the affected products can be clearly identified.
- Reducing the call-back quantity to the absolute minimum.
- A material damage can be clearly assigned to the supplier.
- Weaknesses in the training of staff can be detected.