What methods can be adopted to ensure traceability from the raw material to the despatch ? How many of you can trace the suspect heat no. if the customer rejects a part produced by you. For your information we manufacture around 300 different turned parts for the automotive , tractor industry.

Sorry, I don't know what a heat number is but I can tell you we also supply the automotive industry and are required to provide traceability of our raw materials. In the case where a customer sends us their part and we apply a sealant:

We use a job spec/card system which is sort of a traveler on each lot of product we work. The JS is specific to each part processed. There is a section to record the customer's lot number, the raw material sealant lot number, the activator lot number, the oil lot number. Any other component lot numbers which might be used. The completed JS then becomes the documented record for the lot.

When a part is rejected, we pull out the JS for the customer's lot number and we have all the information relating to the job. BTW - IPI's and test information are also recorded on the JS along with operator, machine, processing information etc.

Hope this is what you were asking.

Dave