How are you handling Identification and Traceability?

Anerol C

Trusted Information Resource
I'm working in a company where I'm not sure how we could improve identification.
The flow of process is as follows: receive steel sheets, when they are received they are color coded, then they are cut by laser or plasma and send to warehouse, the parts should be identified with a permanent marker before they are stored by materials personnel but this is not happened 100% (as the process is not well controlled), when the parts are needed at fabrication they go out from warehouse most of the times in Kits and there is a "pick list" - papers with the list of parts and drawings in the kit- with the parts; all the parts goes to cleaning because they are stored outside and depending of the time stored they got rust, so during cleaning any identification is removed, then the parts "should be marked" again with the part number and "pick list" is placed again on the parts, then the parts are moved to welding or machining depending of the work order. The issue that I'm seen is that the process of marking manually the parts is not being 100% effective, so it is common to see on floor kits the parts where the single parts are not identified. If pick list is on the kit you can check it which part is against the paper but some times the pick list is not available neither. In most of the cases Production personnel is familiar but for any one unfamiliar it is difficult to know the parts. This issue has been addressed during an internal audit. So I'm looking for advice or information about how are you handling identification in a similar fabrication process.:confused:
Thanks for your time.
AC
 
R

ramvaidhya - 2009

Re: How are you handling identification?

Hello, this is a genuine issue, the same is felt with my experience also. There are certain ways , still they are not 100% give you clear identification through out the various conversion process. One method is making small store concept at each stage of conversion and generate document of parent and child concept and follow in batches. Eg. You draw sheets of 100 kg from starting of the process. After completion of first stage, before the next stage say only 50 kg gone to next stage, then allocate extension no. like A with partent no. etc.
 
J

jem63

Personally i feel that people make Product identification and traceability much more difficult than it truly is.

1. Assure product is identified.
2. Assure product is traceable back to the original bill of lading (supplier and suppliers lot #).

A basic exercise to perform is start in your receiving area and take a commonly used product in your facility. Then ask "how can we maintain traceability to this suppliers lot # in this area? Once established move to the next area with the same product and ask the same question. If it is split into two areas the same question applies? Continue doing so as you move through your process, but after a few steps i am sure you will begin to see a process develop. Once you have a base knowlege and a process developed work to improve it and add value to the process.

:)
 
J

JHagani

Couldn't you do this by Job Travelers?

1. When you receive the material, mark a unique receiving number on the material and the accompanying certs.
2. Issue a job traveler with a unique number for evry production batch, record the material receiving number on the traveler.
3. Move the traveler with the parts through every operation, entering the quantity processed, qty accepted, and qty scapped. Move to next operation.
4. If you need to split the parts, copy the traveler, add a (dash -xx) to traveler number, and move with the split quantity.

Good Luck
 

Helmut Jilling

Auditor / Consultant
I'm working in a company where I'm not sure how we could improve identification.
The flow of process is as follows: receive steel sheets, when they are received they are color coded, then they are cut by laser or plasma and send to warehouse, the parts should be identified with a permanent marker before they are stored by materials personnel but this is not happened 100% (as the process is not well controlled), when the parts are needed at fabrication they go out from warehouse most of the times in Kits and there is a "pick list" - papers with the list of parts and drawings in the kit- with the parts; all the parts goes to cleaning because they are stored outside and depending of the time stored they got rust, so during cleaning any identification is removed, then the parts "should be marked" again with the part number and "pick list" is placed again on the parts, then the parts are moved to welding or machining depending of the work order. The issue that I'm seen is that the process of marking manually the parts is not being 100% effective, so it is common to see on floor kits the parts where the single parts are not identified. If pick list is on the kit you can check it which part is against the paper but some times the pick list is not available neither. In most of the cases Production personnel is familiar but for any one unfamiliar it is difficult to know the parts. This issue has been addressed during an internal audit. So I'm looking for advice or information about how are you handling identification in a similar fabrication process.:confused:
Thanks for your time.
AC


Perhaps installing a bar code system, and scanning sheets and parts into and out of inventory would help control this.
 
J

Jmcdonald870

I work in a small machine shop and we were having this exact problem. What we did was:

1. When the material is received, Quality control will be notified. Quality control will ensure the material is the correct size and grade.

2. Quality control will place the correct color code mark on the material and write the lot and/or heat and job number on the material. Quality control will write the job number on the material certification.

3. Quality control will make a copy of the material certification and attach it securely to the material. The original will be filed accordingly.

4. Quality control will ensure the material is placed in the correct controlled access rack or taken directly to the saw and matched with the Shop Traveler.

5. Production will ensure that the correct size and grade of material is being used at the time it is being sawed and machined. Prior to manufacturing the lot and/or heat number will be written on the Shop Traveler in the special instructions box.

6. The material certification will be attached to the Shop Traveler prior to manufacturing. Production will ensure the material certification is kept with the materials at all times. If at any time the paperwork is separated from the material the material cannot be used with that job. Material must then be marked as an unknown grade. (Pink)

7.The Job traveler including the Material certification must stay with the job until it is completed.

8.Once the finished material is shipped the paperwork will be turned into the front office to be filed by the job number.

As you can see QC (Me) has a big part of this process. Most of that is due to this being a small shop. We have had zero (knock on wood) traceability issues since we started this procredure.

Joe
 

Anerol C

Trusted Information Resource
6. The material certification will be attached to the Shop Traveler prior to manufacturing. Production will ensure the material certification is kept with the materials at all times. If at any time the paperwork is separated from the material the material cannot be used with that job. Material must then be marked as an unknown grade. (Pink)

Joe,
What do you do if the material can not be used? if the paperwork is lost?

Thanks to all for your responses.:bigwave:

AC
 
J

Jmcdonald870

If the material is unidentifiable it can not be used in any customer products. Then the metal is sent to scrap. This has happened once and will never happen again. (it was one sheet of 6061 alum) Since it has happened our managment has been on the floor alot more ensuring the correct paperwork is with every job. I placed that in our procedure for this purpose. Its just my sick way of getting managment more involved in all work going on outside of their office. :notme:
 

Anerol C

Trusted Information Resource
Hi to all,

I need to provide training on Identification and Traceability to some group of internal auditors I'm not an expert in the matter, so I would like to know if some of you have some training material to share. Thanks in advance for your help.

Note: Last year based on your input I prepared a procedure to the company; Managers didn't want to implement it :bonk: (too much work), now it is a requirement. Luckly I'm not in charge for that project;); but I need to support the team with the training.:thanx:

AC
 

Randy

Super Moderator
All you need is a plastic coke or water bottle. Just get one and look at the etching in the plastic...that's nothing but traceabilty information.

From Jmcdonald870: If the material is unidentifiable it can not be used in any customer products.
Where did you get this, because you didn't get it from ISO 9001?

Here's an example of a type of ID and traceability...

* In the modern "age of terror", the ability to "tag" explosives to make them traceable has become increasingly important. One scheme involves mixing explosives with tiny plastic chips, about the size of a grain of pepper, with the chips consisting of up to 10 colored layers in a unique sequence for each batch of explosives. The tags are also used in shampoos and the like to track product counterfeiters.

A more traditional and subtler tagging scheme is based on creating tags in the form of molecules selectively modified with relatively rare atomic isotopes. For example, molecules can be synthesized to include atoms of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) to replace ordinary hydrogen in different patterns. This scheme has been used in applications such as identifying batches of ammonium nitrate.
 
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