Today, companies need transparency of all activities occurring in the supply and production chain to guarantee the quality of outputs, optimize processes, manage inventories and ensure on-time deliveries. Traceability and quality management is an important aspect of business performance in any industry.
In this post we will focus on the traceability of the manufacturing process through artificial intelligence, i.e. the process of elaboration or transformation of a product with the help of intelligent management systems.
The purpose of the traceability system with artificial intelligence
Since we can monitor the different events that take place in the factory, the objectives of the traceability system can be different in each case:
- Identify and determine the history of each product.
- Quickly identify products that do not comply with quality control and eliminate only the appropriate batches from the production chain.
- Optimize the various processes.
- Increase productivity. Thanks to traceability controlled with intelligent software, we can know the performance of the machine when different stages or products have been produced and act accordingly to improve the process.
In each specific case, it is necessary to define in which direction you want to use the system to choose the truly significant events and achieve the desired objectives.
In some cases, there is a misconception that traceability with artificial intelligence can only be applied in industries such as pharmaceuticals or catering, where product safety must be guaranteed. However, the reality is that transparency at all stages of a traceability process is useful and necessary for all companies, as it helps to improve the quality and efficiency of the production chain by providing real-time visibility of all activities performed and providing the necessary data for optimal control. Instant information can quickly detect incidents and take appropriate action, and this is true for any industry.
Traceability with intelligent management software
It is important to have a solution that allows us to identify and monitor the different events that occur throughout the industrial flow, allowing us to obtain quantitative and qualitative information:
- Different phases in which the product is in.
- List of composition/materials.
- Machinery used.
- Batch number (raw material and final products).
- Operators involved in each production process.
- Duration.
- Work shifts.
- Results of the different quality controls.
This list is just a small sample of all the events generated during production that can be used for further analysis. With an intelligent system, the storage of this data is automatic, using IoT connectivity directly from the assets to the information management platforms.
Quality control and traceability
Emphasis on quality control is very important in traceability management. Quality control has the function of ensuring that the finished product meets defined standards. For example, in packaging quality control, some of these parameters may be tensile/compressive strength, hardness, gas permeability or hygroscopicity.
Performing quality control through intelligent software that connects the entire production process allows us to ensure that the products delivered to our customers meet the aforementioned standards. In addition, costs and waste are reduced, since, if a product has to be discarded from production, thanks to intelligent traceability using Machine Learning, its detailed history can be identified and only the relevant batches can be discarded in an agile manner.
Finally, to have a good traceability of the entire manufacturing process, data from different sources and systems are cross-referenced to contextualize the maximum amount of information into a more complete picture. Therefore, it is very important that the solutions in charge of traceability management are integrated with technologies that connect and analyze the performance of each machine and process through real-time data analysis.
Use an intelligent operations platform
Nexus Integra is the integrated operations platform that will enable you to drive the digital transformation of your organization. You will be able to connect all your assets and information systems, processing them through Big Data technology and obtaining a single operations framework for monitoring, management and analysis.
With the Nexus Integra platform you will be able to manage traceability and quality in your company efficiently by applying artificial intelligence to your data. Thanks to the centralization of all data, you will obtain a complete 360º vision that will help you make more accurate decisions for your organization.
Contact our team of professionals, who will provide you with the solutions you need to take the next step in the digitization of your company.
