Traceability is the capability to trace something. In manufacturing processes, it refers to the ability to keep track of all the information about how and where a product was made.
In Vulcanizados Álvarez we believe Traceability is very important. We are working hard to offer our clients the best tracking solutions for our products. But it’s not always easy. In our path to ensure we can give all the information possible to our clients, we ran into a brick wall.
The problem.
One of our clients wants us to test the part we produce for them. They also want traceability of the test results. The test is very specific and requires particular knowledge in a rare subject in the field of electricity.
With the equipment we bought to perform the tests came a software that gave us the test results in the form of graphics, html reports and csv files. They consist on a list of hundreds of numbers that take time to analyze, especially if done manually.
We could run the tests and save all the information without analyzing it, but we would have to spend a lot of time to check all the data afterwards. Also, doing this meant we wouldn’t have traceability of the parts and test results unless it was done by hand.
So, first of all, we needed to spend time training workers so they know which parts can be accepted.
After that, a lot more time was required to analyze the data to ensure the quality of the process.
Finally, to be able to give the client the traceability, we would need to work with the data. Again, that’s a high time demanding activity if done manually.
This is not compatible with a continuous production process. It is the bottleneck of this particular process.
The solution.
We realized the tests are very repetitive. This means we can automate the analysis of the results. We have developed our own way to ensure Traceability using Poka-Yoke mechanisms to reduce time. You can read more about our solution here .
And you already know that if you have more questions, you can consult us HERE.
