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Production traceability means keeping a record of which raw material lot, machine and operator went into each product, and which customer it was shipped to. Digital Bridge builds traceability systems that record every step from goods-in to dispatch using barcode, QR or RFID, so a complaint or recall is traced to the affected batches in a single query.
A customer complaint or a supplier warning about a faulty raw material always raises the same question: which products did this lot go into, and where were they shipped? When the answer is spread across paper records, spreadsheets and different departments, piecing it together takes days and is rarely complete. Unsure of the scope, many manufacturers recall far more than they need to.
We choose the readers, label printers and station software to suit your shop floor and connect the traceability system to your ERP and MES. The outcome: forward and backward tracing in a single query, recalls limited to the batches actually affected, and customer audit files ready when asked for. Because readers, labels and software come from the same team, you have a single point of contact if anything goes wrong on the floor.
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Incoming material is booked in under the supplier lot number, with certificates of analysis attached to that lot. When a supplier raises an alert, you see which stock is affected instead of searching for it.
Operators scan the item at each station instead of filling in forms, capturing machine, operator, timestamp and process parameters. The system checks the previous step is complete before the next begins, so skipped steps are blocked.
Barcode and QR labels at lot, pallet, serial or unit level. Laser marking and RFID tags for areas exposed to heat, oil or abrasion.
See on one screen which products and customers a raw material lot reached, or which lots went into a given finished product.
Run a recall drill before a real incident: the list of affected customers, shipments and quantities is produced at once, showing your team and your auditors that the process works.
A traceability file is compiled automatically for every shipment, so preparing for a customer audit no longer means days of chasing documents.
Your packaging supplier tells you a lot of material is defective. If records are scattered, the quality team spends days going through delivery notes, production sheets and dispatch lists. With a traceability system, you enter the supplier’s lot number and get a single list showing which work orders used it, which products it became and which customers received them, and when. You hold back the stock still in the warehouse and contact only the customers concerned. For handheld scanning on the floor, see our data collection terminals; to manage warehouse movements from the same records, see warehouse and inventory management (WMS); to link temperature records to a batch, see cold chain monitoring.
Together we decide the tracking level (lot, pallet, unit) and which process steps to record, based on what your customers and auditors expect.
Label format and coding rules are set, and readers, printers and marking equipment are chosen for your site conditions.
Readers go in at each station and the tracing software is connected to your ERP and MES, so nothing is keyed in twice.
Forward and backward tracing is tested on sample lots, a mock recall is run, and the system goes live with your team trained.
A manufacturer that cannot isolate the faulty lot has to play safe and recall everything produced in that period. Lot-level traceability limits the same recall to the batches actually affected, and the same records save your team time in customer audits and supplier alerts. To tie traceability into your quality processes, see our Quality Management System page.
"We already have an ERP. Is this another system?" Traceability does not replace your ERP; it connects to your ERP and MES so nothing is keyed in twice.
"We don’t want to change everything at once." We agree the scope with you (lot, pallet or unit level, and which steps to record) based on what your customers and auditors expect, and keep unnecessary detail off the shop floor.
If the budget is not yet clear: site assessments for Industry 4.0 projects are free. After a needs analysis we set out the scope, phases and cost in a written proposal.
After go-live: the team that installs the readers, labels and software also supports them, and technical support is available 24/7.
For the basics of forward and backward tracing, read our production traceability guide. To test the system before a real incident, see how to run a product recall drill, and for label choice, GS1 barcode types. Food manufacturers can also read food traceability and digital HACCP; more articles are collected under Industry 4.0 guides.
Give us a short outline of your product flow and what your customers expect in terms of traceability; after the site assessment we will send a written proposal covering scope, phases and cost.
Production traceability means recording which raw material lot, machine, operator and process parameters went into each product, and which customer it was shipped to. Digital Bridge builds this record by scanning barcode, QR or RFID at every step from goods-in to dispatch, so when a problem appears the affected batches are found in a single query.
Backward traceability shows which raw material lots, machines and operators went into a finished product. Forward traceability shows which products a raw material lot went into and which customers received them. Our system shows both directions on one screen, so a supplier warning or customer complaint is answered in one query rather than days.
Barcode and QR labels printed at lot, pallet, serial or unit level are enough for most production lines. Laser marking or RFID tags suit areas exposed to heat, oil or abrasion. The label format, coding rules and the readers, printers and marking equipment are agreed at the start of the project to suit your site conditions.
A manufacturer that cannot isolate the faulty lot has to play safe and recall everything produced in that period. Lot-level traceability limits the same recall to the batches actually affected. You can also run a mock recall before a real incident, producing the list of affected customers, shipments and quantities at once.
Yes. Once readers are installed at each station, the tracing software is connected to your ERP and MES so nothing is keyed in twice. Before go-live, forward and backward tracing is tested on sample lots, a mock recall is run and your team is trained. A traceability file is then compiled automatically for every shipment.
Lot (batch) tracking follows products made from the same materials under the same conditions under one lot number, which is usually enough in sectors such as food, chemicals and packaging. Serial number tracking identifies every single item and keeps its own history, which suits machinery, electronics and spare parts. The right level is agreed at the start of the project, based on your customers' expectations and your product type.
We have no off-the-shelf price list; the cost depends on the tracking level (lot, pallet or unit), the process steps to be recorded and the hardware needed at each station. Site assessments for Industry 4.0 projects are free, and after a needs analysis we send a written proposal covering scope, phases and cost. Readers, labels and software come from the same team, and technical support is available 24/7 after go-live.
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