Posts

What Happens If Your Manufacturing Plant Compromises on Track-And-Trace?

As supply chains adapt to accommodate more unique stock-keeping-units (SKUs), tracking individual products from production to shipping has become more complex. Studies suggest that 8 in 10 manufacturing facilities struggle to capture and leverage meaningful data within their operations. Moreover, while a vast majority of decision-makers emphasize the importance of end-to-end traceability, 70% of businesses still operate with incomplete visibility into their vital operations. Lack of clear traceability ultimately contributes to:

  1. Wasted resources
  2. Sudden equipment failure
  3. Recurrent need for rework
  4. Failure to meet deadlines
  5. Unclear demand forecasting
  6. Broken customer loyalty
  7. Unmet compliance standards
  8. Jeopardized consumer safety

For the food industry, estimates show that improper visibility costs $10 million per recall, while other manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and automotive industries have seen upwards of 4.85 billion in losses and facility closures. Put simply, compromised track-and-trace can be devastating to a business.

Optimizing Traceability in the Manufacturing Plant

When trying to improve operational visibility, track-and-trace experts recommend defining required data within your operations. Although unique industries may track additional data points, a proficient traceability system should track:

  • Supplier lot numbers
  • Serial numbers
  • Storage status
  • Delivery dates
  • Raw materials used
  • Compliance notes

Tracking these data points for multiple SKUs has proven challenging, especially during high-demand seasons. Current labor shortages pose additional obstacles to ensuring every workflow is accounted for accurately. To fit seamlessly in today’s fast-paced operations, track-and-trace systems must allow quick adoption, leveraging user-friendly interfaces and streamlining workflows. Consequently, two types of technologies have become essential when developing end-to-end visibility.

  1. Digitized Barcode Scanning
    Automated data capture solutions eliminate the probability of errors and missed touchpoints. Furthermore, they allow workers to focus on more important tasks, minimizing stress from manual data input. Next-generation mobile computers and ultra-rugged tablets combine data capture with data processing, updating traceability logs as products move throughout the facility. These same devices can also be used for work-in-process reporting, push-to-talk communications, and cycle counting, thus consolidating multiple workflows through one easy-to-use terminal.For facilities with multiple conveyors and complex loading docks, businesses can fully automate quality checks with fixed industrial scanners, installed in high-influx areas. Scanned data can be transmitted to other IoT devices for immediate action, and into your reporting system for future use.
  2. Real-Time Locationing Systems
    Taking barcode scanning a step further, real-time locationing systems can consolidate several data points with fewer tags while also providing in-motion tracking. For example, RFID systems utilize wide-range antennas to locate stored inventory and finished goods. By tracking incoming materials in real-time, facilities may also optimize just-in-time delivery, reducing the risk of overstocking.However, RFID isn’t your only option when developing real-time locationing systems. Intelligent visibility software such as Zebra MotionWorks supports material replenishment systems, safety checklists, and call triggers to connect workers to crucial data anywhere in the four walls

How to Get Started

Before deploying any modernization solution, businesses should run a workflow evaluation to target blind spots and possible challenges. Once your goals and challenges are outlined, our teams work with you in consolidating workflows through technologies that support end-to-end visibility, including:

  • Flexible connectivity options
  • Seamless app integration with Android
  • Push-to-talk communications
  • Automated data capture and sharing

To learn more about Zebra’s in-stock devices, contact us here.

/by

How will you avoid the next recall?

,

In a span of a decade, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) have reported a 125% increase in food recalls. In 2020, the FSIS recorded a total of 1,394,585 pounds of recalled products, pulled from markets due to pathogens, allergens, presence of extraneous materials, and import violations. Studies show that grievous tracking and traceability gaps have been responsible for:

  • 47% of recalls stemming from microbiological contamination
  • $3.7 billion spent in medical treatments for salmonella 
  • Nearly 8.5 million food units recalled yearly by the FDA
  • 601,969 pounds of recalled chicken in 2020 alone

While these numbers are ominous, one of the primary reasons behind the increase in recalls are traceability technology and new safety regulations. Real-time tracking and labeling systems now provide easier verification of compliance codes in food safety. That means manufacturers can target and catch more mistakes than before with the help of new intelligent tools and better safety parameters set by the FDA, FSIS, and CDC. However, while timely recalls can prevent pathogen outbreaks, they quickly erode consumer trust. An estimated 80% of consumers do not completely trust brands to ensure safety, and over a third report avoiding businesses associated with food-borne illnesses for many months. Therefore, visibility systems must prioritize early detection to keep compromised products from leaving facilities in the first place. 

The key to establish real-time alerts based on actionable data

Less communication gaps empowers teams with a clear overview of how products are handled, packaged, stored, and moved. Labeling systems paired with handheld scanners and mobile computers can help eliminate gaps by transcribing data from each step into a centralized shareable database. On the other hand, new rugged tablets like Zebra’s ET80/85 2-in-1 tablets emphasize the power of agile adaptability in securing food safety by:

  • Providing a lightweight consolidated computer and scanner – Despite having an integrated scanner and higher durability standards, the ET80/85 is 20% lighter and 35% thinner for easy portability. Its larger screen size permits workers to monitor products at-a-glance when operating forklifts or other heavy machinery.
  • Facilitating data entry with a detachable keyboard – Keep workflows standardized with a device that adapts to preferred data entry mechanisms for administrators and production teams alike. Detachable keyboards and universal mounting options allow the ET80/85 to fit into different work environments, simplifying training and accelerating deployment. 
  • Reducing connection drops through flexible connectivity options – Leveraging several connectivity options such as WiFi 6E, 4G/5G, and Bluetooth, the ET80/85 prevents downtime and breakdowns from signal drops within the four walls, keeping your vital data constantly available to your workforce. This also means workers can update WIPs, notifications, and compliance codes in real-time for entire teams to track. 
  • Deploying seamless push-to-talk and secured texting – Lastly, Zebra’s Workforce Connect empowers manufacturers with real-time communication between individual workers and entire groups, all streamlined through one platform. Moreover, connectivity can extend beyond the four walls, allowing transportation teams and retailers to verify shipments are ready for sale. 

To efficiently start securing real-time workflow visibility, begin with a comprehensive operational assessment to target recurring points of communication breakdowns. Contact Avalon to start your assessment today and learn more about the next generation of technologies devoted to dependable food safety.

/by

Your Traceability System is No Game

,

$30 million dollars – That’s the average amount companies expect to lose in one single recall. As technology continues to advance and consumers become more conscientious of their decisions, safety compliance standards and guidelines continue to evolve across multiple industries, from healthcare to manufacturing to agriculture. In-depth scrutiny measures have contributed to a 10% increase in recalls between 2013 and 2018 in the food industry alone. While increasing recalls don’t necessarily mean products are becoming more unsafe, they do create a higher demand for reliable traceability systems to handle the high recall influx.

  • One out of four children’s products were recalled in 2018.
  • Over 1.3 million cars were recalled in 2019 alone.
  • The USDA reported 97 Class I (based on “reasonable” chance of health issues) food recalls in 2018.
  • As of February 2020, there have been 20 drug recalls issued by the FDA.

To better serve consumers, each product must be traced throughout the supply chain and beyond.

Equipped with both tested expertise and enterprise-grade technology, Avalon Integration optimizes traceability with Zebra’s best tracking technologies. From versatile rugged handhelds to pretested consumables, track and trace your inventory with technology made for complete visibility in and out of the warehouse.

Meet the Dream Team for Efficient traceability

Efficient traceability can be a valuable asset in any industry. From counterfeit prevention to batch numbering, traceability can give you insight into inventory composition and movement through complex workflows. To increase consumer safety and lower costly risks, we recommend automating previously manual data entry systems. By optimizing your data-entry process with Zebra Rugged Tablets and certified consumables, you can integrate accurate visibility that facilitates efficient tracking.

Why Rugged Tablets?

Why Rugged Tablets for Traceability

Streamlining data capture and workforce connectivity through one device

Zebra’s latest line of rugged tablets are built to handle tough environments and adapt to multiple uses. Integrate barcode scanning, unbroken connectivity, and simplified data sharing all through one ergonomic device. Lowering operational costs sustainably, L10 tablets carry high-performing functionality by:

  • Preserving up to 24-hour uptime with hot-swappable batteries
  • Housing Zebra’s versatile Mobility DNA apps which augment productivity
  • Streamlining data capture and workforce connectivity through one device
  • Adapting to your space constraints with 3 form factors (XSLATE, XPAD, XBOOK)
  • Sustaining long-range connectivity so even your remote team members stay connected

Download our e-book to learn more. 

Why Zebra Tags?

Why Zebra Tags for Traceability

Zebra Tags can be tailored for specific applications

Tested for continuous performance beyond the moment of application, Zebra certified labels preserve your inventory’s crucial data, making it easier for your team to scan and share information. Plus, because they can be tailored for specific applications, labels can be matched to fit:

  • Size and color requirements
  • Temperature durability for direct or thermal transfer printing
  • RFID inlay requirements
  • Individual compliance codes 
  • Perforation styles
  • Front and backside printing

As a Zebra Premier Solutions Partner, Avalon provides customized tools to optimize your tracking and inventory management systems. Speak with our visibility specialists today for a free assessment of your inventory management solution and integrate crucial visibility back into your operations. 

/by