An emerging technology for business is track and trace computer systems.

Originally implemented in logistics for shipment tracking, track and trace systems have long been used in reverse logistics applications to track returns, customer service orders, recalls, etc. Now these barcode-based tracking systems are now moving inside the walls of the assembly plant and customer service facility.

Everyone is familiar with the barcode tracking of shipments by logistics companies and shippers like FedEx and UPS. Up-to-date information and history of a shipment is available from the Internet. This is complete visibility on demand - unbiased, real-time information delivered from the "cloud".

Track and trace systems have been successfully implemented in high-visibility applications such as customer service (often integrated with the call center) and reverse logistics. Forward-thinking firms realized that consumer returns represented a treasure trove of information about product quality, design improvement opportunities, monitoring of off-shore manufacturing quality, etc.

Assembly and manufacturing operations are now beginning to realize the benefits of track and trace systems. Barcodes are assigned to products, parts, purchase orders, traveler documents - anything that moves.

An exciting development with track and trace is the ability to integrate quality control directly with production. By storing this information in a database and tracking activities as they happen, measurement against key performance indicators (KPI's) becomes automatic.

By substituting in-process checklists for end-of-process inspections, quality can be dramatically improved and costs are reduced.

In his book, Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande notes the difference between errors of ignorance (mistakes we make because we don't know enough), and errors of ineptitude (mistakes we made because we don’t make proper use of what we know). Failure in the modern world, he writes, is really about the second of these errors.

Checklists can effectively address the second type of error and track and trace can put these checklists into your process.

Track and trace applications are particulary suited for cloud or software as a service (SAAS) implementations - everything becomes on-demand and real-time. Problems are identifed earlier and unbiased, objective quality data is visible throughout the organization.

Question of the day: will your quality improve by integrating quality control directly into your process?

Norm Plummer, President - Haeiwacom, Inc.

Haeiwacom provides real-time track and trace solutions for manufacturing, reverse logistics and service applications. Consisting of process control, warehouse management and document management modules, the Haeiwacom solutions are delivered as software as a service resulting in cost savings and straightforward, practical implementations.

Web: www.haeiwacom.com