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Macklin Tan
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Whether you’re running a small neighborhood bakery or managing operations for a big pharmaceutical factory, the capability to monitor and manage your products by batches can be a game-changer. Therefore, every business needs a batch number tracking system.
Thus, what is this system? To know all about it, start from the understanding, benefits, and how to do the tracking, it is better to not skip this information.Â
The Understanding of Batch Number Tracking
Batch tracking or lot tracking is a structured method to monitor and manage items or products in distinct groups, or batches. Essentially, it involves monitoring and managing groups of materials or products that have similar characteristics or were manufactured together.
In this system, each batch is assigned a unique identifier, typically in the form of a batch or lot number, which allows businesses to trace the origin, production, and distribution of each batch throughout its lifecycle.
What Industry Needs Batch Number Tracking?
The batch management system is crucial across various industries to streamline tracking and monitoring of inventory. Here are two main examples of industries that need this tracking system:
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Food and Beverage
Industries like food production heavily rely on batch tracking to maintain end-to-end traceability and comply with strict regulations. With batch tracking, food manufacturers can monitor their products’ production, distribution, and shelf life.
This ensures that perishable items are managed effectively to prevent waste and ensure consumer safety. Tracking batch numbers will help food companies quickly identify and recall products if any issues arise, minimizing the health risks.
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Pharmaceutical (Health and Wellness Products)
In the pharmaceutical industry, batch tracking is not just a best practice but a regulatory requirement to ensure the safety and efficacy of the medications.
Batch tracking will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to trace each batch of medication from production to distribution, enabling swift recalls if necessary. Also, it helps to comply with regulations set forth by agencies like the FDA.
Benefits and Purpose of Batch Number Tracking
As mentioned before, this systematic approach allows for the tracing of products’ origin, production process, and distribution. Here are some benefits and purposes you can get from this system:
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Enhanced Product Quality
First, batch tracking allows quick identification and isolation of faulty or defective items, minimizing the risk of customer complaints and product recalls.
For a real case example, a soap manufacturer called Bubbly Soaps Inc. was able to swiftly trace a discolored batch of soap bars (batch number: LB2421) back to its source and take corrective measures.
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Shelf Life Management
Perishable goods like food and cosmetics require careful monitoring of expiration dates. In this case, batch tracking helps prioritize the distribution and sale of items with nearer expiry dates, reducing waste and ensuring consumer safety.
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Regulatory Compliance
Industries like pharmaceuticals and food must comply with stringent regulations. So, a tracking system ensures adherence to the requirements by providing transparency into production processes, ingredients used, and distribution information.
How to do Batch Number Tracking
Now that you understand all the basics, let’s explore step-by-step how to do batch tracking effectively, including:
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Step 1: Choose Batch Inventory Management Strategies
Businesses can choose from various inventory management methods that use batch tracking, such as FIFO (first-in, first-out), LIFO (last-in, first-out), and FEFO (first-expired, first-out).
Each strategy offers distinct advantages depending on your business’s specific needs and industry requirements.
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Step 2: Choose a Fixed Standard Format
Then, select a fixed format for your lot or batch numbers to ensure consistency and clarity. For example, you may use date-based codes or sequential numbers.
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Step 3: Use Batch Tracking Technology
Consider adopting specialized inventory management software to automate and streamline the batch tracking process.
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Step 4: Assign Unique Numbers
Next, give each group of materials or products unique batch codes or numbers to ensure no duplication across batches.
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Step 5: Keep Batch Records
Ensure you keep detailed information for each batch, including manufacturing date, ingredients used, and quality control checks.
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Step 6: Label Products
Also, attach batch code labels to each product, packaging, or material in each batch to make them easily identifiable.
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Step 7: Establish a Tracking System
You can utilize a tracking system, which can be a mix of manual record-keeping, hardware, and software to monitor each batch’s movement and status.
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Step 8: Staff Training and Education
Batch number tracking is not a simple system, so ensure your staff is well-trained in correctly assigning, managing, and recording batch numbers.
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Step 9: Ensure Data Security
You can protect batch-tracking data with a secure storage system and utilize access controls as a prevention to data breaches or unauthorized changes.
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Step 10: Regular Audits
Next, do regular audits for verification to ensure your tracking system is accurate and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
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Step 11: Document Retention
Also, don’t forget to keep your tracking records for products in a specified period according to regulatory requirements, ensuring historical data is available for analysis.
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Step 12: Customize Flexibility and Scalability
As your business grows, there will be changes in the production processes. So, ensure your batch tracking systems can scale or level up with your business’s expansion.
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Step 13: Continuous Improvement
Last but not least, regularly review, evaluate, and improve your overall tracking systems based on feedback and best practices.
Ready to streamline your batch number tracking processes? Visit us at Markcom Global today for expert solutions in marking and coding technology.
Read more: How to Apply Simple Batch Code in Your Business?
References
https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/ecommerce/batch-tracking.shtml
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