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Video · 1:21
Lot and serial traceability records: could you trace one serial today?
Which serial and lot traceability records to keep, why sub-assembly links decide whether a recall trace works, and a trace test you can run on your own records, shown with Cargovate's free traceability record template.
In this video
- 0:00The recall question
- 0:08What you make and record
- 0:19The trace test
- 0:31Sub-assemblies
- 0:45Four habits
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Transcript
A supplier tells you a material lot is bad. Could you list every product that contains it, today, from your records alone?
Tick what you make and record: serial numbers, lots, purchased materials, sub-assemblies, revisions, inspections, and which customer each unit went to.
You get the records to keep, each a table with the minimum columns, and a trace test: the questions a customer, an auditor or a recall will ask, and which of them your records can answer.
Sub-assemblies are where traces break. If a material goes into a sub-assembly that's later built into a product, the product's own record never mentions it. Only a link from the sub-assembly to the product lets the trace reach it.
Four habits make the records work. One row per event, not one sheet per unit. The same identifier everywhere, character for character. Record it when it happens. And test it before you need it.
Pick one shipped serial, and answer every question from your records alone. The first gap you find is the one a recall would find.
Download them all as CSV templates. They don't make you compliant with any standard, so check what your industry and customers require. Your choices stay in this browser. The link is in the description.