Traceability management for manufacturing production — State of the art, solutions and prospects

Managing the traceability of manufacturing production is a major area of progress for the production systems of industrialized countries. It is part of a humble approach, recognizing that no industrial process will ever be perfect, and that error is always possible, despite the dazzling progress of Japanese production systems. Traceability management brings together methodologies and technical solutions to industrialize and optimize production traceability. This article presents the challenges and application contexts of traceability management by industry type. It then details the main functionalities included in production traceability. It then describes real-life situations and possible technical solutions for implementing this type of management. Finally, it outlines prospects and trends in traceability, and opens the debate with Lean promoters.