Manufacturers are increasingly adopting traceability to enhance process visibility, compliance with regulatory standards, and customer satisfaction while utilizing technologies like barcodes and RFID. While traditional barcodes are limited to read-only data and require line-of-sight for scanning, RFID offers advanced data management by allowing both reading and writing capabilities over greater distances. This shift towards RFID supports the goals of Industry 4.0 by improving operational efficiency and reducing downtime in manufacturing processes.

1. Traceability in Manufacturing
Manufacturers today are facing ever increasing
competitive pressure. Process visibility, customer
satisfaction and project compliance are pushing many
manufacturers to look at traceability as a long-term
strategy. Manufacturers have discovered that
implementing a traceability program is a proven method
to meet their strategic goals.
Manufacturers utilize traceability to make improvements
in the following areas:
1. Comply with regulatory and quality standards
2. Improve customer safety, customer satisfaction, and
profit margin
3. Manage product quality and reduce the cost of
nonconformance
4. Manage product recalls with real time corrective
action
Previously, vision identification technologies, such as
barcode and QR code were commonly used to monitor
and track processes, as well as store product
information during production. However, the need to
input more product data, manufacturers are moving
towards the use of a more sophisticated solution, radio
frequency identification (RFID), for enhanced visibility
throughout the chain of distribution.
Currently, two technologies rule the marketplace for
industrial track and trace: Barcode/2D matrix and
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Both are
engineered to deliver specific information about
products from the production line to distribution.
ISSUE: 01
Nov 2018
Traceability the ability to verify the
history, location and application of a
product by means of automated
documented recorded identification

2. Barcode
Barcode technology is an optical machine readable
representation of data that stores information about the
product. Originally, barcodes convey data by varying the
widths and spacings of parallel lines, presented in linear
or one-dimensional shapes. Barcodes have evolved to
include rectangles, dots, hexagons and other two-
dimensional shapes for increased application compatibility
and readability. However, users cannot add or make
changes to the information already written on to the
barcode during production process as barcodes are read
only.
Barcodes in industrial application face certain limitations.
For instance, to obtain readings and access data,
barcodes are needed to be in line-of sight with the reader,
which means a product must be properly aligned in order
for a barcode reader to identify the product by its code. In
manufacturing, time is money and achievement of ideal
alignment after several attempts will be time-consuming
process that will have impact on cycle time, operator
productivity and overall profitability.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID delivers a more sophisticated approach for track
and trace applications . RFID is capable of intelligent,
advanced data management that enhances product
visibility throughout the production as well as
distribution. Further, RFID enables users to both read
and write information on the tag—even at diverse
distances.
RFID systems consists of three parts:
1. Tag
2. Transceiver
3. Interface
Tags can be active (uses a battery) or passive
reflecting the signal back to the transceiver. The
means of communicating the data from the tag to a
data collection device such as a computer is the
interface. The transceiver is used to read the RFID tag
and an I/O device will communicate information on the
tag with the enterprise. RFID tags contain internal
circuits that respond to a radio frequency field that is
provided by the transceiver.
During operation, as RFID tag passes through the field
of the transceiver, it detects the signal from the
antenna. This activates the RFID tag. The RFID tag
sends signals to transmit or receive information on
microchip.

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Originally, this technology was developed as a method to
remotely gather data through tags or transceivers.
However, due to better data storage capacities,
manufacturers embed these tags to product during
production process. By gathering more data through tags,
RFID allows users to read and write data on to the tag.
Driving Industry 4.0: Data
RFID information can be used to ensure that the correct
labor, machine, tooling, and components are available
and ready to use at each processing step. This eliminates
paperwork, and reduces downtime. The process steps
could be controlled, modified, and even reconfigured in
real-time as inbound raw materials, parts and assemblies
move through manufacturing. However, barcode unlike
RFID is a read only and require human intervention. Basic
component information such as part number, serial
number, batch number, date of manufacturing and
material details can be stored in barcodes. RFID can
provide additional information streams to enable tighter
tracking, verification and validation of processes for
manufacturing operations that require high degree of
compliance with quality standards.