How does traceability influence product quality?
Miguel Ángel Garcia, Head of Sales at Macsa ID, who has more than 20 years of experience in providing traceability, marking, coding and labeling solutions, spoke at Sage Spain last February 16th on the topic of “How does traceability influence product quality?”
Table of contents
- What is traceability?
- Which sectors is traceability mandatory in?
- Traceability and sustainability
- Traceability and product quality
- Conclusions
What is traceability?
Traceability is essential for all sectors, and provides information on multiple questions about a product: where it was manufactured, when and who by, what the destination is, etc. This type of information is important in the automotive, electronics, food and pharmaceutical industries.
Traceability is very important for offering quality products to consumers. A study, carried out by IBM in Spain for Pescanova, states that 50% of those surveyed would buy more fish if they were provided with reliable information on its origin, safety and manufacture.
Which sectors is traceability mandatory in?
Traceability is required by law in some of these sectors, while in others it is advisable but not mandatory.
Would you like more information?
But which is it mandatory in? This is the case of sectors such as:
- Food: Traceability in this sector is paramount to ensuring consumer safety.
Food manufacturers need to code the packaging or product according to specifications defined by industry guidelines. The type of coding depends on national laws, but usually includes the batch number and expiry date.
Macsa ID offers secure food traceability solutions to print and apply labels on products, as well as perform quality laser coding on containers, or directly on the food.
- Beverages: Traceability in beverages is essential, as it is one of the most demanding sectors there is.Manufacturers in the beverage market must code the packaging of their products, and they must do so on high-speed lines, on a wide range of materials.
At Macsa ID we recommend our solutions that are based on laser technology for applying codes, thanks to their ability to mark on a wide range of materials (PET, glass, aluminum, bricks, etc.) in a clean, safe, highly legible way, all the while ensuring low maintenance costs.
- Pharmaceuticals: medicine coding is of vital importance. Coding in this sector must ensure traceability and identification of unsafe products for rapid removal from the market in case of emergency.
Pharmaceutical product manufacturers must carry out medicine traceability, packaging coding and even tablet coding, according to the legislation in force. Special care must be taken to ensure that the marking is legible, of high quality and durable throughout the life of the product.
Would you like to know more about traceability in the pharmaceutical sector?
- Medical devices: all medical devices and tools must be coded for proper identification and traceability control.
Coding is carried out to identify them, add instructions and to ensure the traceability of these products.
At Macsa ID we recommend laser coding systems, given their ability to mark on metal and a wide range of plastic substrates. Laser is a clean, reliable and low-cost digital alternative to other technologies such as micro-dot, scratch off, engraving and micro-percussion.
Traceability and sustainability
Purchasing motivations change over time. For example, one aspect currently valued by modern consumers is sustainability. IBM says that 40% of surveyed respondents are willing to pay a premium for products and services that follow their values and lifestyle, and are willing to change their habits to reduce their environmental impact, given they are concerned about sustainability and recycling.
One of the ways to guarantee consumers that your products are high quality and sustainable is through traceability.
Would you like to learn more about Macsa ID coding and traceability solutions?
Traceability and product quality
The main aspects traceability that directly contribute to product quality are:
- Reduction of errors: allows the detection of any product that may contain ingredients in poor condition, defective or undeclared, so it can be rapidly withdrawn from the market to not affect consumer health.
- Hygiene guarantee: production hygiene of the products influences quality and traceability, which is essential to know for checking regulatory compliance. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has prepared a guide with advice on how to guarantee hygiene. The origin of the water used during production must also be identified, and the use of ERP software helps to guarantee water quality through traceability.
- Compliance with legislation: also ensures regulatory compliance and customers will be assured that the product complies with legislation relating to design, manufacture and distribution. At the European level, traceability is controlled by regulation 178/2002 and establishes a series of minimum requirements for companies in the food sector:
- Exact description.
- Volume or quantity.
- Name and address of the business operator and the food owner.
- Batch identification.
Conclusions
Through the use of traceability, consumers are provided concrete information on the products they purchase. Above all, the quality and transparency of the entire manufacturing, distribution and transformation process is guaranteed.
Traceability is achieved through software that allows the different stages of the production process to be managed and monitored. A correctly traced product is a strong indicator of a quality product.
At Macsa id we will be happy to find the marking, coding and traceability solution that best suits your needs.
