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Decide what needs to be traced
A batch identifier groups units made or supplied together; a serial identifier distinguishes an individual unit. The useful level depends on the product, risk, customer requirements and the questions the business must answer.
The GS1 traceability framework links identification with records of tracking events and the data needed for those events. It is a voluntary reference here. This guide does not require a particular barcode scheme or establish compliance with an industry-specific traceability rule.
A balanced dispatch total can still leave five units unlocated
Fictional example: one batch contains 240 units. Dispatch records allocate 80 to Customer A, 60 to Customer B and 100 to Customer C, so the dispatch quantities total 240. Customer C’s installation/service records, however, account for only 95 of its 100 units. Five units lack a confirmed subsequent location or status.
That mismatch does not prove a defect or that five units are missing physically. It identifies a traceability question. Check stock, installation, replacement, return and other relevant events instead of assuming every invoiced unit is installed.
| Fictional record | Units accounted for |
|---|---|
| Dispatch to Customer A | 80 |
| Dispatch to Customer B | 60 |
| Dispatch to Customer C | 100 |
| Total dispatch | 240 |
| Customer C units with later location/status evidence | 95 |
| Customer C trace gap | 5 |
Agree which party records each event
List receipt, dispatch, installation, replacement, transfer and return as appropriate to the actual supply model. Agree the identifier, date, quantity, location/status and responsible recorder for each event. A partner’s spreadsheet can be useful if both businesses can match its identifiers to the supplier’s records.
Test the process using fictional records or an authorised sample. Give unresolved quantities an owner and a due date. Keep customer information in properly controlled systems.
Trace work must not delay a separate safety decision
If actual information raises a product-safety concern, qualified people need to assess the applicable reporting and action duties separately. An internal tracing exercise does not supply extra time or decide whether a report or recall is required.
For the owner, the preparation decision is whether the proposed service network can produce the records its promises need. Resolve the gaps before increasing the installed base.
Scope
- Voluntary traceability planning and fictional quantities. No recall scope, product defect, reporting decision, mandatory barcode requirement or guarantee of complete tracing is established.
Next step
Keep the detailed trace register in the authorised supply/service system. Use the Relationship factsheet to assign supplier, distributor and customer-record responsibilities, then test a complete forward-and-back trace.
Terms used here
- Batch versus serial
- A batch groups units; a serial identifier distinguishes one unit. Choose the level needed for the real product and task.
Sources & review notes
GS1
Passage, dates and research notes
published-standard · Traceability principles, identification, critical tracking events and key data elements
Read the identification/event-record sections of the public standard. Used as a voluntary framework reference. No mandatory GS1 subscription, particular barcode or assurance of recall completeness is claimed.
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