Traceability management in manufacturing sites｜Verification system using BHT (Barcode Handy Terminal) −Examples in Thailand [Part 1]

In Thailand, which is now the largest automobile manufacturing base in ASEAN, the standards and guidelines established by the IATF (International Automotive Industry Task Force) are becoming increasingly important. With the increasing importance of traceability, centering on the automotive industry, secondary processing companies that supply automotive parts manufacturers are facing various challenges unique to Thailand, such as the multitude of downstream menus, unlike in Japan.

The first is the increasing demand for quality improvement from auto parts manufacturers to improve traceability accuracy. The second is to strengthen measures against foreign materials entry. The third is to improve the efficiency of on-site work. This time, let us introduce a case study of NIPPON STEEL PIPE (THAILAND) CO., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as NSPT), which has successfully measured and applied the system to these issues.

Pursuing convenient items for users! Promote the systemization uniquely for the Thai factory

NSPT owns two factories in Thailand (Amata City Chonburi and Rayong). Collectively, the two plants have six pipe production lines, nine pipe drawing lines, six heat treatment furnaces, and many other various cutting and processing lines. The pipe manufacturing line has a nominal capacity of 1.76 million tons, which is the largest among the overseas subsidiaries of major steel pipe manufacturers.

▲ Manufacture and sale of various steel pipes, especially pipes for automobiles and motorcycles. (Parent company: NIPPON STEEL PIPE CO., LTD.)

NIPPON STEEL PIPE (THAILAND) CO., LTD.
Systematization Promotion Team
Tadashi Takashima / Technical Division EGO (Executive General Officer)
Udorn Dechma / Production Control DGO (Deputy General Officer)

Measures for improvement of quality and measures to prevent shipment of incorrect materials for customers.

1. Preventing the shipment of incorrect materials and contributing to improvement of the traceability accuracy at customers’ sites (automobile parts manufacturers)!

NSPT is establishing a production management system that enables traceability from raw material loading to product shipping. In the past few years, customers have been increasingly requesting that a designated tag (identification tag) be attached. However, the designated tags were not related to the conventional in-house production management system, and there was a risk of shipping incorrect materials due to human error in the application process such as visual confirmation or double-checking. As a corrective measure, the company decided to establish a verification system using a barcode handy terminal (BHT).

Challenges
To attach more than 1,000 designated tags for each customer per day without mistakes.

▲Utilizing a multi-handy terminal that can read text information

▲ Confirm the company tag (top row) with the customer tag (bottom row). Ship products that conform to orders from customers without error.

Features
✔ Multi-format support for barcodes, QR codes, printed character information, and handwritten character information
✔ Creating a complete database of verification information and history, automatic judgment, and prevention of attachment omissions.
✔ Prevent incorrect material shipment by incorporating verification results into shipping decision conditions.

Prevention of manufacturing errors and improvement of operational efficiency

２. Preventing mistakes in replacing in-house management tags

There is always a risk of mis-manufacturing due to human error caused by misreading tags or making assumptions, and this is an issue unique to the manufacturing industry. Even at NSPT, in the manufacturing process, tags also have to be replaced when the products are divided or the quantity of the lot is changed. Therefore, NSPT has worked on systemization to prevent human errors.

In the past, the process control staff in the office issued new item slips to be replaced and distributed them to each site. After the systemization, when the BHT scans the old tag, it automatically issues a new tag from a printer near the worker based on the information of the new tag that has been registered in advance. In addition, the system verifies the old and new tags when replacing them. In this way, the system was established to reduce slip replacement errors (risk of incorrect materials) to zero.

Challenges
・Replacement error due to misreading or assumption during visual check
・Forgetting to replace items due to the time lag between tag issuance and replacement

Flow of tag replacement

▲Sample screen for creating a new item slip

▲When the old item slip is scanned, a new one will be printed automatically and the FO number of the old one will be displayed.

▲New item slips are automatically printed, and the status is updated.

Features
✔ Triple scan to prevent errors: (1) Old tag. (2) New tag issuance. (3) Attaching tag
✔ Any errors will be notified to the administrator by e-mail, and old tags will be digitized for evidence storage.
✔ As a side effect, it improves the efficiency of inventory management and stocktaking.

Close communication between the manufacturing site and the IT vendor is important

“In the beginning, there were some doubts from the field that it would be troublesome to scan with a BHT every time. However, after we started using the system, we no longer need to worry about human errors, and our site staff can work with peace of mind. Thai NS Solutions, the developer of the system, values the opinions of the front-line staff who actually use the system and also provides support for employee training. So, we are continuing to brush up on it even after we started using it.” (Person responsible for NSTP process management: Khun Udorn)

System developer: Thai NS Solutions

Continued to Traceability Management at Manufacturing Site [Part 2]

If you have any concerns about your manufacturing site, system development, or IT system in Thailand, feel free to contact us using the inquiry form below!