Keeping tabs

Even before September 11, traceability was an important concern for manu-facturers. Now with increased security and legislation — from the EU's End-of-Life Vehicles and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directives, through to farm-to-fork food traceability requirements — it is even more important.

It is vital that manufacturers are able to track faulty products back to process lines, material batches and even individual workers. Recent product recalls, such as the costly recall in the US of 11 million bottles of paracetamol contaminated with metal fragments, would have been easier if product marking, backed up by a product database, had been in operation. As it was, a total product recall was the only method, although it cost millions of dollars.

There are numerous options for marking components and products, including lasers, inkjet and thermal printing. The choice often depends on quantity, the material to be marked and the aesthetic quality required.

Glass bottle manufacturer