Tablets and automotive electronics · Listed company
The packaging stage binds carton number to SN
Several customers and models share one line, and both customer audits and outbound verification require lookup by carton. Packaging looks like the last step but is where the traceability chain most easily breaks.
Carton-to-SN lookup used to be stitched in Excel; now it comes out of the scan.
Background
Mixed lines and frequent outbound checks
There are two product lines, tablets and automotive electronics, with models for several customers running in parallel in the same workshop and frequent changeovers. Each customer asks for different traceability fields and expects the documents in its own template before shipment.
The two lines needed different fields, and packaging previously ran on a separate Excel template per line. A planner merged them by hand before shipment, and whenever the fields did not line up the cartons were opened and checked again.
Problems
Four traceability difficulties in mixed production
Of the four process stages, packaging is the most underestimated: it decides how complete the chain finally is.
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01
Carton numbers and SNs stitched in Excel
SNs are written on paper during packing, entered into a spreadsheet at the end of the shift and then formatted for the customer. When they do not match before shipment, the carton is opened again.
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02
Carton-level lookup does not hold up
When a customer reports a problem with one carton, the material and test records are needed for every SN inside. Excel can list the SNs, but anything above that has to be looked up again.
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03
Test data stays on the fixture
Each test machine stores its own data in its own format. When a customer asks for parameters they are exported from the machine and the fields are aligned by hand.
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04
Leftover reels are easily missed at changeover
Kitting for a changeover depends on experience; leftover reels from the previous order have no clear priority, so they stay unused while a new reel is drawn.
Scope
Four process stages, four module groups
Implemented in process order, with packaging and outbound verification in the same batch so there are not two sets of definitions.
Process stage
Modules in use
Approach
Scan the SN first, then the carton
Fixing the order of packing actions is what makes reverse lookup possible: the carton contents are decided by the packing action.
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01
Scan the SN, then the carton
Every board is scanned once as it is packed and the carton number is scanned at sealing. The carton-to-SN relation comes from the packing action rather than later entry, and a carton whose quantity does not match cannot be sealed.
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02
Test machines report through an interface
Test stations send parameters back through a network interface, filed by SN with fields unified to the customer's requirement. Older machines with no connection keep a manual entry route, and the operator is recorded.
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03
Kitting lists issued from the feeder table
Before a changeover the system generates the kitting list from the work order, naming which reels to take, with leftovers first. The list goes to the rack and the matching bins light.
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04
Reverse check before shipment
Before the carton label prints, the carton is checked for quantity, model and customer consistency, and any mismatch blocks shipment. Once weighing is connected, mixed cartons are stopped at this step.
Results
Used before shipment and when a complaint arrives
The same data is called on in two situations: mixed-carton verification before shipment, and scope confirmation when a customer raises a complaint.
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Every SN in a carton listed
Entering a carton number returns its SN list, and each board's material and test records are one click away.
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Key-component batches found from the SN
Batches and loading times of displays, mainboards and batteries are traceable, so a complaint can be scoped down to the carton.
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Mixed cartons stopped before shipment
The check before label printing catches a model or customer mismatch, so the problem does not leave the plant.
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Customer templates exported directly
Each customer's traceability template is configured in the system and documents export against it, with no manual table building.
More cases
Similar projects
Scope varies — match it against the process stages in your own plant.
Similar projects
Do not leave packaging traceability to the end
Packaging can run on its own, but when it goes live with the other three stages the carton-to-SN definitions stay consistent.
- Phone
- 134 1205 3770
- chengzhi780@bczktech.cn
- Address
- Building 8, Room 303, Yilisheng Industrial Park, 602 Fengtang Avenue, Tangwei Community, Fuhai Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
Shenzhen Baichuan Zhike Technology Co., Ltd. · Since 2015 , serving electronics manufacturers across handsets, tablets, automotive electronics, FPC, WiFi modules, energy storage and more.