Product ID and Traceability in Bulk and Oil products
Hi! Our business is the manufacture of coconut vegetable oil . We receive our raw materials (copra) in bulk , delivered in lorry trucks and containers from agents/ brokers, i.e. we do not directly buy from the farms. The raw materials are then dumped in storage bins, where there is no distinction/labels as to where, when, and from whom the deliveries/RM came from.
Then for the finished goods, we store them in tanks that contains continuous production from one day to another (24/7), we run in campaigns rather than batches (in fact, we have a problem determining batches, as the oil is mixed from one day to another).
We ship the finished goods in bulk too, via vessel or lorry tankers.
Request for help on how to determine product identification and traceability (of both raw material and finished goods) in these situations. Thank you!
Hi! Our business is the manufacture of coconut vegetable oil . We receive our raw materials (copra) in bulk , delivered in lorry trucks and containers from agents/ brokers, i.e. we do not directly buy from the farms. The raw materials are then dumped in storage bins, where there is no distinction/labels as to where, when, and from whom the deliveries/RM came from.
Then for the finished goods, we store them in tanks that contains continuous production from one day to another (24/7), we run in campaigns rather than batches (in fact, we have a problem determining batches, as the oil is mixed from one day to another).
We ship the finished goods in bulk too, via vessel or lorry tankers.
Request for help on how to determine product identification and traceability (of both raw material and finished goods) in these situations. Thank you!
Hi Artemis - I think you have partially answered your own question (underlined text above)
At the very least these storage bins should identify source/quantity/date of receipt - if you don't do this & subsequently have a problem with a particular delivery you would have to hold ALL your product, ingredients & WIP on site...... an unpopular & expensive decision, which is likely to incur the wrath of the production function!
Once you have this information & traceabilty records for which raw material went into which manufactured batch (which you would define from your production records) this is your staring point for a traceability system.
Very often bulk storage has to rely on a mass balance because it is impractical/inefficient to wait for a storage tank/silo to completely empty, before you refill it with a subsequent batch of raw material/finished product
With sufficient controls there is no issue purchasing from brokers - but as your supplier they would then need to know source of each incoming load & this should be part of your terms & conditions of trading with them.