Track & Trace in Supply Chain Management: Benefits for Manufacturers

Today, track and trace is not only about operational efficiency for manufacturers; it is a system that helps you protect your brand. With every movement of your product from your factory to the warehouse, from distributors to stores and finally to your end consumers, there can be risks such as counterfeiting, diversion, tampering, failure in regulatory compliance, and loss of revenue. We provide their Track & Trace system as a comprehensive solution, which is designed keeping in view serialisation, GPS tracking, blockchain authentication, and logistics monitoring.

Reasons for using track and trace

To a manufacturer, the problem lies simply in the inability to track every single item in case such an item may not be traced. Counterfeited products or unauthorised products could easily get into the market, diversions would not be known until it’s too late, and there would be no way of ensuring that the products are being moved along the correct path. These include issues like counterfeit products, absence of shipment visibility, product diversions, non-compliance, supply chain losses, and accountability.

A track and trace system ensures that each product has a unique identification system within a digital network, and that every activity related to the product is tracked throughout the supply chain journey.

How does the track and trace system operate within VCQRU?

It involves the following seven interrelated processes: Unique serial code creation, intelligent labelling and tagging, manufacturing and logistics process embedding, chain monitoring and authentication, real-time tracking status, delivery and partner validation, and analytical reporting.

Read Also: How Track & Trace Technology is Transforming Supply Chain Transparency in India

The goal is to make it possible for manufacturers to monitor their products from production to delivery without disrupting their existing workflow.

Supported methods include QR codes, RFID tags, barcodes, NFCs, GPS tracking, tamper protection, and multichannel authentications with the help of mobile scanners, brand portals, VCQRU application, WhatsApp scanning, and USSD. Such an approach is justified since brands have to be able to rely not on a single group but on all groups that can access and handle the item, from factory workers to end customers.

Track and trace value by industry sector for manufacturers

Pharma & Healthcare

Here, traceability ensures product quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and the ability to handle recalls effectively. It is noted that pharmaceutical traceability includes serial number creation, IoT temperature monitoring and alerts, UDI/GS1, and safe scanning for patients.

FMCG & Consumer Goods

The main concerns for FMCG brands include batch traceability, channel abuse, and grey market leakage. Our solution will help track batches and serialised products, manage recalls, monitor routes, and give distributors the ability to track retail channels after the product leaves the warehouse.

Automotive & Spare Parts

In the automotive industry and for spare part companies, the problem revolves around duplicate spare parts and weak ownership verification. We help with this through our Track and Trace solution.

Electronics & IoT Devices

Manufacturers must be aware of counterfeiting issues related to their electronics and must guard against the circulation of unapproved devices. The focus on QR/NFC serialisation, real-time shipment notifications, geo-fencing, and distribution controls to help manufacturers handle ownership and movement, among other things.

Industrial Manufacturing & High Value Goods

The primary challenges for manufacturers in relation to industrial shipping are tampering, theft, and a lack of auditability. The system developed by us is focused on real-time tracking with GPS functionality, IoT-based tamper alerts, and comprehensive audit logs.

Agro & Seeds

Traceability in the agro and seed industries protects the authenticity of the goods, especially with respect to seasonality and geographical locations. The inclusion of the Agro industry in the tracking and tracing system designed by us makes it clear that this system can be extended to such products.

Read Also: How Digital + Physical Security Layers Improve Product Authentication

Impact on the business of manufacturing

Trace and track go beyond simple monitoring of the products. Improved product integrity, minimised diversion, enhanced logistics, and increased brand trust are some of the benefits of having an effective trace and track system. When brands implement their trace and track system, they enjoy improved shipment visibility in real time, minimised counterfeits, greater control of the distribution channels, and enhanced operational efficiency. The ROI range varies by industry as well, being 4X to 12X for FMCG, pharma, automobile, industrial and spare parts industries.

For manufacturers, traceability cannot be viewed as a future improvement for the company. Traceability serves as a tangible level of control that protects the brand, minimises losses, and provides accountability in terms of supply chain management. As such, the trace and track solution developed by VCQRU gives brands a unique opportunity to establish a reliable digital identity for each product, along with shipment visibility and enhanced analytics at every stage of distribution.