Batch numbering is a combination of numbers and/or letters used to differentiate identical products manufactured in the same period. This set of numbers and/or letters carries specific information such as production date, expiration date, and identification code.
In the food industry, controlling products — based on batch numbering — is mandatory. After all, it helps prevent expired, contaminated, or spoiled items from reaching the end consumer.
Unfortunately, not every plant knows how to run efficient product batch control. And it is precisely to explain why this happens that we prepared this post.
In today's article, we will talk about the importance of controlling batches and what can happen to a plant that does not do this control. We will also cover the practices that must be followed to the letter to ensure truly effective batch control.
We hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!
Why is controlling batches important?
Batch control consists of managing and tracking products through batch numbering. Performing this control is extremely important within the food industry because it helps keep products organized — based on expiration date — and prevents waste of inputs.
Just imagine that a plant shipped a batch for sale, and a customer found a spoiled product. That item had to go back to the factory to be analyzed by the team. After the analyses, it was found that one of the main ingredients was responsible for causing the error.
Now what? How can the plant fix this problem if it does not have effective product batch control?
If the company runs good management, it will be able to solve this quickly. It will manage to locate all the items manufactured in that specific batch and suspend the shipment of new consignments. It will also be able to prevent more goods from being manufactured with that same input.
However, if it does not maintain good control, it may face some complications. We discuss this in more detail below.
What can happen to a plant that doesn't control batches?
When it comes to food, you can never be too careful. Running effective product batch control, organizing and tracking every item based on its numbering, is the best way for the plant to prevent errors and waste from occurring in production.
Can you imagine a product batch being manufactured with the wrong input and distributed to consumers allergic to that ingredient? Or the plant being unable to recall spoiled items because it doesn't know where they were sold?
Let's use an example that shows how a single error can hurt a plant's results and reputation.
Example:
Imagine a consumer buys a product from a well-known brand at a supermarket chain. Since they trust this company, they don't bother reading the ingredients label or checking the expiration date.
After consuming this product, they start showing symptoms of intoxication. They experience nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and dizziness, and these episodes lead to other serious health problems.
This customer's case ends up being discussed by many companies, and the media releases evidence proving the brand's culpability. After some tests, it is discovered that the product contained an unusual component not specified on the label, and this particular consumer was allergic to that ingredient.
People who until then bought products from this brand simply stop buying them. And supermarkets, restaurants, and other physical establishments decide to switch suppliers because they don't want to risk acquiring other suspicious items.
In a short time, sales drop by half, the plant receives extremely high fines, and has to cover indemnity payments to that customer.
Now think: how many losses were caused by a single error? Countless! And all of this could have been avoided if only the plant had efficient product batch control.
What best practices should be followed in batch control?
Now that you know why controlling product batches is important and what the risks of not doing it are, how about discovering 5 best practices that help ensure effective, error-free control?
1- Inspect received products
The first best practice to follow in batch control relates to product inspection. Before allowing items into the warehouse, the plant needs to check whether the received batch has any kind of damage and whether the items are within their expiration date.
Performing this inspection is important to keep unsuitable inputs out of stock, since they could somehow harm production.
2- Don't mix different batches of the same product
It's normal for a plant to place several orders for the same product within a short period. That's why keeping batches separate, even of the same item, is important to avoid any kind of confusion in the future. When mixed or stored in the same position, employees can make mistakes when picking them.
3- Organize stock so that the batches expiring first are closest
Since it works with perishable products, the plant needs to organize its stock so that the inputs expiring first are within closest reach. In this case, using the FIFO (First In, First Out) inventory control method can be an interesting alternative to ensure the oldest items are used sooner.
4- Monitor stock regularly
Monitoring stock regularly is another best practice that must be strictly followed by the food industry. By doing so, it prevents expired items from remaining on the shelves, and important components from running out during product manufacturing.
5- Invest in technologies that help with management
Controlling product batches can be a challenge without the support of the right tools. Effective management requires information to always be available and up to date, and Excel spreadsheets or basic non-integrated systems can't always deliver that.
Investing in modern technologies such as an ERP, which integrates several sectors of the plant in a single place, can be a differentiator in avoiding errors in item registration, order picking, and even production.
The M2 ERP is a solution developed by Useall that lets you control the inputs used in the production of specific batches, as well as the expiration date of each one. The manager responsible for the plant can turn all the information registered in the system into more effective management, thus avoiding waste of inputs and products.
Today's post was written to explain how product batch control works, but if you're interested in learning more about the subject, click the banner to talk to our team on WhatsApp.
Originally published in Portuguese at useall.com.br.