Batch Traceability
Batch Traceability (Chargenrückverfolgbarkeit)
Batch traceability means being able to follow a production batch seamlessly from raw material to delivered end product.
Batch Traceability: Not to be confused with
Batch traceability is NOT the same as serial number tracking. Serial numbers identify individual units, batches group together several units produced or procured at the same time. Many ERP systems combine both methods depending on the article.
The EU’s general food law regulation requires companies to be able to show at any time who they received a product from and who they supplied it to (Source 1). In an ERP that means every batch carries a unique number, linked to the raw material batches used and the customers supplied, so that in a recall only the affected lots need to be isolated, instead of stopping all production.
Requirements are especially strict in Pharma & Life Sciences and Food & Beverage, where batch traceability is a legal requirement, not just operationally useful.