Serial Numbers in PartsBox

Serial numbers are a crucial feature in PartsBox for managing the production of electronic devices. They enable the assignment of unique identifiers to each device built, allowing for individual tracking and traceability throughout the device's lifecycle.

Benefits of Serialization

Implementing serial numbers in the production of electronic devices offers several key advantages:

1. Traceability: Unique identifiers enable tracking a product's journey from production to the end customer. This facilitates product recalls, issue investigation, and quality control.
2. Service and Repair History: Serial numbers allow for maintaining a complete history of repairs and service performed on a specific device.
3. Regulatory Compliance: Certain types of electronics may require traceability by regulatory bodies, which serial numbers help to achieve.
4. Quality Improvement and Defect Identification: If a defect or issue arises in a batch of products, serial numbers can help identify devices made around the same time or with the same component batch. This aids in identifying the cause and preventing future occurrences.
5. Lifecycle Management: Serial numbers facilitate managing a product's lifecycle, from manufacturing and sale to servicing and end-of-life disposal. They can enable environmentally responsible disposal or recycling of electronic devices.

Implementation in PartsBox

PartsBox implements serial numbers using lot control, which is necessary to distinguish between items in stock for a given part. Without lot control, all stock for a part is considered fungible (interchangeable).

When building projects or BOMs, PartsBox provides an option called "Track each resulting sub-assembly separately?" that changes the build process to generate individual lots for each sub-assembly built. This means that every device built is assigned its own single-unit lot.

Lots in PartsBox carry a significant amount of data and have unique ID Anything™ codes. Additional data can be attached to lots as files, such as test results, repair protocols, regulatory filings, service history, or any other necessary information for tracking the lifecycle of an individual device.

Each lot is assigned a uniquely generated ID Anything™ code that can be printed as a QR code and attached to the device. Alternatively, devices can be identified by the build ID Anything™ code (pointing to a build) and an auto-assigned integer serial number within that build.

When the option to add sub-assembly part stock is enabled for a multi-stage build, PartsBox tracks stock that is in production. Information about production abnormalities or test results can be attached to each device lot individually during the build process. Completing the build changes the stock status from "In Production" to "Available".

Conclusion

Serialization is a powerful tool in PartsBox for tracking manufactured electronic devices. It enables traceability of each device from manufacturing through distribution to end-user sale, supporting various aspects of the device's lifecycle, such as:

• Warranty management
• Inventory control
• Theft and fraud prevention
• Customer service
• Regulatory compliance
• Quality improvement
• Defect identification
• Lifecycle management

By facilitating detailed tracking and record-keeping, serialization in PartsBox serves as a vital tool for enhancing operational efficiency, quality assurance, and overall accountability in the electronics manufacturing industry.