Reducing manual processes drives efficiencies, and connected data from sourcing to finished goods provides an accurate record of the production process.
SATO Auto-ID (Thailand) Co., Ltd., an industry leader in auto-ID and labelling solutions, delivered a traceability solution for Thai DNT Paint Mfg. Co., Ltd. (hereafter Thai DNT), which produces paint products in Thailand.
Labels ensure incoming raw material tanks are received and registered properly
Weigh scales integrated with mixing instructions for accurate mixing in paint production
Shipping labels for tracking of finished paint sent to customers
Thai DNT is a leading manufacturer of paint products for the automotive industry and other industrial coating applications. It has to manage large quantities of incoming raw materials to produce paint at its three factories in Samutprakarn and Chon Buri provinces.
Before implementing the traceability solution, operators had to visually identify and manually track large quantities of incoming raw materials heading to production by comparing a label with a printed sheet from the ERP system.1 These sheets had handwritten notes on a physical document passed through the manufacturing process. This approach relied on human judgement and was tedious and prone to error.
Thai DNT needed to know its raw material components were intact and ready for use anytime. For production planning, it needed to accurately and systematically determine which ingredients were stocked in their warehouse and the mix of each component with total accuracy.
With SATO’s barcode and 2D code-based solution, Thai DNT workers could simply scan product codes at key junctures along the production process to locate the correct tank containing the desired materials, resulting in labour savings and improved accuracy. This solution helped the manufacturer further optimise its production planning process to ensure the highest level of quality for its paint products.
Traceability is critical to a resilient supply chain. It means visibility of the raw materials that go into products before they reach the end consumer. It means having an accurate record tracing back through the manufacturing process about the origin, practices, processes and other variables of how a product came to market. It means having assurance that the product was sourced sustainably. And responsible products are popular. Studies show that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are more likely to choose and pay more for sustainable alternatives than their Baby Boomers and Gen X counterparts.2 Meanwhile, one of the primary barriers to sustainable purchasing is the lack of clarity on when a product/service is sustainable (21 per cent).3
Chatree Boonnukul, Project Manager at Thai DNT, said, “Thanks to the traceability solution provided by SATO, our production process is now more efficient and accurate, and we are also seeing a 25 per cent increase in staff productivity.
"Backed by SATO’s robust solution, we can now focus on delighting customers with our high-quality and innovative paint products."
"This deployment is a great demonstration of our core expertise — tagging," said Yusuke Konishi, Managing Director of SATO Auto-ID (Thailand) Co., Ltd. "By integrating product codes with the customer’s ERP, they can now capture and utilise data all the way from raw ingredient production to finished paint products. By connecting data used on site, we automate processes and boost traceability for greater efficiencies and accuracy, which help improve quality."
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1 Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is software used by organisations to manage key parts of operations, including accounting and resource management.