Traceability in Engineer-to-Order Manufacturing SMEs

This paper examines the implementation and impact of component traceability within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the control cabinet manufacturing industry. Through a detailed examination of expert interviews, this study addresses four critical research questions regarding the current state of traceability practices, motivational factors for implementation, challenges faced by companies, and the expected impact on selected business criteria. Our findings reveal a diverse landscape of traceability implementation among the SMEs surveyed. The primary motivators for adopting traceability include quality assurance and defect analysis, customer requirements and regulatory compliance, and product and warranty liability, highlighting the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that drive companies to adopt traceability practices. Conversely, significant barriers preventing SMEs from implementing traceability were identified, including cost-benefit considerations, administrative burden, IT infrastructure challenges, employee resistance to change, and the complexity of managing a diverse range of items and suppliers. The impact of traceability on quality, time-to-market, competitiveness, customer satisfaction, product cost and other business processes was also assessed. In addition, the study highlights the potential for traceability to indirectly impact product costs and facilitate improvements in other operational areas through the strategic use of collected data. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of component traceability in the control cabinet manufacturing sector and provides valuable insights for SMEs considering the implementation and optimization of traceability systems within their operations.