In the process industry batch records are key to keep track of the quality of a production batch. A batch record contains all the relevant data of the manufacturing process of a given batch. These can be analysis reports of internal controls or external lab analyses, failure of equipment and logging standard checks.
Currently, batch records are typically paper forms at the production line. The operator needs to log failures of the machines, visual product inspections, parameters such as temperature or pH, or lab analyses. Batch records are handed over to the next shift of the lab.
Digital batch records allow to go much further. It allows to integrate different data sources in one batch record and provide for more insight in real-time.
The advantages of digital batch records are clear