Glossary · Manufacturing systems
Product genealogy
Also known as: Genealogy, Production genealogy, As-built record
German: Produktgenealogie
In manufacturing, product genealogy is the record of which materials, components, batches, equipment, process data and operators were involved in making a specific product unit or batch.
- Manufacturing systems
In one sentence
Product genealogy records which materials, components, batches, equipment and process data went into a specific product.
Example
The genealogy of airbag unit 7731 shows the inflator batch, the crimping station, the crimp force curve and the test result.
How it applies
- Engineering: The MES collects genealogy data by scanning components and batches at each step and linking them with process data. The level of detail (batch or serial number) is defined per component based on risk and requirements.
- Quality: Genealogy narrows recalls: if a component batch is defective, the affected finished products can be identified precisely. Forward and backward tracing both rely on it.
- Regulation: Automotive, aerospace, medical devices and pharma have strong genealogy expectations. For the digital product passport, genealogy data can be a source for product-specific information.
- Documentation: Define which components are traced at which level and how long records are kept. Document manual corrections to genealogy data in an audit trail.
Genealogy vs. traceability
Traceability is the ability to follow an item's history and location. Genealogy is the recorded data structure that makes this possible for manufactured products.