Food production, with every lot on record.
Allergens, shelf life and customer-specific labels change with every order. Frontlink records each lot from receipt to delivery, separates allergens in the planning and puts the checks on the tablet.
The passport of one lot.
From the truck to the certificate at the customer: everything a lot goes through is recorded. Drag through the life of one lot of wheat flour.
- 1 / 6Received, first into quarantine
The lot arrives with lot number and expiry date. Materials that need checking go into quarantine first. Nobody can use them yet.
- 2 / 6Documents attached
Frontlink reads the supplier's PDFs and recognises what they are: certificate of analysis, allergen statement, specification. They go with the item and the lot.
- 3 / 6Released
Quality reviews and releases the lot. From now on it is available for production.
- 4 / 6First to expire, first
When picking, Frontlink steers to the lot that expires first and skips lots with too little shelf life.
- 5 / 6Allergens in planning
An allergen-free product only goes on a line certified for it. After a product with allergens, planning adds cleaning time.
- 6 / 6On the certificate
The lot is on the batch's release certificate, with the allergen statement. The customer finds it in the portal.
What is different in this industry.
- Allergens in the planning
Products with and without allergens run on the same line. Frontlink plans the order of the runs and asks for the cleaning and its check before a changeover.
- Shelf life from receipt
Raw materials come in with a best-before date. Frontlink picks the oldest usable lot first and stops an expired lot when it is scanned.
- Ready for the audit
Temperatures, metal detection and label checks are recorded per batch with name and time. At an audit the record per order is ready.
What it looks like in practice.
A customer reports a possible allergen in a pallet of sauce. Within minutes Frontlink shows which lot of mustard seed went into that batch, which other batches used the same lot and where they were delivered.
Example with fictional data.
- Line cleaned after allergen run, check signed06:40
- Metal detector test passed07:05
- Label version 4 scanned at line start07:12
Solutions that deliver the most here.
- Warehouse and stockFrontlink knows per lot what is there, where it is and how long it is good for. The warehouse picks by shelf life, stock matches what was really used, and a lot can be traced in one click.
- Quality and batch recordQuality checks appear as a checklist on the tablet, with the norm next to each one. The batch record builds itself from what was actually made, and release and certificate follow without searching.
- PlanningA plan that knows what is really happening on the floor. Orders come from your ERP, progress comes from the line, and when something moves the warehouse, sales and the customer know straight away.
Problems we often see here.
- Batch and lot traceability has gaps in internal genealogyYou can trace one step back and one step forward, but internal transformations (mixing, splitting, rework) are painful to reconstruct.
- Changeovers and line clearance are unmanagedChangeovers take too long and nobody can prove the line was cleared properly.
- Expiry and FEFO discipline breaks down in productionFEFO works in the warehouse system, but at the line, the wrong lots get used and near-expiry materials get buried.
Frequently asked questions.
Does Frontlink replace our ERP?
No. Frontlink works alongside your ERP. Orders and items come from the ERP, and production, consumption and lots go back to it.
Can we plan allergen-free runs first?
Yes. You mark the allergens per product, and the planning shows which order of runs needs the fewest cleanings.
Does this help with audits?
Frontlink records checks, deviations and signatures per batch, with a history that cannot be changed. So at an audit you have the record per batch straight away.
Which process takes you the most time?
Book a 30-minute call. We look at your own examples together.
Book a call