Part Idenitfication: Numbering Systems and Tracking Issues

INTRODUCTIONPart numbering systems attract enormous attention and controversy because they lie in the heart of the design and manufacture interface. They are in constant use, and are often difficult to use, which can cause immense problems (Hodgson, 1992). Part numbers impact virtually all areas of an organization, in one way or another. Part numbering is the key to many functions of a manufacturing company, including bill of material structures, customer orders, production scheduling, inventory allocations, materials management, supplier quotations, purchase orders, costs, and selling prices (Elliot, 1985). Part numbering is also extremely important in a successful supply chain. There are ten symptoms of poor supply chain performance (Bragg, 2003). Inconsistent part numbers are one of the ten symptoms. "Different systems, plants, and countries often use different part numbers to represent the same item. Yet, differing parts numbers hide similarities between components, subassemblies, and final products. Gaining economies of scale through standardizing on one part numbering genealogy will go a long way in centralizing supply chain planning and purchasing across multiple plants, leading to better production optimization, supplier consolidation, and ultimately improved responsiveness to customer and market needs" (Bragg, 2003). Because the span of impact part numbers have on an organization is wide and varied, it is important to meet the diverse needs of each department, as well as to keep tight control over the assignment of part numbers to guard against erroneous data.The primary function of part numbers is to uniquely identify raw materials, parts, and products for use in planning and control systems (Johnson, 1991). It is the Social Security Number of the item and all its identical clones (Carlson & Gopal, 1983). Each number is unique and identifies only one person without describing any specific features. A part number is a very important item of communication within and outside a company, just as a Social security Number is. Also, it is crucial to the company's information system and enables information regarding the part to be accessed including its design and manufacturing features (Harhalakis, Bohse, & Davies, 1987). A secondary function of part numbers is to include meaningful information in the part numbering scheme. Research indicates that part numbering systems should have the following characteristics: simplicity (no alpha or special characters), ease of assignment and control, consist of minimum length, and have the capability to be processed by humans and machines (Kini, Taube, & Mosier, 1991).Harhalakis, Bohse, & Davies (1987) identify the goals of a part identification system:* Unique and unambiguous identification of each item* Elimination of transmittal errors* Minimization of the risk of creating new part records accidentally* Prevention of inventory duplication* Elimination of obsolescent and slow moving inventory* No need for expertise to "recognize" part numbersPart numbering systems incorporated in a corporation might remain indefinitely and cannot be easily changed. The proper method for part numbering selection depends on the organization's retrieval requirements and available technology.PART NUMBER CLASSIFICATIONSMaterial handling, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation, and distribution represent anywhere from 30 to 90 percent of the total cost to bring a product to the marketplace. The one common requirement for all material movement through these processing stages is that it must be accurately identified before the appropriate action can be taken (LaFeir, 1992). There are three main types of part numbers: significant, non-significant, and semi-significant.Significant. A significant part number has meaningful information encoded in its digits such as information on the product's size, color, shape, and composition. …