Graphically speaking Getting Connected – Improving Customer Experiences Jim Crawshaw, PSI What does ‘getting connected’ mean in rotational molding? This means improving the customer experience, by connecting them with your products, and ultimately you, the brand ambassador. This is enabled through track and trace methods, a crucial part of rotomoulding and it is undeniably known as the future of all manufacturing known as, Industry 4.0. Considering the significant cost, resource, and productivity advantages it provides, it is not hard to see why traceability offers so many benefits to connect your products with the manufacturer and the end-user. Benefits of tracking in rotomoulding Factors which directly benefit rotational moulding include: • Product recall – for quick and efficient identification of effected products • Quality control – provides a higher level of control through the manufacturing and after-sales servicing process • Operational efficiency – to locate and minimise waste of both materials and operational resources • Customer satisfaction – a robust system that better positions you to respond to your customers’ problems and make improvements to provide higher-quality products and meet their needs How to track plastic products A common question we get asked by rotomoulders is, ‘what methods are used for tracking plastic products’? There is no short answer as there are many, so we have created this article to help uncover these methods, as one or more may suit your specific application. To start you need to identify the purpose of your tracking endeavour, reasons include: • Unique product identity – PSI recommends a serial number and/ or barcode • Production tracking i.e., date of manufacture, batch number, product specification – again we recommend serial numbers and/or barcodes • Distributor reselling – best solution is a product barcode • Product servicing, location, and data log – by manually using physical serial reference or digitally using barcode or RFID • Product information i.e., link to webform – such as QR Code • Anti-theft or multi-asset tracking – best solution here is RFID Putting it simply, a unique identifier can be just a consecutive serial number associated to the product or part. When should you use Serial Numbers? One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘what is a good serial number system for my product’? Allow me to share 28 ROTOWORLD® ISSUE 2 • 2022
an effective case study used by New Zealand rotomoulder and specialist boat crafter, Viking Kayaks. • Purpose – To identify product through production and identify for any product recall • Problem – use of hot-poker for scribing. This was very dependent on user, delivered poor aesthetics, and was not easily visible • Solution – Black & White serial no. in-mould graphic every cycle along with custom branding • Testimonial – “It looks sharp and means we can easily identify a boat from time of manufacture, right through to recall, now that’s customer service.” So what about Barcodes? Barcodes are one of the most effective methods for electronically tracking plastic products, and we turn to Victoria Australia for an original example at WaterStore Poly Tanks in Australia, who used barcodes to maximum effect.
