| A | Mario - There are packaged applications that can help you with this but I am concerned by your mention of "small", because the pricetags on many of these applications defy "small" by the time you purchase the licenses and then get them configured. Were I in your shoes, I'd start by looking at how I might leverage my ERP or MRP system to accomplish this. Depending on what kind of software you've got in place -- if you've got Oracle, for instance -- you may be able to extend the interfaces to capture and relate this kind of traceability data. This is one path, and you'll have to evaluate the pros/cons of price, customization, and maintenance. That said, you are looking for what's called "forward and backward" traceability, which is a challenge to many generalized systems (i.e., systems not specifically constructed with the appropriate data models and structures to support this kind of traceability). The other alternative is to start looking at MES packages, but only those that can be deployed in a highly modular fashion so that you're not paying for a boatload of functionality that you have no use for at the moment. The other question is whether or not dental implants are considered medical devices (I bet they are but I don't know what class they'd be), and how you want to handle the traceability data for compliance purposes. You may want to think about assembling a solution that can spit out an electronic device history record at the end of the day, so you've got an electronic audit trail of all raw materials, operations, and issues associated with a particular fabrication. I'd probably start my search for solutions with companies like Apriso, Camstar, Elan, and Eyelit -- all very different, but each with specific attributes that make them a good fit for what you're trying to accomplish. With respect to seeing their wares, check out their websites, and then based on what you find, assemble your wish list of traceability functionality. They'll likely be advertising their more complex deployments, but don't let that put you off -- these products are all very modular. Once you've done that, give them each a call and get a demo or two. Be sure to stress that you're not trying to put a rocket on the moon, you just need good end-to-end, forward-backward traceability. Good luck - let me know what you discover. A |