Digitizing Manufacturing Operations with Real-time Track & Trace

Background

The electronics manufacturing industry is evolving faster than ever—driven by the need for agility, transparency, and sustainability. A leading global electronics manufacturer operating across multiple plants and production lines faced increasing complexity in its supply chain. The company sought to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure end-to-end traceability across operations.

To achieve this, it partnered with Tata Elxsi to modernize its manufacturing ecosystem—developing a lightweight MES, PLM-ready platform that delivers real-time visibility from raw material intake to finished goods, strengthening operational transparency and supporting Tata Group’s sustainability and digital transformation vision.

Challenges

• Fragmented Processes & Limited Visibility: Production and quality workflows were disconnected, relying on paper-based tracking and siloed data. This slowed approvals, tracking, and decision-making.
• Delayed Reporting & Decision-Making: Without real-time insights, teams could not quickly identify bottlenecks or respond to quality issues, delaying corrective actions.
• High Waste & Material Inefficiencies: Lack of end-to-end traceability led to excess scrap, rework, and inefficient use of materials, increasing operational costs.
• Traceability & Compliance Gaps:  Tracking material origins and quality checkpoints across multiple stations and plants was challenging, affecting audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
• Workforce Readiness: Shifting from manual processes to digital dashboards and HMIs required training and change management to ensure smooth adoption.

Solution

Tata Elxsi developed a modular, smart manufacturing platform (TETHER) that digitized the production workflow and boosted OEE by improving first-pass yield, reducing unplanned downtime, and increasing line performance.

• Operator-Centric UI Modernization: Intuitive dashboards and interfaces empowered plant staff to adopt digital workflows quickly, reducing manual effort and errors.
• Barcode-Enabled Tracking: Real-time, component-level barcode tracking ensured precise upstream–downstream traceability across materials, subcomponents, and assemblies.
• Integrated Functional Modules: Production Scheduling & Tracking, station-level Process & Resource Management, equipment utilization, operator allocation, Quality Monitoring, and Report Generation were unified into a single platform for seamless operations.
• Centralized Data Platform: Data from multiple lines and plants was consolidated into a single source of truth, enabling real-time insights and faster decision-making.
• Hybrid & Scalable Architecture: A web-based client-server design with future-ready PLM integration ensured reliable performance and minimal downtime—acting as a lightweight MES.

Impact

Tata Elxsi’s deployment of the Track & Trace solution delivered measurable and lasting impacts:

• Minimized Waste & Scrap: Streamlined workflows and real-time visibility reduced rework, defects, and unnecessary material movement—improving overall manufacturing waste efficiency. 
• Improved OEE: Digital capture of production, downtime, and quality parameters enhanced availability, performance, and quality metrics—strengthening operational excellence.
• Faster Decisions: Live dashboards and consolidated data enabled supervisors and quality engineers to identify bottlenecks instantly and take timely corrective actions.
• Stronger Compliance & Traceability: Centralized tracking ensured consistent quality and audit readiness.
• Empowered Workforce: Intuitive interfaces and automated workflows reduced manual effort and boosted productivity.

Services Rendered

• Industry 4.0
• Workflow Automation
• Digital Platform & Application Development
• Edge & IoT Integration
• UI/UX & HMI Design
• Systems Integration
• Data Analytics & Real-Time Dashboards