What Is Product Genealogy?
Also known as: lot genealogy, as-built record, forward and backward traceability, serial genealogy
Definition
Product genealogy is the recorded family tree of a finished product: which component lots and serial numbers went into it, which operations, machines, people and process settings built it, and which customers received it.
Product Genealogy Explained
Genealogy is built as work happens. When an operator consumes a lot of material or installs a serialized component, the system records the link between parent and child. Operation data such as machine ID, tool, parameters, test results and timestamps are attached to the same record. The result is queryable in two directions: backward from a finished serial number to its inputs, and forward from a suspect lot to every unit and customer affected.
This is the detailed layer beneath general traceability. Traceability is the capability; genealogy is the actual linked data. It is essential in aerospace and defense (AS9100, as-built configuration), medical devices (ISO 13485, device history record), automotive (IATF 16949 containment) and food (FSMA 204 critical tracking events).
ERPs vary. Infor SyteLine tracks lots and serials with where-used and trace transactions. Infor LN supports lot and serial tracking through its warehousing and tracking sessions. NetSuite provides lot and serial numbered inventory with trace reports. Capturing operation-level data such as process parameters usually requires an MES.
Why It Matters
- A recall or containment can be limited to the affected units rather than a whole month of production.
- Customers in regulated sectors require as-built records as a contractual condition.
- Root cause analysis becomes faster when defects can be correlated to a lot, machine or shift.
- Complete genealogy lets natural-language tools answer questions such as which customers received parts made from lot X.
In Practice
A supplier notifies you that heat lot H-7731 of bar stock failed a hardness retest. A forward trace on that lot finds it was issued to 14 jobs, which produced 620 parts in 9 serial ranges, of which 410 have shipped to three customers. Without genealogy, the whole quarter's output of that part number would be quarantined; with it, only those 620 parts are.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between traceability and genealogy?
Traceability is the ability to follow a product through its history. Genealogy is the detailed linked record, parent to child, that makes tracing possible.
Does every ERP provide genealogy?
Most track lots and serials, but operation-level detail like machine and parameters often needs an MES or quality system.
How long should genealogy records be kept?
It depends on customer contracts and regulation. Aerospace and medical programs often require many years; check the applicable requirements.
Related Terms
Traceability
Traceability is the ability to follow the history, location, and application of a part or material through the supply chain and production process, both backward to its sources and forward to every product and customer it reached.
AS9100
AS9100 is the quality management system standard for the aviation, space, and defense industry, published by SAE and the International Aerospace Quality Group, which incorporates all of ISO 9001 and adds sector-specific requirements for safety, configuration, and risk.
ISO 13485
ISO 13485 is the international quality management system standard for organizations involved in the design, production, installation, or servicing of medical devices, emphasizing regulatory compliance, risk management, and documented traceability throughout the product lifecycle.
FSMA Rule 204
FSMA Rule 204 is the FDA Food Traceability Rule requiring companies that handle foods on the Food Traceability List to capture defined key data elements at critical tracking events and produce those records to FDA in a sortable electronic format within 24 hours.
Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is software that tracks, controls and documents production on the shop floor in real time, from releasing a work order to recording what was actually made, by whom, on which machine and with which materials.
Working with Product Genealogy in a live environment? Our engineers do this every day - and our AI agents automate most of it.