# Process Logging and Traceability

Every step of production is logged continuously, so that every record is
traceable end to end for the customer. This is a set requirement, and it is
the core specification for the factory software this repository will
eventually host.

## What a customer can trace

For any order, the customer can follow the full chain:

1. **Audio intake**: file received, checksums, versions, who handled it,
   approval trail
2. **Mastering**: session log, engineer, settings, customer approvals
3. **Cutting**: lacquer IDs, lathe parameters, stylus used, inspection
   result
4. **Galvanics**: silvering and plating batch IDs, bath chemistry logs,
   father/mother/stamper genealogy (which stamper came from which mother
   from which father), or the external stamper supplier and batch if bridged
5. **Pressing**: press ID, operator, shift, mold and stamper IDs, cycle
   parameters (temperatures, pressures, cycle times), PVC compound lot and
   virgin/recycled mix, label lot
6. **Quality control**: test pressing approvals, inspection results, reject
   counts and reasons
7. **Finishing and packaging**: trimming, sleeving, carton lot, packaging
   partner batch
8. **Fulfillment**: warehouse location, shipment or dropshipping consignment,
   carrier tracking per end customer

## Principles

- **Log at the source**: machine data comes from the machine (the presses
  and the plating rectifiers expose PLC data; the AD12 supports remote
  monitoring), not from manual transcription. Manual steps get simple
  operator check-ins, not paperwork.
- **Batch and genealogy first**: every physical artifact (lacquer, father,
  mother, stamper, press run, box) gets an ID, and every ID knows its
  parents. A customer complaint about one record resolves to a specific
  stamper, press, shift, and compound lot.
- **Environment attached**: the whole-factory HVAC monitoring (temperature,
  humidity, PM per zone) is logged on the same timeline, so any production
  window can be correlated with plant conditions.
- **Immutable and retained**: logs are append-only and retained for the
  life of the customer relationship; stamper genealogy is retained as long
  as the archive holds the metal parts.
- **Customer-facing view**: traceability is a product feature, not an
  internal file. Customers get a per-order view (portal or report) covering
  the chain above, without exposing other customers' data.

## Open design work

- Data model for batch genealogy across all eight steps
- Which PLC/machine interfaces each vendor exposes (ask Newbilt, Pheenix
  Alpha, and Digital Matrix during procurement, before purchase)
- Retention, backup, and PDPA handling for operator-linked records
- Whether test-pressing approval workflows live in the same system from day
  one

This system should be specified alongside equipment procurement: machine
data access is a purchasing requirement, not an afterthought.