Patent ID: 7069100

Claim:
A method of monitoring and controlling a manufacturing process having a number of stages, each one of said stages involving receipt of input materials or components, at least one processing action, and discharge of output materials or components, the method comprising the steps of: (1) providing a manufacturing monitoring and control data system able to identify components to be processed for each of a plurality of said stages for monitoring and controlling, for each of said plurality of stages, applicable ones of: (a) discharge routing; (b) inventory management of said materials or components and/or raw materials to be consumed at said stage; (c) processing equipment configuration specific to one of a plurality of input materials or components to be processed by said equipment at said stage; (d) quality of at least one of said components; and (e) exposure to an environment for at least one of said components, said at least one component having a variable quality due to exposure to said environment; wherein at least one of said plurality of stages comprises one of (c), (d) or (e); (2) collecting monitoring and/or control data at said plurality of said stages during said manufacturing process; and (3) processing said monitoring and control data to provide monitoring and/or control data resulting from said plurality of stages; whereby said monitoring and controlling is carried across said plurality of stages; wherein said processing in step (3) comprises determining an exposure time interval of said at least one component to said environment; and further comprising the step of comparing said exposure time interval with a predetermined maximum exposure time value, and providing indication that said at least one component is at least one of: expired when said exposure time interval exceeds said predetermined maximum exposure time value; and close to expiration when said expiration time interval has approached said predetermined maximum exposure time value by a pre-selected warning period.