The Standardization Framework of Product Traceability and Process Performance Monitoring in Interoperable Agroindustry Systems

The globalization of agroindustry in the twenty-first century has introduced new challenges related to ensuring product safety in international organizations. Mandatory traceability regulations are inherently scarcely effective in such context, since their validity is limited to the national boundaries, while new and more effective solutions can be provided by voluntary traceability systems. Since traceability systems ultimately rely upon the establishment of appropriate product related information flows among the supply chain operators, their integration with interoperable industrial automation systems may offer substantial advantages. The spread of cyber-physical systems within the industry 4.0 paradigm thus constitutes an ideal technological layer for such development, although the lack of an integrated framework involving product traceability and process control still hampers the practical development of such systems. This paper focuses on discussing the complexities related to the integration of traceability requirements in interoperable automation systems, from the perspective of the existing standardization frameworks in agroindustry, thus providing managerial insights for industrial applications.