Traceability
The ability to trace all materials, filler metals, and inspection reports back to a specific component. It is vital for quality verification and risk management.
Traceability means: you must always be able to prove which base material, which filler, and which welder were involved on which seam. For this, each component gets a unique number, and the batches of sheet and wire are documented. If you don't do this, in case of a defect you can no longer say whether the material even fits the welding process or whether the heat control was correct. The risk then is wrong hardness or cracks that you only discover much later. So: always enter the batch numbers in the welding log and check them against the inspection certificate before welding. That way you stay on the safe side and the inspector sees immediately that everything ran cleanly.