Abstract: A system for recordkeeping, comprising assigning a bar code label to material to be processed including information identifying the material and successively moving the material into a plurality of processing stations. At each station the bar code label is read, a second bar code label including information relating to a processing operation is assigned to the material, the second bar code label is read, a processing operation is performed in accordance with the second bar code label and a third bar code label is assigned to the material including information corresponding to results of the processing operation. The information from the first, second and third labels are stored in a main storage device.

Abstract: A recordkeeping method comprises assigning serialized portable memory devices to individual lots of material and manufacturing process batches, writing identification and requirements data into the portable memory devices, writing manufacturing and test data into the portable memory devices during the process and writing the manufacturing and test data from one portable memory device into another by first reading the identification data from the both portable memory devices, comparing the identification data read from the two portable memory devices and writing the manufacturing and test data into the other portable memory device if the comparison is favorable.