System and method for tracking and exploiting per station information from a multiple repeat manufacturing device

A system for tracking information, said system being suitable for use in connection with a manufacturing production line constructing a composite product from a sequential addition of component parts during a production run, said manufacturing production line including a multiple repeat application device, said multiple repeat application device having a plurality of application stations, each of said plurality of application stations being configured for adding a first component part to consecutive composite products being produced during the production run, said system comprising:

• a communication network;
• an inspection system for automatically inspecting a product attribute of a composite product produced during the production run, said product attribute comprising a position of the first component part relative to the particular composite product to which the first component part is added, said inspection system determining a product attribute parameter corresponding to the inspected product attribute;
• and
• an information exchange interfacing with the inspection system via the communication network and obtaining the product attribute parameter via said communication network, said information exchange relating said product attribute parameter to a specific one of the plurality of application stations by storing the product attribute parameter in a buffer having an index corresponding to the specific one of the plurality of application stations, said information exchange making the product attribute parameter and the relationship of the product attribute parameter to the specific one of the plurality of application stations available via the communication network.