afkeurroute

Afkeurroute, in Dutch quality management, is the defined route for non-conforming items through the production, inspection, and distribution process. It designates the workflow by which products or materials that fail to meet specified requirements are identified, quarantined, and dispositioned, preventing them from mixing with conforming stock and enabling traceability and corrective action.

Key elements of an afkeurroute include detection at the point of quality control, labeling with an afkeur status, and the creation of a non-conformance report (NCR). The non-conforming items are moved to a quarantine area or container, after which a disposition decision is made. Possible outcomes are rework or repair, scrapping, return to supplier, or relocation to a separate stock stream for future evaluation. The route often feeds data into ongoing root cause analysis and corrective actions, supporting continuous improvement.

In practice, the afkeurroute is integrated into quality management systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) or warehouse management systems. Clear responsibilities are assigned to production, quality control, warehousing, and logistics teams, and traceability is maintained through batch, lot, or serial numbers. The term is commonly used in Dutch-speaking regions and may be synonymous with afkeur proces or afkeur flow in some organizations.

Benefits of implementing an afkeurroute include improved product safety and compliance, reduced risk of defective stock reaching customers, and better insight for supplier management and process optimisation. It is a standard concept in quality control and lean manufacturing practices in the Netherlands and Belgium.