While products refer to finished goods (such as a T-Shirt), components are the individual parts required to assemble those goods. For example: fabric, ribbing, and stitching threads are components that make up a T-Shirt.

In the Retraced platform, we maintain a similar segregation between products and components, with dedicated areas for each of them. Both can be found in the left navigation bar in the products tab.

The creation of products/components is required when using Retraced's order tracing feature: Tracing helps you and your client navigate the complexity of your supply chain through network wide collaboration. It enables you to trace back to the Raw Material origin.

In order to respond to your client's order, you first need to have components in place to indicate where the individual parts and materials come from, and hence trace products.