For a wet wipes manufacturer, when a customer lodges a complaint you should quickly find out where the problem is, whether it being nonwovens, lotions or any particular process. Identification of a lot or a process allows quick actions to improve processes and quality.

That's where the importance of a retainer library comes in.When a problem occurs with shipped products, you can trace back the records kept in a retainer library properly to identify the relevant lot and process and to further investigate the cause promptly. 

At American Hygienics Corporation (AHC), at least 6 samples are retained for each lot of products produced. A sample registration ledger, which is managed by a dedicated person, is also established to record relevant information including customer name, lot number, case number, rack number as well as temperature and humidity data.

Moreover, samples of AHC's OTC-grade wipes are stored in a dedicated OTC retainer library as they have different temperature and humidity requirements from other wipes.

After a problem is reported with a particular lot of a wet wipe product, the relevant sample may be sent to the respective in-house laboratories at AHC for a series of tests to identify the root cause of the problem.