The impact of the flowline on the supply chain is also significant, the whole system being based on a robust material-requirements-planning (MRP) foundation. For larger suppliers the ‘Kanban’ system can be operated, delivering sub-assemblies or part-kits to the workstations directly on the flowline. Each part will have a unique identifier permanently marked via physical (laser) etching or nameplate, incorporating both a visually readable and electronic-scanning data-matrix identifier. During the assembly process the dot-matrix data identifier is read using a handheld matrix-reading device which interprets the matrix into defined attributes such as item part number and serial number, build record. The completed unit assembly will tally with a full inventory of parts, each logged via the data-matrix system. This provides a complete build history of the small reactor and could also be used to automatically trigger a payment milestone to the supplier when the part is incorporated onto the customer unit.