Seems that there is a new reason to adopt direct part marking - catching a terrorist. According to New York police, the VIN or Vehicle Identification Number directly marked on various parts of the Nissan Pathfinder used in the attempt to bomb Times Square last week played a key role in finding the suspect. The VIN was used to track the vehicle through various owners and led to the parties in the anonymous Craigslist purchase of the vehicle shortly before the terrorist bombing attempt.
VINs are marked on all vehicles manufactured and in various places. They can be made by:
VIN numbers appear in various places on every car including the dashboard, inner door, frame, and engine compartment.
Direct part marks have a variety of other uses including traceability, inventory control, warranty fulfillment, quality control management, process monitoring, branding (logo), serialization, and part identification.
Virtually any material can be direct part marked using one of the basic methods commercially available today.
Maybe you should consider the benefits of direct part marking - you never know how it could help your business or even catch a terrorist.