Operations guide · Traceability
Lot, Expiry and Serial Number Tracking
A WMS must protect not only quantities but also the identity of stock. A lot tracks a production group, a serial number tracks a single unit, and an expiry date tracks the limit for consumption or use. The right model narrows the scope of a recall and prevents wrong shipments.
Lot vs serial number
- Lot / batch: tracks several units under a shared identity. Production date, supplier batch and quality status can be linked to it.
- Serial number: unique for every physical unit. The same identity is followed from goods receipt to the customer and back through returns.
- Use-by vs best-before: they are not the same in regulation or business rules; the WMS field and shipping rule should be defined per product type.
FIFO and FEFO
FIFO prioritises the stock that arrived first; FEFO prioritises the stock with the nearest expiry date. For date-sensitive products such as food and pharmaceuticals, FEFO usually makes more sense; remaining shelf life, customer acceptance windows and quarantine status should be part of allocation.
Control points across operations
- Capturing lot, serial and date at goods receipt, from the barcode or by controlled entry.
- Checking mixing and storage rules during putaway.
- Checking FEFO/FIFO, customer and quality status during allocation.
- Rescanning at picking and packing; linking serials to orders.
- Forward/backward trace reports for returns and recalls.
Asking for serial numbers only at shipping can lose the unit-level trail of internal movements between receipt and shipping. Balance the data entry workload against the level of risk.
Questions to ask during demos
Test lot splitting/merging, authority to correct dates, quarantine, customer-specific shelf life, serial reuse, GS1 barcode parsing and recall reports with real scenarios. Continue your search with the WMS Finder or the WMS Directory.