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Version: 8.0

Tracking numbers

Introduction​

Traceability is the means of identifying and tracking a product starting with its manufacturing, during its use, and until the end of its life.

This can make it possible, for example, to identify :

  • the materials used to manufacture a product

  • the characteristics of the product

  • the manufacturing method used

  • the fact of reception by the customer

  • the deployment (use) of the product

  • maintenance

  • the destruction of the product

Traceability is therefore a set of information collected and recorded, from the creation of a product, as and when it is used, in a register linked to the identified product. Obviously, the need for traceability is as diverse as the number of products. Traceability has a cost and these needs are often optimised accordingly.

There are two types of identification management:

  1. Unit identification by serial number enables the specific characteristics of a product to be traced (by unit). This identification is used for high added value or high risk products.

  2. Batch identification is used to trace the characteristics of a set of products to which the product belongs. The characteristics traced will be those of the batch, and not those of the individual product.

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In AOS, the tracking numbers feature can be used to manage the traceability.

Configuration & a functional example​

Access : Stock management → Configuration → Tracking number configuration

In order to use tracking numbers, you will need to create a tracking number configuration. To do this, you first need to create a sequence.

Create a sequence​

Access : Application config → General data → Sequences

Open the sequence menu. If you are looking for a sequence assigned to a tracking number, simply enter “Tracking number” in the “Document concerned” field at the top.

If you want to create a new sequence, click +. In this example, we are going to create a new sequence.

  1. Create a new sequence.

  2. On the new sequence sheet, in the “Document concerned” field, select Product tracking number.

  3. Specify the title. For example, “Server product tracking number”.

  4. In the example, the “Yearly reset” and “Monthly reset” checkboxes are enabled.

  5. Specify a prefix. For example, this is “SERV%YY%FM-”. That is, the prefix will be “SERV**2024/01/” followed by an increment number that resets monthly.

  6. Save the changes you have made.

  7. Proceed to configuration of the tracking number.

Tracking number configuration​

Access : Stock management → Configuration → Tracking number configuration → +

tip

A Tracking No. configuration must have a name. It is necessary to define whether this configuration manages tracking numbers on purchase, production or sale by activating the corresponding box.

  1. Give it a title. In the example, it is Config NS Server.

  2. In the example, the “Manage purchase tracking Nbr.” checkbox is enabled. For example, a supplier assembles a product for you. “Purchasing Tracking management” section will appear.

  3. In the “Purchasing Tracking management” section, activate the Generate new purchase auto tracking Nbr box.

  4. Then, in the “Sequence” field, select the sequence that was created beforehand (in the example, it is the sequence “SERV%YY%FM-”).

  5. If you activate the “Manage production tracking Nbr.” box, the “Production tracking management” section will appear. In this section, you can also select a sequence. It is also possible to activate the “Generate new production auto tracking Nbr.” box.

  6. Ticking the “Manage sale tracking Nbr.” box brings up the “Sale tracking management” section.

  7. In the “Sale tracking management” section, activate the “Auto select sale tracking Nbr” box. This will bring up the “Auto sale tracking Nbr. order” field. Select a tracking number according to a mode (FIFO: “first in first out” or LIFO: “last in, first out”). For this field, it’s FIFO.

  8. To recap, in this example :

  • tracking numbers are managed and generated on purchase

  • tracking numbers are managed on sale. At the same time, automatic selection of sales series (FIFO) has been activated.

  • these are series numbers: they are generated per batch (define the maximum quantity of the batch, for example 1 in the "Qty per batch on purchase” field).

  1. Save the changes you have made.

  2. The last step: associate this tracking number with the item.

tip

In the case of consumables, you can activate the “Auto select product tracking Nbr.” box in the “Production tracking management” section (i.e. manufacturing tracking management).

You then need to decide how these products are consumed, FIFO or LIFO, in the “Auto product tracking Nbr. order” field (this field appears once the first box has been activated).

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This way, you can generate the tracking number when the moves are generated according to a pre-established sequence.

As mentioned, the sequences for tracking numbers are configured beforehand in Application config → General data → Sequences with a maximum quantity per batch.

Next, configure the tracking number. The system will create as many Tracking No. as necessary if the quantity that was received, manufactured or sent is greater than the max quantity per batch.

By setting this field to the value of 1 (the “Quantity per batch” field on the “Tracking number configuration” page), you can manage unit tracking numbers and therefore serialisation.

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Per default, the tracking number tab can be found on a product file.

Nevertheless, when “Product per company” feature is active, tracking number tab disappears.

Access : Stock management → Products → select a product

  1. On a product file, click on the “Tracking number” tab.

  2. Warranty: if you wish to assign a guarantee to an item, tick the “Warranty” box. If so, set the “Warranty length (in months)”.

  3. Perishable: if the product is perishable, activate the “Perishable” box. In this case, fill in the “Time before expiry (in days)” field in order to indicate its expiration date.

  4. Expiration date: if necessary, tick the “Check expiration date at stock move realization” box. With this feature active, when a move is made on an expired Tracking number, a message appears informing a user about an expired tracking number.

  5. Tracking Nbr Config: still on the Tracking Number tab, fill in the “Tracking Nbr Config” field. Associate a tracking number configuration with an item by selecting the desired configuration. Determine the Tracking Number sequence for an item, the way in which its tracking numbers are generated and selected. For example, in the Tracking number configuration, you can check/uncheck the boxes (Manage & Generate tracking numbers for purchase, sales and production, etc). If a tracking number configuration is defined at product level, then a tracking number will be expected as soon as a movement is made on this product.

tip

It is possible to create a configuration per product, but it is not mandatory.

Stock app configurations​

  1. Activate bar code generation for tracking number: App Config → Apps Management → Stock, configure → enable the “Activate bar code generation for tracking number” feature in the “Tracking number” section.

  2. Tracking number barcode type: define the bar code type in this field. For example, QR Code. In other words, all tracking numbers will be of the QR Code type.

  3. Specify the barcode type by tracking number configuration: when configuring the barcode types for tracking numbers in the Stock app, you can also activate the “Specify the barcode type by tracking number configuration” feature.

caution

Either select “Tracking number barcode type”, which will then be the common barcode type for all tracking numbers, or activate the “Specify the barcode type by tracking number configuration” option.

In other words, you can customise the tracking numbers for each product by assigning them different types of barcode.

  1. Save the changes you have made.

  2. Open the Tracking Number file.

Tracking Number File​

Access : Stock management → Configuration → Tracking numbers.

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Find all the tracking numbers: Stock management → Configuration → Tracking numbers.

With the help of this menu, trace the tracking numbers of everything that has been manufactured / delivered to the customer.

The purpose of this list is not to indicate any available stock; it is used to inform the user that a tracking number has been created at a given time.

  1. Click on a tracking number file in the list.

  2. On the Tracking number file, you will find a range of information:

  • Tracking number.

  • The associated product.

  • Warranty date (if indicated).

  • Expiration date (if indicated).

  • Number pf pieces.

  • Origin (a text field used to define the origin of the number).

  • Supplier.

  • Note.

  1. If you activate barcodes in the Stock app configurations, you will see the “Barcode” tab appear on the Tracking number file, where it will be generated. In this tab, find a "Serial Number” field.

  • Enter the serial number (the serial number can be the tracking number or another number).

  • Save.

  • A barcode will be generated. It is always possible to delete the barcode and create a new one.

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You can always delete the barcode and create a new one.

Example: one tracking number, two stock locations​

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The tracking number can be located in two places.

When there is a tracking number for a product that has more than one part (the counter is greater than 1), it is possible to separate their locations during a move (for example, waste & main stock location).

For example:

  1. Generate supplier arrival : on a purchase quotation, generate a receipt by clicking on the button “Generate supplier arrival”. Stock move sheet will open.

  2. Incoming move lines : on the Stock move sheet, in the Incoming move lines, you will have several lines (for example, you have 5 items of a product). The “To stock location” field has been defined as “Main warehouse”.

  3. At the same time, one of the products has been declared faulty. In this case, you need to make another stock move.

  4. Access: Stock management → Internal stock move → +

  • In case of a faulty product, enter the destination as “Waste” in the ”To storage location’ field.

  • Select only part of the batch concerned in the Internal move lines. First, select the product.

  • Then, in the ‘Tracking number’ field, select the tracking number.

  • Enter the quantity.

  • Confirm.

  • Then click on the “Plan” button.

  • Then click on “Realize” in order to complete the move.

  • Carrying out this move will split the batch in two. One part, as planned, will go to the main location (the main warehouse), and the other will go to the Waste location.

tip

When working with stock, you will find different types of availability.

For example, availability Availability for product means that the product is in stock, however, it is split between different batches (and therefore not necessarily the batch in question, present on the stock move sheet).

There are three levels of availability on the lines:

  1. Available

  2. Missing

  3. Available for the product

For moves, the availability level is :

  1. Available

  2. Not available

  3. Partly available

Access : Stock management → Tracking numbers search

To continue the search, you need to know the product.

  1. In the product field, enter the product you are looking for.

  2. In the “Tracking number” field, select a tracking number.

  3. Search object : in the “Search object” field, select other elements relevant to the search. For example: stock move / stock location / etc.

  4. Search : click on the “Search” button. Note, it is also possible to search for the stock tracking number via the stock move lines.

Access : Stock management → Configuration → Stock move lines

  1. In the “Tracking No.” column, enter the tracking number.

  2. Click on “Enter”.

  3. If necessary, sort the stock movement lines according to the move date.

Product availability​

How do you know whether a product is available or not? In this case, check a stock location.

Access : Stock management → Stock locations → click on the stock location you are interested in

  1. On the location sheet, click on the “Stock location details” tab.

  2. In the “Current quantity” column, enter >1.

  3. In the “Product” column, enter the product.

  4. In the “Tracking number” column, enter “%”. Simply entering the % means that you are looking for a product with a tracking number.