Batch numbers, expiry dates and serials that follow the goods
Two businesses need this and nobody else does: the one that can be told to recall lot number 4471, and the one that has to prove a specific unit was sold on a specific date. tBiz tracks both down to the individual line.
| Batch | Expiry | Qty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCM-2508 | Aug 2026 | 1,240 strip | 18,600.00 |
| PCM-2511 | Nov 2026 | 3,600 strip | 54,000.00 |
| PCM-2604 | Apr 2027 | 8,150 strip | 1,22,250.00 |
What you get
Batch on the line, not the item
One item can hold twelve live batches at different rates and different expiries, and the invoice records which one actually went out.
Expiry-first picking
The oldest batch that has not expired is suggested at the point of sale, so short-dated stock leaves before it becomes a write-off.
Near-expiry warnings
A report of what expires in the next thirty, sixty and ninety days, per warehouse, so it can be moved while it is still worth something.
Recall in one query
Given a batch, every customer who received it, on which invoice, on which date. That is the report you cannot build after the fact if the data was never captured.
Serial numbers for warranty
Scan a serial in, scan it out, and a warranty claim two years later resolves to the invoice it was sold on.
Expired stock quarantined
Stock past its expiry is held out of available quantity rather than left to be sold by somebody in a hurry.
How it works
- Mark the item as tracked. Per item, and by batch, by serial, or by both — because a distributor carries some of each and forcing serials onto cement helps nobody.
- Capture on the way in. The GRN asks for batch, manufacturing and expiry dates, or scans the serials. This is the only moment the information is free.
- Pick on the way out. The invoice suggests the right batch by expiry and records what was actually picked.
- Query it later. By batch, by serial, by customer or by expiry window — forwards for a recall, backwards for a claim.
Batch and serial questions
Can I track batch and serial numbers on the same item?
Yes. Tracking is set per item, and an item can carry both — a batch for the lot it came from and a serial for the individual unit, which is common in electricals and medical devices.
Does tBiz stop me selling expired stock?
Expired batches are held out of available quantity, so they do not get picked by accident. Selling one is possible only deliberately, which is the right way round.
How quickly can I find who received a recalled batch?
One query. The batch is on the invoice line, so the list of customers, invoices and dates comes straight out of the sales register rather than being reconstructed from delivery notes.
Is FEFO or FIFO used for picking?
First-expiry-first-out where a batch has an expiry date, first-in-first-out where it does not. Selling the oldest stock is not the same as selling the stock that expires first, and for perishable goods the second one is what matters.
Related
Track the lot, not just the item
Start free, mark one item as batch-tracked, and see the difference in the first goods-inward entry.