Cloud Inventory for QuickBooks | Blog

Lot and Serial Number Tracking Online with Order Time

Written by Michael DeFelice | Oct 30, 2018 5:49:28 PM

It is no surprise that if you know what your inventory is; when it is coming in and where it is going; you will be better able to serve your customers. The challenge can be syncing all of this data online and having it readily available from a mobile device. Order Time solves that issue with ease by managing inventory, orders, and customers in the cloud. There are items to order and receive. There are orders to pack and ship. There are parts that break and need to be replaced and what if an entire batch needs to be recalled? Those are a lot of moving parts to track, set yourself up for success with Order Time.

Serial Number Tracking - What is a Serial Number?

A serial number is an identification number assigned to a distinct unit of a product from a single manufacturer. A serial number may be found on the packaging or on the unit itself.

A product will typically have an identifier often referred to as an SKU (stock keeping unit). For example a cellular phone made by RIM may have an SKU of 64905 which is Samsung Galaxy S9. In addition to the SKU, each phone will have unique serial number. In the cell phone, wireless business its called an IMEI or International Mobile Equipment Identity. So whereas there may be thousands of 64905s there will only be one with IMEI 353958803-121326-9.

Lot Number Tracking - What is a Lot Number?

A lot number is an identification number assigned to a particular quantity, batch or lot of a product from a single manufacturer. Lot numbers can typically be found on the outside of packaging.

A product will typically have an identifier often referred to as an SKU (stock keeping unit). For example a case of tomato sauce may have an SKU of SCS-123. In addition to the SKU, the case will have a lot number which may be different on each case. For example cases purchased in December may have a different lot number than those purchase in January but the SKU will be the same. A lot number may also be a date code representing the expiration of the product.


Lot and Serial number tracking is available for items that have been purchased, received, used in production and shipped to customers. This function also allows for tracking “items within items.” This makes it easy to find the exact component within a finished product. You also have the functionality to assign serial numbers to items on work orders and shipments to customers. Any serial number within Order Time is easily tracked from warehouse to customer. And if you are looking for all the transactions in which a particular serial number is involved, the Order Time item page is particularly valuable. With the functions of Order Time, you can track the transaction and location history of anything with an attached serial number.

So you’re saying that you have inventory in multiple warehouses or you want to know how the inventory is moving to a contractor or just track it from your warehouse to a vendor?

Don’t you worry, locations are specified on each packing slip and work order that is generated. Paired with the tracking feature for serial and lot numbers, you will always know exactly which warehouse is holding your supplies and shipments. If you want to get even more specific, you can use Order Time's bin feature. This allows you to label specific storage locations such as shelves, rooms, area, or virtual location for easy retrieval and organization. Much like our serial and lot number tracking of items within items, we have this same feature for storing inventory at a location within a location. Do you outsource any production? Order Time can track that too.

Learn more about syncing inventory and serial numbers from your accounting platform

 
We're always adding new Features, so if you have one you can't live without, let us know using the Contact Us Form.
For more information check out our Order Time Cheat Sheet.
If you have a specific query, head on over to our Knowledgebase.
 


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