In food, cosmetics, chemicals and medical supplies, the same item often sits in the warehouse in several batches made on different dates. If nobody knows where each batch is and when it expires, two problems follow: expired stock stays on the shelf and becomes waste, and in a complaint or recall nobody can tell which batch went to which customer. Batch/lot and expiry tracking answers both.
What do batch, lot and expiry mean?
- Batch / lot: A group of items produced or purchased together under the same conditions. The lot number is that group's identity.
- Expiry date: The last date the item can safely be used. It usually comes with the lot; items in one lot share the same expiry.
- Serial number: Identifies a single unit (a device or machine). A lot covers a group, a serial number a single item.
FEFO: what expires first ships first
FIFO (first in, first out) follows the order goods arrived. FEFO (first expired, first out) follows the expiry date. For dated goods they do not always agree: a supplier may send a batch with a shorter date later. Picking dated goods by FEFO cuts waste directly.
For this to work on the floor, the picker should not have to decide which batch to take. The handheld shows the batch and location and checks that the scanned batch is the right one.
Steps to set it up
- Which items need lots? Making every item lot-tracked adds needless work. Pick items that are dated, regulated or at risk of recall.
- Lot numbering rule: Will you use the supplier's lot or your own? If your own, choose a readable rule such as date plus sequence.
- Capture on receipt: Lot and expiry must be entered the moment goods arrive. Information added later is incomplete or wrong.
- Labelling: A barcode label carrying the lot should be on the item or pallet, so every later movement is scanned.
- Checks at picking and dispatch: The scanned lot is recorded on the way out, so the document shows which batch went to which customer.
- Near-expiry report: List stock approaching expiry regularly; sales and purchasing can use it for promotions or order decisions.
Batch/lot and expiry in Nitrogen PDA
In Nitrogen PDA, batch/lot and expiry are captured at receiving, and lot numbers can be generated automatically by parameter. For example, 1,000 units arriving on 10 pallets are split into 10 lots in one step and all lot labels are printed together. Order picking checks expiry, and bulk warehouse transfers carry lot and expiry automatically. Batches that need quality control can be routed to incoming inspection with Nitrogen QMS and quarantined if they fail.
In short
Lot tracking is not a reporting feature but warehouse discipline: data is entered correctly at receiving and scanned at every movement. Once that is in place, FEFO happens naturally and finding the right batch in a recall takes minutes. We cover receiving in barcode receiving and picking in order picking methods.
