WMS for food and beverage: lot, expiration date and FEFO
For products with an expiration date, the outbound order determines expiration losses. Chainlink records the lot and expiration date at receiving and allocates each shipment to the lot that expires first.
Priority controls in food and beverage
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01
Lot and expiration date captured from GS1-128 labels at receiving.
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02
Minimum shelf life per product: «This lot expires in 12 days; the minimum accepted is 30 days.»
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03
FEFO picking: the handheld shows the lot and, with strict FEFO, rejects any other: «Lot not allocated. Pick lot L2409 (earlier expiration).»
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04
Returns that enter quarantine and, after inspection, go back to inventory, to shrinkage or to the supplier.
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05
Decimal quantities for bulk products.
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06
History of each movement with product, lot, location, user and time.
Suggested plan: Essentials includes FEFO as a fixed setting. Professional adds rules by warehouse, zone, category or product, such as no mixing of lots in a location.
The records Chainlink provides for a product recall
In Mexico, the official standard NOM-251-SSA1-2009, which governs hygiene practices for processing food, beverages and dietary supplements, requires manufacturers in section 6.7 to have a plan to withdraw any identified lot from the market, to keep the withdrawn products under supervision and custody and to keep records of each recall, including the lot of the product involved. The text is published in Spanish in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF).
Chainlink WMS does not certify compliance with any regulation; compliance depends on your company’s processes. What it provides is the warehouse record of the lot on every receipt and every shipment, which is the data a recall plan needs.
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At receiving
Each receipt records the lot and expiration date, including from GS1-128 labels, and rejects lots that do not meet the product’s minimum shelf life.
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At picking
Each shipment is allocated by FEFO, to the lot that expires first, and the handheld confirms the lot with a scan.
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When searching for a lot
The stock ledger filtered by lot shows each movement with its date, location, user and originating document, including the outbound documents with their customer.
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When holding stock
Stock in quarantine is not allocated to any order until a person with authority releases it or assigns its disposition.
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On return
Returns are created from the original outbound document, with their lot, enter quarantine and are inspected before they are restocked, written off as shrinkage or returned to the supplier.
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Essentials and Professional are purchased online by card: the first month and the implementation are charged at subscription. 30-day trial by invitation: request it from sales.