About material lot tracking

Learn about how to track and manage your material lots in Craftybase

We'll Cover:

• Defining a lot number
• Adding a lot number for a material
• Assigning a lot number to a manufacture
• Archiving a material lot number
• Locating all lot numbers for a material
• Setting expiry dates for a material lot
• Using the Material Traceability Report
• FAQ

Defining a lot number

A lot number is an identification number assigned to a particular quantity or lot of material. 

This can be either a code provided by the material vendor or your own creation. Lot numbers are useful for GMP and traceability as they can provide a full audit trail between your material purchases and the products you sell.

Lot number tracking is available in our INDIE+ plans.

The following diagram shows an overview of how traceability can be achieved using lot numbers in conjunction with manufacture batch records:

Lot numbers can be entered whenever a new batch of materials is purchased. This can be achieved via the Add Purchase Item form. In the example below, the Lot Number for this purchase of a single jar of Coconut Oil is 23432DP:

Lot numbers can then be added as part of each material used's manufacturing process. This then provides a direct link between your purchase history and your manufacture history. Continuing the example above, the Coconut Oil material is added to the manufacture for a soap product with Lot Number 23432DP to indicate that this particular batch was used in this manufacture:

Finally, order line items can be associated with manufactures, which provides your link between manufactures and orders (see  How do I link a manufacture with an order line item? for more details on this process).

The Material Traceability Report can then create a full traceability summary of material usage, displaying all purchases, manufactures, and orders involving a particular lot of material.

Adding a lot number for a material

Lot numbers can be added to each material in a purchase. The lot number will be associated with the material when the purchase is saved.

It is also possible to add lot numbers for materials not directly related to a purchase. This is handy for situations where stock is brought forward into Craftybase as part of a starting adjustment.

To add a lot number for a material:

1. Navigate to the material's detail page

2. Click on the Lots tab.

3. On the page that appears, click on the Add Lot button in the top right corner.

   

4. Enter the lot number, assignment date, and any notes that appear on the form. You can also include an expiration date and archived date to help track when a lot will expire and should be removed from your Lot Selection lists.

   

5. Click the Save button.

Assigning a lot number to a manufacture

Lot numbers can be added as part of each material's manufacturing process. This provides a direct link between your purchase history and your manufacturing history.

To assign a lot number to a Manufacture:

1. Create a new manufacture for a product.

   

2. On the form that appears, add the materials used to make the product.

   

3. For each material in the list, select the lot number used for each material via the dropdown box that appears. If the lot number does not appear in this list, you will need to add it either via a purchase or manually via the material lots form.

   

Archiving a material lot number

To archive a material lot:

1. Navigate to your material's lots page ( How do I view all lots for a material?)

2. Click on the lot you wish to archive from the list that appears

3. Click the Edit button.

   

4. Select a date for the field called Archived Date on the form that appears.

   

5. Click Save.

Locating all lot numbers for a material

To view all lot numbers entered for a material:

1. Navigate to the material's detail page

   

2. Click on the Lots tab

   

Setting expiry dates for a material lot

To set an expiry date for a material lot:

1. Navigate to your material page

   

2. Click the Lots tab

   

3. Select the lot you wish to add the expiry date for (or add a new Lot)

4. Set the date of expiry in the field called Expiry Date

   

5. Click Save.

Using the Material Traceability Report

The Material Traceability Report can then create a full traceability summary of material usage, displaying all purchases, manufactures, and orders involving a particular lot of a material.

This feature is available in our INDIE and the plans above.

FAQ

Can I track inventory for GMP purposes using Craftybase?

Craftybase offers features that allow for tracking your exact material usage from purchase to sale. This is ideal for situations in which full manufacturing activity is required to be logged, such as for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice).

To achieve full traceability within Craftybase, you'll want to ensure that you create and add Lot Numbers to all purchases and manufactures that you enter into the system (How do I track Lot Numbers for my materials?).

To track your orders from manufacture to sale, you can link your orders with the exact manufacturer that created the product sold. More information about this feature can be found here: How do I link a Manufacturer with an Order?

Our Material Traceability Report can then be used to create a full traceability summary of material usage, displaying all purchases, manufactures, and orders involving a particular lot of a material.

Can I track inventory for CPSC purposes using Craftybase?

Craftybase offers features that allow for tracking your exact material usage from purchase to sale. This is ideal for situations in which full manufacturing activity is required to be logged, such as for CPSC.

For more details on CPSC, see our blog post here:

Ensuring your handmade shop is CPSC-compliant

To achieve full traceability in Craftybase, you'll want to ensure that you create and add Lot Numbers to all material expenses and manufactures that you enter into the system (How do I track Lot Numbers for my materials?).

To track your orders from manufacture to sale, you can link your orders with the exact manufacturer that created the product sold. More information about this feature can be found here: How do I link a Manufacturer with an Order?

Our Material Traceability Report can then be used to create a full traceability summary of material usage, displaying all expenses, manufactures, and orders involving a particular lot of a material.