Solution

With the license plate inventory management and item serialization functions added to QAD EE, you can now build the foundations to capture, store, and retrieve unique serial ID records for each packaging unit level. In this way, the system provides accurate, real-time data updates on inventory processing and resolves inventory track and trace issues.

Serialization capabilities combat counterfeit efforts by providing unique serialized IDs to every level of the packaging. You can track and trace the serial IDs throughout your product processing.

For ePedigree requirements, you can capture identification data and exchange the data with business partners. You can use integration capabilities in the form of QDocs using the QAD QXtend integration solution to obtain serial ID ranges from external systems for use in QAD Enterprise Applications. For example, when customers issue ID ranges to use on items to ship, QAD EA can receive the ID ranges. Some ePedigree requirements will be met using the Item Attributes solution, and that the combination of Serialization and Item Attribute functions supports ePedigree requirements.

You can use Serialization capabilities to define different packaging types as BOP structures by item, origin, or destination. You can utilize those structures during inbound or outbound processing, or during production receiving processes of packaged materials.

All key inventory transactions are supported, such as:

Staff can receive serialized packaging units from suppliers. Staff can unload incoming shipments from trucks and reconcile them to the inbound ASN by entering received serial IDs and matching the IDs to the ASN. Discrepancies can be reviewed and corrected before receiving the shipment. Inventory is stored in packs until issued or shipped. When inventory is not received from the supplier in packs, staff can build the packs as part of the receiving process.

For production, staff can issue serialized material to the floor and capture the aggregated serial information during production receipt. For example, you uniquely identify the units you manufacture with a serial number, then place the units in a uniquely identified box. You place boxes into a serialized case, and, finally, cases onto serialized pallets. Staff scan the data, which is then captured and channeled into QAD EE Serialization during production receipt.

Staff can move serialized inventory—whether raw materials or finished goods—by using only the unique serial number and capturing all inventory specifics for a case, pallet, or other packaging unit. When moving finished product, staff simply record or scan the unique pallet identifier, and every other serial number is then moved with it in the system.

Serialized information for shipments is captured and can be sent to customers in different formats. Staff can build a shipment by picking inventory by serial ID of a box or item and optionally build into larger packaging units such as pallets or trailers. Bills of lading (BOLs) and shipping documents print the number of packs included in the shipment.

Using Serialization functions, you can also determine the stage of the unit, its origin, and whether the unit is decommissioned. These features are tracked and traced independently from existing lot control features of QAD EE.

Serialization programs let you:

• Define packaging types and packaging structures, which define the way that goods are expected to be packaged depending on item, supplier, site, or customer address.

Serialization lets you choose which level to uniquely identify; so, you can choose to uniquely identify only the salable item package, but not items, cases, pallets, or shippers.

You can track and trace the status of a particular serial ID or ID range. You can also track and trace where packs are located that contain a particular item and view all packs in a particular inventory unit. You can monitor the life cycle of serial IDs in these stages:

When integrated with QAD Label Printing Services, Serialization provides you the ability to generate labels directly from the various business process transactions to barcode printers. You can print labels for inbound or production receipt transactions by either pre-assigning serial ID ranges to orders and printing labels in advance of the receipt or printing them at the time of actual receipt.

Serialization functions let you communicate with customers or trading partners to request new serial IDs for production or inform them of the production status of a serial ID or shipped serial IDs. You can communicate this information using EDI and ASN functions. Additionally, you can communicate data through specific protocols to exchange data from and to specific portals that your OEM or specific industries regulate.

Companies that are required to capture, validate, and store serialized data and ensure that labels are printed during in-line production processes, especially in the case of mass serialization, typically use Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) or Line Management Systems (LMS). The QAD solution provides integration capabilities in the form of QDocs using the QAD QXtend integration solution to obtain serial ID ranges from QAD EA and communicate them to the MES/LMS system.