Hi;
the General question to be answered is:
Is the solution just a numeric number, without any meaning. If the answer is yes. you have found your compact strategy. If not, COMPACT is difficult. But I'll try with some words:
Raw and semi finished, just numeric, you will have enough fields to classify your products. Finished goods 4 Characters Starting with Business Unit/Produkt Type (if you have more then one) Kind of Product , Productgroup (2 Digits) the Rest Numeric, because you can classify in a different way.
This is only an idea. Not a concept.

Tnx Christian. I am looking for an OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC review, both good and compact! Preferably a "well known" university paper. I am aware and have experience with non - intelligent, semi and full intelligent item numbers. The way humans interface with these numbers is also something I have designed before and I have calculated the # of characters for item numbers. The internet offers quite some white papers on (semi-intelligent) item numbering. I am looking for an OUTSTANDING one. Thank you.

Hello all,

I know this thread has been dormant for a while.

If there are any good papers or guides on this. I would also be very interested!

kind regards

 

As a side comment: this topic is posted on the BI, Reporting and Analysis forum. I expect there will be more responses if you post this on the Manufacturing or Supply Chain forum.

I have worked with fully descriptive part number coding through to pure next number integers.

By far the best, IMHO, is a mix of the two where the first few characters are alpha and have meaning followed by an incremenatal integer of fixed length.

A format like ABC1234 provides:-
- 13.8K different item groups (strongly recommend avoid I and O in the alpha part)
- 10K actual items per group

You could always have longer when you epxect more than 10K (say AB12345).

Also avoid [space] [comma] [point] [underscore] as hard to read when printed/on-screen.