Can Your Business Survive a Recall? Serial Number & Lot Tracking for Wholesale Distributors & Retailers
Every month there seems to be some sort of mass serial or lot recall.
Take the recent recall for Ford Fusions’ gear selector, BMW’s i3 circuit board which caused sudden auto shutdowns, or even Britax baby gear Bob stroller lawsuit & recall. All of these have some important ramifications for consumers, manufacturers, and even the distributors and retailers in-between.
To alleviate and address consumer fears, manufacturers need to initiate the recall and fix the issue which means distributors and retailers need to know who purchased the items, what the affected serial numbers, lot numbers, or potential manufacture/purchase/sales dates are for the affected items. Large companyes may have these capabilities, but how do small to mid-sized retailers or distributors track that vital information? Many times, serial number tracking and lot number tracking is done with disconnected spreadsheets, accounting software not designed for serial and lot tracking, which leads to erroneous information and potential for signification financial impacts.
It’s times like these which force midsize supply chain companies to answer the following questions:
- Do my current business processes support this level of tracking and recall?
- Can my business system provide this information correctly in a timely and economical fashion?
- What burdens will this place on my business efficiency?
- What is the total financial or legal impact on my business?
If you can’t answer these questions or the answers you come up with point to problems for your business, then now is the time to seriously think about an ERP system . . . before it’s too late.
Epicor Prophet 21 ERP (P21) has Serial and Lot Tracking capabilities throughout the system to make sure that distributors and retailers have proper trace-ability and reporting in the following key modules:
- Supply Chain Management (Inventory & Warehouse Management)
- Sales Order Management
- Product Management
- Production Management (for the Distributor with some Manufacturing requirements)
- Service and Maintenance Management (includes warranty claims)
The powerful data capture and real-time reporting of Prophet 21 ERP (P21) makes it a great fit solution for many small to midsized distributors. A few specific features of serial and lot tracking are:
- Instant Information at a Click of the Mouse
- Search by Full or Partial Serial Numbers or Lot Numbers
- See Serial Numbers or Lot Numbers by Vendors
- Trace Production or Movement of Serial Numbers or Lot Numbers
- See Serial Numbers or Lot Numbers by Customer
- Mobile Warehouse & Barcoding