1. Overview

Lot / Batch Tracking helps you manage inventory by batch, including quantities, manufacture dates, expiry dates, and inventory movements.

It is useful for businesses that sell products such as food, drinks, medicine, cosmetics, and other goods that require batch identification or expiry management.

With Lot / Batch Tracking in LocalizeBook, you can:

1. Assign a unique lot number to a batch of products.
2. Record manufacture and expiry dates.
3. Track stock quantities by lot and warehouse.
4. Select specific lots when selling or issuing stock.
5. Automatically allocate eligible lots based on the earliest expiry date.
6. Monitor expiring stock and trace inventory movements through reports.

Example: A drinks distributor receives the same product in two batches with different expiry dates. Lot tracking allows the business to identify each batch and manage its remaining stock separately.

2. Enable Lot / Serial Tracking

Lot / Batch Tracking and Serial Number Tracking share the same company-wide setting. You must enable this setting before configuring individual items.

Steps

1. Click the Settings icon.
2. Select Preference.
3. Open the Item section.
4. Tick Active Lot / Serial.
5. Click Save.

Once enabled, you can configure eligible stock items to use Lot / Batch or Serial Number tracking.

Items set to None continue to work as before.

3. Configure an Item for Lot / Batch Tracking

Only items with the Stock Part type can use Lot / Batch Tracking.

Steps

1. Go to Item → Item.
2. Click Add to create an item, or open an existing item.
3. Make sure Item Type is set to Stock Part.
4. Open the Stock Information tab.
5. Set Tracking Method to Lot / Batch.
6. Click Save & Close.

Important: Existing Stock

If the item already has stock on hand, you must assign the existing stock to lots using Assign Lot / Serial to Existing Stock.

1. The total quantity assigned to lots must match the on-hand quantity in each warehouse.
2. If any warehouse has negative stock, correct the stock balance before enabling tracking.

Important: Tracking Method Is Locked After Use

Once an item has any lot or serial movement, its tracking method cannot be changed.

Choose the appropriate tracking method before recording inventory transactions.

Importing Items

Use the Lot / Serial import template for items configured with Lot / Batch Tracking. Do not use the standard item import template for these tracked items.

4. Receive Stock and Create Lots

When receiving stock for a lot-tracked item, you must allocate the entire transaction quantity to one or more lots before saving the document.

This applies to supported stock-in transactions, including Purchase (Bill) and Goods Received (GRN).

Steps

1. Go to Vendor → Vendor Transaction.
2. Click Add → Purchase (Bill) or Goods Received (GRN).
3. Select the Vendor and Warehouse.
4. Add the lot-tracked item and enter its Qty and Cost.
5. Move to the next row. The Lot / Serial column displays the allocation progress, such as 0/10.
6. Click the Lot / Serial cell to open Lot Allocation.
7. Click Add Row.
8. Enter the lot information and quantity.
9. If the receipt contains multiple lots, add additional rows and allocate the quantities accordingly.
10. Confirm that the full quantity has been allocated and Remaining is zero.
11. Click OK, then Save & Close.

4.1 Lot Allocation Fields

The allocation window header displays the Item, Qty, Date, and Remaining quantity.

You can split one transaction line across several lots, provided the sum of the lot quantities equals the transaction line quantity.

4.2 New Lots vs. Existing Lots

Creating a new lot

1. Enter a lot number that does not already exist.
2. Provide the required expiry date.
3. Enter the quantity assigned to the lot.
4. The new lot is created when the transaction is saved.

Using an existing lot

1. Select an existing lot number.
2. Review its available quantity.
3. Its supplier lot number and dates are taken from the existing lot record and cannot be changed in the allocation window.

Locked lot details: Once another transaction uses a lot, its details are locked. Make corrections through the document that originally received the lot.

4.3 Expiry Date Validation

If a lot expires on or before the transaction date, LocalizeBook warns you before saving the document.

Always check the manufacture date and expiry date when receiving goods to maintain accurate inventory records.

5. Sell or Issue Stock by Lot

When selling or issuing lot-tracked inventory, you must specify which lots the stock comes from.

LocalizeBook provides Auto (First Expired) to help allocate eligible stock starting with the earliest expiry date.

Steps

1. Go to Customer → Customer Transaction.
2. Click Add → Invoice or Sale Delivery (GDN).
3. Select the Customer.
4. Add the lot-tracked item and enter the required Qty.
5. Move to the next row and click the Lot / Serial cell.
6. In Lot Allocation, marked Stock Out, choose one of the following:
7. Click Auto (First Expired) to allocate eligible lots automatically.
8. Click Add Row to select lots manually.
9. Check the selected lots, expiry dates, available quantities, and allocated quantities.
10. Confirm that Remaining is zero.
11. Click OK, then Save & Close.

5.1 Automatic Lot Allocation

Use Auto (First Expired) when you want LocalizeBook to allocate eligible lots based on the earliest expiry date.

This is especially useful for products that need expiry-based stock rotation.

Review the allocation before saving to ensure the selected lots meet your business requirements.

5.2 Manual Lot Allocation

Manual allocation is useful when a customer requires a specific batch or warehouse staff need to select particular lots.

1. Open Lot Allocation.
2. Click Add Row.
3. Select the required lot.
4. Enter the quantity to issue.
5. Repeat for additional lots if necessary.
6. Confirm that the total allocated quantity matches the transaction quantity.

Each lot displays its Expiry Date and On Hand quantity at the selected warehouse.

5.3 Stock-Out Validation Rules

LocalizeBook blocks a stock-out line when:

1. The selected lot has expired on or before the transaction date.
2. The lot is not in Active status, such as when it is Blocked or in Quarantine.
3. The lot does not have sufficient quantity in the selected warehouse.
4. The allocated lot quantities do not equal the transaction line quantity.

Resolve the allocation issue before saving the document.

6. Monitor Lot Balances and Expiry Dates

LocalizeBook provides several reports to help you manage lot-tracked inventory.

Go to Report → All Reports → Stock.

6.1 Lot Expiry Aging

Use Lot Expiry Aging to identify products that need attention before their expiry dates.

The report groups stock into these expiry periods:

1. 0–30 days
2. 31–60 days
3. 61–90 days
4. Over 90 days
5. Expired

Available filters include As of, Warehouse, Item Group, Item Name, Lot No., Expires Within, Open Days, Number Of Column Periods, Item Brand, and Hide Empty Lots.

The report includes lot numbers, expiry dates, days to expiry, warehouse, quantity on hand, aging buckets, amount, and expired quantity.

Recommended practice: Review Lot Expiry Aging weekly. Use Expires Within = Expired or within 30 days to identify stock that may need to be sold, returned, quarantined, or removed according to your business procedures.

6.2 Lot Movement Detail

Use Lot Movement Detail when you need to investigate how the quantity of a lot has changed.

It helps you review the documents that added stock to or removed stock from a lot.

6.3 Lot / Serial Traceability

Use Lot / Serial Traceability to search for a lot number or supplier lot number and review its recorded history.

This is useful when investigating quality issues, supplier batches, customer complaints, or inventory discrepancies.

7. Best Practices

1. Record the correct lot number when receiving stock.
2. Enter manufacture and expiry dates accurately.
3. Check lot quantities before saving stock-in and stock-out transactions.
4. Use Auto (First Expired) when appropriate for expiry-based stock rotation.
5. Review Lot Expiry Aging regularly.
6. Use Lot Balance and Lot Movement Detail to investigate discrepancies.
7. Correct errors through the appropriate source document when lot details are locked.

Following these practices helps you maintain accurate stock balances, manage expiry dates, and trace inventory throughout its lifecycle.