1. Overview

Serial Number Tracking allows you to identify and manage each individual stock unit using a unique serial number.

It is useful for businesses selling products that require individual identification, warranty management, or after-sales service, such as:

1. Mobile phones
2. Laptops and computers
3. Electronic devices
4. Machinery and equipment
5. Other products that require unit-level traceability

With Serial Number Tracking in LocalizeBook, you can:

1. Assign a unique serial number to each unit.
2. Record warranty start and end dates when receiving stock.
3. Track individual units as they move in and out of inventory.
4. Identify which serial-numbered units have been sold, returned, or scrapped.
5. Search transaction history using serial numbers.
6. Print barcode labels to simplify data entry and reduce typing errors.

Example: A retailer receives five laptops. Each laptop has its own serial number and warranty period. Serial tracking allows the retailer to identify each unit individually instead of tracking only the total quantity of five laptops.

2. Enable Lot / Serial Tracking

Serial Number Tracking and Lot / Batch Tracking share the same company-wide setting. You only need to enable the setting once.

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 individual stock items to use Serial Number tracking.

Items set to None continue to work as before.

3. Configure an Item for Serial Number Tracking

Only items with the Stock Part type can use Serial Number 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 Serial Number.
6. Click Save & Close.

Important: Existing Stock

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

1. Enter one unique serial number for each unit on hand in each warehouse.
2. The number of serial numbers must match the on-hand quantity.
3. If any warehouse has negative stock, correct the stock balance before enabling tracking.

For example, if a warehouse has 10 laptops, you must assign 10 unique serial numbers.

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 Serial Number tracking. The standard item import template is not suitable for these tracked items.

4. Receive Stock and Register Serial Numbers

When receiving stock for a serial-tracked item, you must identify every unit before saving the transaction.

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 serial-tracked item and enter its Qty and Cost.
5. Move to the next row. The Lot / Serial column displays the allocation progress.
6. Click the Lot / Serial cell to open Lot Allocation.
7. Enter or scan each serial number and press Enter.
8. If applicable, record Warranty Start and Warranty End for each unit when it is first received.
9. Confirm that every unit has been assigned a serial number.
10. Click OK, then Save & Close.

4.1 Serial Number Entry

Enter or scan one serial number per unit.

For example, if you receive three phones, record three unique serial numbers.

A serial number that is already in stock or has already been used for the same item cannot be received again.

4.2 Warranty Information

When receiving a unit, you can record:

1. Warranty Start: The date the warranty begins.
2. Warranty End: The date the warranty ends.

Record these dates according to the applicable warranty terms so that you can reference them later when handling customer service or warranty claims.

5. Sell or Issue Serial-Tracked Stock

When selling or issuing serial-tracked inventory, you must identify the individual units leaving stock.

Steps

1. Go to Customer → Customer Transaction.
2. Click Add → Invoice or Sale Delivery (GDN).
3. Select the Customer.
4. Add the serial-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, enter or scan each serial number and press Enter, or select units from Serials In Stock.
7. Check the allocation counter, such as Picked 3 / 5.
8. Confirm that all required units have been selected.
9. Click OK, then Save & Close.

5.1 Selecting Serial Numbers

Select the serial numbers that correspond to the actual units being delivered.

For example, if a customer purchases two laptops, select the two serial numbers belonging to those laptops.

Before saving, verify that the selected serial numbers match the physical units.

5.2 Stock-Out Validation Rules

LocalizeBook blocks a stock-out line when:

1. The serial number is not in stock.
2. The same serial number appears more than once on the same document.
3. The serial selection does not match the transaction quantity.

Resolve the allocation issue before saving the document.

6. Track Serial Numbers and Review Unit Status

LocalizeBook provides reports to help you identify individual units and investigate their inventory history.

Go to Report → All Reports → Stock.

6.1 Serial Register

Use Serial Register to review serial-numbered units and their recorded statuses.

Supported statuses include:

1. In Stock: The unit is recorded as being in inventory.
2. Sold: The unit has been sold.
3. Returned: The unit has been recorded as returned.
4. Scrapped: The unit has been recorded as scrapped.

Use the register to look up individual units and review their current recorded status.

6.2 Lot / Serial Traceability

Use Lot / Serial Traceability to search for a serial number and investigate its recorded history.

This is useful when:

1. A customer requests warranty support.
2. You need to confirm which unit was sold.
3. A customer returns a product.
4. You need to investigate an inventory discrepancy.

6.3 Print Serial Barcode Labels

LocalizeBook allows you to print barcode labels for serial-numbered units from Serial Register.

Steps

1. Open Serial Register.
2. Click Print Serial Labels.
3. Set the label width and height.
4. Set the gap between labels.
5. Set the number of copies per unit.
6. Print the labels.

Barcode labels allow staff to scan serial numbers into subsequent documents instead of typing them manually.

Tip: Attach each label to the correct physical unit and verify the serial number before scanning it into a transaction.

7. Best Practices

1. Assign a unique serial number to every unit.
2. Check the physical serial number before recording a receipt or delivery.
3. Record warranty dates accurately when receiving units.
4. Scan barcode labels whenever possible to reduce typing errors.
5. Check the selected serial numbers before saving a stock-out transaction.
6. Use Serial Register to review recorded unit statuses.
7. Use Lot / Serial Traceability to investigate transaction history.

Following these practices helps you maintain accurate unit-level inventory records and simplifies warranty handling, returns, and after-sales support.