For a user to access and view lots they must have the Bins permissions enabled on their role. By default Admins have full access.
This article covers creating and editing lots, assigning them to locations and managing the various lots settings
Active vs. Inactive Lots
Understanding the difference between an active lot and an inactive lot is essential when understanding how your daily operations are impacted.
- Active Lots: Inventory with an active lot assigned to them will show in the picking and packing applications.
- Inactive Lots: Inventory with an inactive lot assigned will be omitted from the pickable inventory even if it is assigned to a pickable location.
How to Update the Active/Inactive Status
ShipHero will automatically update the Active status on a lot to inactive when the Disable Picking Period time approaches. This prevents the warehouse team from shipping those products. If you have the Disable picking period set to 0 then ShipHero will use the expiration date to update the lot to inactive.
To manually make a lot active or inactive:
- Go to the Lots page and scroll to the lot you want to update.
- Use the toggle in the Active column to make the lot active or inactive.
- Blue/toggled to the right is Active.
- White/toggled to the left is Inactive.
How to Create a Lot
ShipHero has multiple ways in which a lot can be created. All Lots must have an expiration date when being created. If an expiration date is not selected, the system defaults to 1970 and you will not be able to use the inventory during picking.
Creating Lots on the Lots Page
For this method first navigate to the Lots page. You can navigate to this page from app.shiphero using the Inventory > Lots and Shipping.shiphero using the Inventory & Locations > Lots; both navigation options bring you to the same page.
- Select Create Lot from the top right.
- In the pop-up window, enter the lot name/code, product SKU, expiration date, and receipt date.
- Click Create.
Creating Lots During Receiving
You can also create a lot when receiving products into your warehouse.
- Open the Purchase Order and navigate to the Receiving Page.
- Scan the product, and click Add Lot, this will add an empty line to the module.
- Enter the Lot Name and Expiration Date. You can save the lot for use later or receive the expected quantity for that lot. Here is more information on Receiving Products with Lot and Expiration Tracking
- Click Save.
Creating Lots Via CSV
Creating lots via CSV can only be done with the assistance of our support team and is a paid service. To take advantage of this service:
- Open a ticket with Support.
- Include a CSV with the following information.
- lot, sku, account_id, expires_at, received_at, is_active
- The ProServe team will provide a quote which will need to be approved by you before the work is completed.
- Once the task is complete, our Billing Team will apply the charges.
NOTE for 3PLs: Since Lots and Expirations are managed at the client level, please provide the Account ID of the client the request is for.
How to Edit a Lot
- Go to the Lots page and click the pencil icon for the lot you want to modify.
- An edit window will appear, allowing you to make changes.
- Click Save to apply your edits.
Assigning and Editing Lot Locations
In order to add inventory to a specific lot, it needs to be assigned to a location. Before you can assign a lot to a location, you need to first assign the location to the SKU. You can add the location to the SKU via the mobile app or the the Product details page.
Once the location is assigned to the SKU follow the steps below.
- Go to the Inventory > Product Locations page.
- Search for the SKU, and click on the Edit Lot button for the location you need to edit.
- Select the Lot from the drop down and hit Save.
NOTE: The new version of Product Locations is now available in our shipping app. The same process applies, just with a new interface. Check it out!
Limitations and Restrictions
- A location can only have one lot per SKU assigned to it. In other words, multiple lots for the same SKU cannot be assigned the same location. However, you can have different SKUs with different lots assigned to the same location.
- A single lot code can only have one expiration date. Therefore, the same SKU might require multiple lots if different batches have different expiration dates (e.g., potato chips).
- ShipHero does not consider FIFO and FEFO when using the "Set as fulfilled" feature. It is not recommended to use this button for SKUs with lot tracking.
- To customize the lot code on labels, contact Customer Support.