Lot traceability software that isn't an ERP.
Search for lot traceability software and you will mostly find enterprise-sized inventory control systems. That is often overkill, both in complexity and expense.
SerialTrack is for simply recording which units shipped on which orders. It solves that one need without replacing everything you already run.
Lot traceability comes down to three facts.
Every question a regulator, a supplier or an insurer asks is built from these three. If you are missing one, the other two do not help much.
Which lot
The lot or batch number exactly as the supplier printed it, and the expiry date if there is one. Scanned, not typed.
Who received it
The customer order it shipped on. From that, the name, email address and shipping address you would need to contact them.
When it left
The ship date, so you can limit a recall to the right dates instead of every unit you have ever sold.
Sometimes you do need a full inventory control system.
Buy the ERP if…
You manufacture, and you need to trace backward. That means knowing which raw-material lots went into each finished lot, through your work orders. Or you want lot-level inventory value, purchasing and production planning in the same system as the traceability.
That is a real problem, and there is a whole category of software for it. It also means replacing your main system and going through an implementation.
You probably do not if…
Your supplier ships you finished goods that already have a lot number on them. What you need to know is forward: which lot left, on whose order, and when. That is what a recall asks. You do not need to know how the lot was made.
Most people who find this page are in the second group. Many have already been quoted for the first, and are looking for a simpler solution.
If you already run an ERP, SerialTrack can work alongside it. Packers often prefer scanning hands-free at the shipping station to typing into an ERP screen. A webhook fires on every scan, so the record can go into whatever system you already keep.
How lot number tracking works day to day.
There is no new warehouse process. Your packers scan the order, then scan each unit as it goes in the box. Most people put a spare computer at the packing station and run the whole thing from the scanner. Connecting ShipStation or Shopify is a one-time setup step that takes about two minutes.
Scan the order
Scan the order number, or type it in. The order comes up on screen so the packer can check the customer and the contents.
Scan the lot
A plain lot number barcode, or a 2D UDI code holding the GTIN, lot, expiry and serial at once.
It's on the record
We link it to the order, write it to your fulfillment system's notes, and keep it so you can search on any part of it later.
This is what you keep lot numbers for.
Enter a lot number and you get back every order it shipped on. We look up the customer name, email address and shipping address from your fulfillment system while the report runs. You get a table on screen and a CSV to download.
It is also the report that takes days to build from a spreadsheet on the afternoon a supplier calls.
Start free trialWho ends up needing this.
Usually because somebody asked a question that your existing system could not answer.
A regulation
Medical devices, prescription drugs, cosmetics, supplements, food and anything that emits light or radiation all have rules about reaching whoever received a specific batch.
Which rules apply to you →A supplier or dealer agreement
Authorized-dealer terms and distribution contracts often require records for each unit, so gray-market stock can be traced back. No regulator involved, just the contract you signed.
An audit finding
This is the common one. People handle the labeling requirement and miss the recording requirement. It turns up later, with a deadline.
How UDI capture works →One recall done by hand
Plenty of people get here right after working a recall from a spreadsheet, and do not want to do that again.
Product recalls →From $19 a month.
Priced on how many lot or serial numbers you record, not per seat and not per order. Thirty-day free trial, no contract, no setup fee.
Up to 100 serial or batch numbers a month.
- Unlimited scans against those numbers
- Search, history and CSV export
Up to 3,000 serial or batch numbers a month.
- Everything in Basic
- ShipStation and Shopify integrations
- Webhooks and API access
Over 3,000 serial or batch numbers a month.
- Everything in Intermediate
- No monthly ceiling
Start recording on the next shipment.
Connect your store, scan one order, and look at the record. About five minutes to set up, and nothing to pay for thirty days.