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This traceability assists with tracking goods between warehouses, pipeline inventory and post-sale guarantees. Nearly all components in manufacturing and production will have an individual serial number and the final finished good will also be assigned its own unique serial number. Once a product or component has been assigned a serial number it can be traced from point of origin, through distribution and wholesale channels and even to the customer or end user. The primary benefit of product identifiers and serial numbers is the ability they provide to track and trace each item back through its supply chain. Each item will therefore have a batch number the same as all components within the batch and a serial number that is unique to each individual item. These product identifiers are applied to the entire quantity of items within each specific batch, whereas the serial number is a distinctive identifier assigned to individual products or components. Product identifiers indicate a batch, a lot or the specific production run in which the goods were manufactured or processed. Serial numbers can be represented as both numeric and alphanumeric and differ from product identifiers such as barcodes, lot or batch numbers. It’s important for companies to understand the nuances between a serial number and how it differentiates from other identifying codes or product numbers. Serial numbers are exceedingly unique and provide exceptional stock control. UK Manufacturing Report Sector Performance 2020-2021.Manufacturing Productivity Guide Learn About Productivity in Manufacturing and How Gains Are Unlocked.Supply Chain Management Guide Learn about supply chain management for modern SMEs.The Modern Manufacturing Guide NEW Practical advice for small & medium enterprises.Inventory Accounting Guide NEW A video series for advisors and accountants.Inventory Management Guide Understand the basic concepts behind inventory management.Support Centre Browse our extensive documentation to find the answer you need.
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