Overview of serialized itemsA serialized item is a physical occurrence of a standard item that is given a unique lifetime serial number. This enables you to track the individual item throughout its lifetime, for example, through the design, production, testing, distribution, and maintenance phases. A serialized item can consist of other serialized components. Some business examples of the use of serialized items are:
A serialized item is identified by the item code in combination with the serial number. In LN, you can define every type of item as a serialized item. Note that a serialized item is not the same as a unit effective item. A serialized item has a serial number that is used to identify and track individual items, whereas a unit effectivity item has an effectivity unit that provides some information about the item's configuration. However, an item can be both serialized and unit effective. You can allocate serial numbers to serialized items during specific stages of an item's life cycle in the following LN packages:
Manufacturing In Manufacturing, shop floor operators can enter serial numbers for new manufactured items during various stages of the production process. They can enter a serial number manually, or they can generate a serial number based on a specific mask. Serial numbers are entered in as-built structures. An as-built structure reflects the configuration of a product. The product has a serialized number; the component items in the as-built structure can be serialized or non-serialized. If the component items are serialized, serial numbers are either allocated to the components when they are issued from the warehouse, or the shop floor operators allocate the serial numbers when they add the components to the as-built structure. You can use the serial numbers assigned to manufactured items for tracking through warehousing, sales, and service processes. Warehousing The need to track items by means of serial numbers arises from the items' cost. The more expensive the item, the more closely you want to monitor the item during its life cycle. In general, expensive items are produced and handled in relatively small quantities, whereas the goods flow of less expensive items involves larger quantities. In LN, this concept is modeled in the following scenarios:
Warehousing also enables you to track the orders that initiated the receipt, transfer, or issue of serialized items, such as production orders, purchase orders, or sales orders. This option is available for both the high volume and the low volume scenario. Service To obtain product information and to register item replacements for service and maintenance purposes, you can copy as-built structures created in Manufacturing to product structures called physical breakdowns in Service. You can define an item as serialized to be able to track the item in all transactions that take place within Service. To interact with other areas such as production or warehousing, you must define the item as serialized in Common as well. The Maintenance Sales Control and Work Control System modules deal with service and maintenance activities performed at your own company. The Service Order Control module deals with service and maintenance activities performed at customer sites. Both scenarios involve the sale and delivery of (spare part) items, the sale of repair and maintenance activities, the receipt of returned items, and replacement of items.
When the item and the components are issued for work orders or service orders, the serial numbers are, either automatically or manually, registered for the issued items.
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