Recalling a lot
- Mike Kocsis
- Kelsey Nagel
OpenBoxes gives users the ability to quickly and efficiently isolate lots, place them on hold, and prevent them from being shipped. This feature is very valuable for products that are undergoing a recall and that need to be segmented and removed from further distribution.
Let’s start the recall workflow in the electronic stock card for item 10034. We have 21,000 on hand and available. None of the inventory is currently committed to requisitions or on hold. The ‘In Stock’ tab displays three different lots that are currently in inventory.
Now let’s suppose that we received notice from the manufacturer that the second lot (mk140) is defective and needs to be recalled. We want to isolate this product as quickly as possible so that it cannot be used for distribution. While in the stock card, go to ‘Manage Lot Numbers.'
The next page includes a master list of lots/serial information as well as product expiration. Once we locate lot mk140, we will click the button next to it and select ‘Recall' from the drop down list.
We will then see a blue notice at the top of the screen that states ‘item recalled successfully.' The result is that 1,000 tablets are no longer available. Our quantity available is immediately updated to reflect that. The new quantity available is 20,000 tablets, and the lot we just recalled will be prevented from being used in distribution. It will also be prevented from being autopicked on requisitions and outbound stock movements.
OpenBoxes will also immediately highlight the lot in question so that it is clearly visible to users.
If this recall was done in error, click on the button again and select ‘Revert Recall’ from the drop down list.
If we exit the manage lot numbers page and go back to the stock card, we will once again see the lot highlighted on the ‘In Stock’ tab with the quantity available updated to zero. We will also see ‘Recalled’ noted on the right.
While this recall doesn’t create a new transaction record in the ‘Stock History’ tab, it will highlight the lot in any previous transactions. This will help users quickly determine if portions of the lot have already been sent to other locations.
If a specific lot is recalled in one location but is also in inventory elsewhere, it will also be placed on hold and become unavailable for transactions in those other locations. Therefore the recall process should be used with caution. If users need to isolate product for other reasons (product is not being recalled), it is best to use designated hold bins.
Our recalled lot will also be highlighted in other areas of OpenBoxes beyond the electronic stock card. Below I’ve captured the view from the bin location report. We can see that there are 1,000 tablets in this lot, but none of them are available due to the recall.
The views we covered in this example show our recalled lot in one location. If a portion of this lot had already been sent to another location, we would see the same lot highlighted in the same views at the other site too.