Independent IFS Cloud practice · Part master data design
Decide per part what to track, and receiving stays quick while traceability holds
IFS Cloud lot tracking and serial tracking are part settings, and each tracked part asks for a lot or serial number at every receipt, issue and move that the setting covers. Tracking switched on because it might be needed burdens the floor with entries nobody reads. Tracking switched off where it is demanded leaves no way to trace a part when a customer or an auditor asks. The trade is operator effort on every transaction against the ability to trace when required, and it is settled part by part.
Key takeaways
- Tracking is decided per part, from the trace requirement that an owner names, and not from the wish to be safe.
- Serial tracking can be limited to receipt and issue or extend into inventory, and a serial-tracked part can also be lot-tracked, but not with order-based lot tracking.
- A lot-tracked part needs its lot number at arrival registration or later in the receipt function, so the design must say where that number comes from.
- Changing the setting after stock exists needs a check of the part and its stock first.
- The decision matrix records, per part group, the trace requirement, the level of tracking and the owner.
1.What does tracking a part mean in IFS Cloud?
Tracking a part means that IFS Cloud records an identity below the part number, a lot or a serial, for the stock of that part. The documentation on lot and batch tracking and the page on enabling serial tracking for a part describe the two forms.
A lot number identifies a lot of one part. IFS Cloud pairs lot numbers with part numbers, so two different parts can carry the same lot number and the system still treats them as two separate lots. A serial number identifies a single unit. A third form, tracking through a structure, is described on the shop order tracked structure page: before a parent serial or lot number is received from a shop order, its tracked structure must be complete.
2.How do you decide per part what to track?
Decide per part by asking who needs the trace, for which event and how far back. The answers come from the owner of the requirement: quality, a customer contract or a regulator. The owner names the demand, and the consultant does not assume it.
- Who needs the trace: quality, service, a customer or an authority.
- For which event: a complaint, a recall, a warranty claim or an audit.
- How far back: from the shipped unit to the supplier lot, or only to the receipt.
A part where nobody can name the event stays untracked. That keeps the floor’s effort on the parts where a trace has a user. The questions are the same for a purchased part, a made part and a returned part; for returns see RMA and customer returns in IFS Cloud.
3.What do the serial tracking settings change?
Serial tracking is set on the part with two options, Serial Tracking At Receipt and Issue and Serial Tracking In Inventory, and the page lists the allowed combinations together with a third option, Serial Tracking After Delivery. With both options enabled, the part has full serial tracking. With At Receipt and Issue alone, the part is serial tracked at receipt and issue only. In Inventory without At Receipt and Issue is not allowed. The difference matters for the floor: the narrower form asks for the serial number when the part enters or leaves, while the wider form keeps the serial identity in stock between those events.
A part that is serial tracked may also be lot tracked, but it may not use order-based lot tracking, as the page on enabling serial tracking states. Decide the combination per part group, then record it in the matrix at the end of this article.
4.How does tracking change receipt, shop order and shipping?
Tracking adds a number to each of these steps, and each number needs a source. For a lot-tracked part, the lot number is entered at arrival registration or later in the receipt function, and for an order-based part it is generated at arrival registration, as the documentation on arrival and receipt describes. Where the number is entered, decide whether it comes from the supplier’s label or from a number the company assigns. The receipt statuses themselves are covered in goods receipt, inspection and put-away in IFS Cloud.
For production, lot numbers can be generated. Decide the numbering convention before the first shop order is released, so that a lot number reads the same in every order. The page on generating lot numbers for a shop order describes the function.
For shipping, handling units interact with tracking. The documentation on handling units describes how packing works, and a test with tracked parts shows whether your packing routine keeps the trace intact. The location model that holds the tracked stock is covered in warehouse structure design in IFS Cloud.
5.What does the tracking decision cost later?
The tracking decision is cheap to take before stock exists and needs care afterwards. Before changing the setting on a part, check the part and its stock: stock that already sits in locations was received under the old setting, so someone has to decide what identity that stock receives under the new one.
Serial tracking also interacts with costing. The interaction is described in inventory valuation methods and cost levels in IFS Cloud, which is the place to read it, and this article does not repeat it. Part numbering is a neighbouring decision: the part numbering scheme sets the identity that lots and serials sit under.
6.How should tracking be loaded in data migration?
Tracking is loaded by deciding the setting for every part before its stock is loaded, because stock of a tracked part needs the lot or serial numbers that the setting expects. Agree the source of those numbers for opening stock: the old system, a physical count or a label on the item.
The planning of the load is covered in the IFS Cloud data migration plan, and the extract and load checks in the data migration checklist.
7.What does a tracking decision matrix look like?
A tracking decision matrix has one row per part group, and each row records the trace requirement, the level of tracking and the owner. The rows below are illustrative, not a client record.
| Part group | Trace requirement | Level | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part with a customer recall obligation | From shipped unit back to supplier lot | Lot tracking, numbers assigned at receipt | Quality manager |
| Part with a warranty tied to the unit | Identify the single unit | Serial tracking | Service manager |
| Part with no named trace event | None named by an owner | Not tracked | Inventory lead |
8.Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lot tracking and serial tracking in IFS Cloud?
Lot tracking in IFS Cloud identifies a lot of one part, and the system pairs the lot number with the part number. Serial tracking identifies a single unit of a part. With both Serial Tracking At Receipt and Issue and Serial Tracking In Inventory enabled, the part has full serial tracking; In Inventory alone is not allowed.
Can a part be both lot-tracked and serial-tracked?
Yes, a serial-tracked part can also be lot-tracked in IFS Cloud, but not with order-based lot tracking. The page on enabling serial tracking lists the restriction.
Can I change the tracking setting after stock exists?
Check the part and its stock before changing a tracking setting in IFS Cloud. Stock that already sits in locations needs a decision on what lot or serial identity it receives under the new setting, and the decision belongs to the owner of the trace requirement.
How do lot numbers get generated for shop orders?
Lot numbers for production in IFS Cloud can be generated for a shop order; the IFS documentation has a page on generating lot or batch numbers for a shop order. Decide the numbering convention up front, so that a lot number tells a reader the same thing in every order.
How do handling units interact with tracked parts?
Handling units in IFS Cloud interact with lot and serial tracking when tracked parts are packed. The IFS documentation on handling units describes how packing works, and a packing test with tracked parts in your own configuration shows whether your packing routine keeps the trace intact.
9.About the author
Dariusz Myśliwiec: 18 years hands-on with IFS, including IFS Cloud. Based in Kraków, delivering remotely across Europe and globally through an independent practice. You talk to the consultant who does the work, not a sales layer.
IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB; this practice is not affiliated with IFS AB.
Do you track everything, or can you not trace what you shipped?
Either answer points to a part-by-part decision that was never made. A tracking review with the quality, warehouse and finance owners in the room sorts the part groups and records the level for each.