Serial Numbers

Serial numbers give each physical unit of a product its own number. Use them for goods that you need to tell apart, such as a machine or a phone. Beelocity records where each unit stands. Only maintenance moves a serial number by itself, so you record receiving and selling here by hand.

Key Concepts

• Serial number is the number of one physical unit, such as SN-20260301-A001. If the maker printed a number on the device, use that number.
• Variant is the variant that this unit belongs to. A product with no variants cannot have a serial number.
• Lot is the stock lot that this unit came in with, of the same variant. A lot groups many units, and a serial number names one. The lot matters if a recall names it.
• Warranty ends is the day that the warranty ends. Beelocity only keeps this date.

Adding Serial Numbers

To register a new serial number:

1. Open Inventory > Stock in the sidebar, and open the Serial Numbers tab.
2. Click New.
3. Fill in the details:
   • Serial number is the number of this unit.
   • Variant says which variant this unit is.
   • Status opens on In stock. After you save, only the buttons below change it.
   • Warehouse is the warehouse that holds this unit now.
   • Location is the location inside that warehouse.
   • Lot is optional. You pick from the lots of the unit’s Variant, so pick the variant first.
   • Received is when the unit came in from the supplier.
   • Warranty ends is when the warranty ends, if there is one.
4. Click Save.

The form asks for Warehouse and Location only if the status is In stock or Reserved, because any other unit is in no location. The serial number’s page also shows Customer order. Beelocity does not fill this field today, and you cannot type in it.

Saving adds no stock. A serial number only names a unit, and the status that you choose changes no stock figure. The figures come from a goods receipt, a stock movement or an adjustment. So keep the serial number on the same warehouse, location and lot as the variant’s stock.

Serial Number Lifecycle

Each serial number has a status:

To use an action, open the serial number and open More actions. Only a role that can change serial numbers sees them. Of the roles that Beelocity ships, only the owner of your organization can do this.

Each action changes the stock like this:

Which stock an action changes. Reserve, Release the hold, Mark as sold and Mark as faulty read one stock record. It has the status Available, and the same variant, warehouse, location and lot as the unit. If no such record holds the unit, no figure changes. Mark as sold and Mark as faulty still write an outgoing entry in the stock journal, so check the unit’s warehouse, location and lot first.

What Mark as sold does not do. It makes no sale, no invoice and no delivery note. It clears the unit’s warehouse and location, and it records the exit in the stock journal. Reserve names no order either.

What moves by itself. Only maintenance moves a serial number by itself. If a maintenance part issue names a serial number, the unit becomes Consumed and leaves its warehouse. A maintenance return restores it. An unused return puts the unit back In stock, at the return warehouse. A warranty return marks it Defective while it waits to go back to the supplier. Receiving, shipping and manufacturing do not create or move serial numbers, so record those steps here by hand.

A warranty return also adds to the stock. It adds one to On hand, on a stock record with the status Available. So Beelocity can sell that quantity, although the unit is Defective. To take it out, press Edit on that stock record and lower On hand by one. An adjustment that you write by hand cannot do this, because its line cannot name a variant. The stock journal records the edit, with no reason and no cost.

Put back in stock is a physical return. Beelocity asks for the warehouse that takes the unit back, adds one to On hand there and records the movement in the stock journal. The dialog asks for no location, so the unit comes back with none. If the variant has no stock yet and no unit with the usage Stock, Beelocity refuses, because it does not know the unit.

Release the hold only frees the unit, because it never left its warehouse.

If you move the stock. A stock movement does not move the serial number. After the movement, press Edit on the serial number and change its Warehouse and Location.

Searching

Use the search box on the serial numbers list to find a unit by serial number, by variant Reference or barcode, or by lot number. It also finds a warehouse code or name, and a location code, name or barcode. You can combine it with the filter below.

Filtering by Status

The filter button beside the search box (Working with lists) narrows the list by Status. Pick one or several:

• In stock shows the units in a warehouse.
• Reserved shows the units that you set aside.
• Sold shows the units that went to a client.
• Returned shows the units that came back from a client.
• Defective shows the units marked as faulty.
• Consumed shows the units that a maintenance work order fitted to a machine.

The same panel narrows the list to one Warehouse, or to a range of Received or Warranty ends. For example, one To date shows the warranties that end this year. It can also hide inactive serial numbers, with Active set to Yes. Beelocity writes your choice into the page’s address, so you can bookmark the view.

Important Notes

• A serial number must be unique in your organization, so Beelocity refuses a duplicate.
• Serial numbers suit costly goods, electronics and machines, where you need to follow each unit.
• A serial number can name a lot, if you need to follow both the unit and its expiry date.
• Beelocity only keeps Received and Warranty ends. It counts no warranty, and it does not decide who pays for a repair. To find a warranty that ends soon, use the filter above.
• Deactivate a scrapped unit to keep its record. This changes no stock figure.