What Is Lot Tracking?
Lot (or batch) tracking groups multiple units of a product under a single identifier based on their production batch, receipt date, or supplier shipment. Unlike serial numbers that track individual units, lot numbers track groups — all units in a lot share the same characteristics, manufacturing conditions, and expiration date. Lot tracking is essential for food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, and any industry requiring batch traceability for safety or regulatory compliance.
Enabling Lot Tracking
On the product form, navigate to the Inventory tab and set Tracking to By Lot. Odoo then requires a lot number for every stock operation. Multiple units can share the same lot number, unlike serial numbers which must be unique per unit. Each lot record stores the lot number, creation date, reference, and optionally expiration-related dates.
Lot Number Assignment
Vendor Lot Numbers
When receiving goods from vendors, record the vendor's lot number on the receipt. This links your inventory to the vendor's production batch, enabling upstream traceability back to the source. If the vendor notifies you of a batch quality issue, you can immediately identify which inventory is affected.
Internal Lot Numbers
For manufactured products, assign lot numbers during production. Odoo can auto-generate lot numbers following a sequence pattern (e.g., LOT-2026-001). Each lot is linked to its manufacturing order, recording which component lots were consumed to produce this batch. This creates a complete production genealogy.
Expiration Date Management
Lot tracking in Odoo supports four date types per lot. The expiration date is when the product should no longer be sold or used. The best-before date indicates optimal quality. The removal date triggers warehouse alerts for items that need to be pulled from shelves. The alert date is an early warning for items approaching expiration. Configure default durations on the product, and Odoo calculates dates automatically when lots are created.
FEFO Strategy
First Expired, First Out (FEFO) ensures products closest to expiration are picked first. Enable FEFO as the removal strategy on your warehouse location. When fulfilling orders, Odoo prioritizes lots with the earliest expiration date regardless of when they were received. This minimizes waste from expired products and is mandatory in food and pharmaceutical industries.
Traceability
Upstream Traceability
From a lot in your inventory, trace backward to determine where it came from. The traceability report shows which vendor supplied it, which purchase order it arrived on, and when it was received. For manufactured products, it shows which component lots were used in production. This is critical for root cause analysis when quality issues are discovered.
Downstream Traceability
From a lot, trace forward to determine where it went. The report shows which customers received products from this lot, through which sales orders and deliveries. This is essential for recalls — quickly identify all affected customers and the quantities they received.
Lot-Based Operations
| Operation | Lot Behavior | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt | Assign lot per vendor batch | Incoming traceability |
| Internal transfer | Lot follows the goods | Warehouse movement |
| Manufacturing | New lot for output, consume input lots | Production genealogy |
| Delivery | Pick by FEFO or FIFO | Expiration management |
| Return | Same lot as delivery | Accurate return tracking |
| Quality check | Inspect per lot | Batch quality validation |
Recall Process
When a batch defect is discovered, use lot traceability to manage the recall. Identify the affected lot number. Run the downstream traceability report to find all customers who received products from that lot. Generate a customer notification list. Place any remaining inventory from the affected lot on hold by transferring it to a quarantine location. Process returns from customers and record the lot on each return for reconciliation.
Compliance Requirements
- Food safety — FDA, EU food safety regulations require one-step-up, one-step-down traceability. Lot tracking provides this.
- Pharmaceuticals — GMP and GDP regulations require batch-level traceability from raw materials to patient.
- Automotive — IATF 16949 requires lot traceability for quality management.
- Electronics — RoHS and REACH compliance may require batch-level material documentation.
DeployMonkey + Lot Tracking
Deploy Odoo on DeployMonkey and configure lot tracking, expiration management, and FEFO strategies with AI assistance. Ensure traceability compliance from day one.