Knowledge Hub

Traceability & Recall Readiness

Complete guide to setting up and using the traceability module. Follow the process flow below to achieve full ingredient-to-customer traceability.

What This Module Does

The Traceability module tracks ingredients from supplier to customer. It answers two critical questions:

Forward Trace (Recall)

“This ingredient lot is contaminated — which batches used it, which orders shipped it, and which customers received it?”

Backward Trace (Investigation)

“A customer reported a quality issue with this batch — which ingredient lots went into it, and from which suppliers?”

Process Flow

Follow these 6 steps in order. Each step builds on the previous one to create a complete traceability chain.

Step 1Set Up Your Products

Create products for both your finished goods and your raw ingredients/materials.

One-time setupProducts

What to do:

  1. Go to Products → New Product
  2. Create your finished products (e.g., “Energy Drink 250ml”, “Organic Apple Juice 1L”)
  3. Create your raw ingredients as separate products (e.g., “Taurine”, “Caffeine Powder”, “Sugar Syrup”, “Apple Concentrate”)
  4. Set the correct Unit of Measure for each (kg, litre, piece, etc.)

Tip: Use a naming convention to distinguish ingredients from finished goods. For example, prefix ingredients with “RM-” (raw material) in the SKU field, or use a consistent naming pattern like “ING: Taurine”.

Step 2Set Up Suppliers as Partners

Register the suppliers who provide your ingredients so they can be linked to ingredient lots.

One-time setupPartners

What to do:

  1. Go to Partners → Add Partner
  2. Set Partner Type to “Supplier”
  3. Fill in supplier details: name, country, contact info
  4. Run a sanctions screening if needed

Tip: You probably already have suppliers in the system from orders. The same partners work here — just make sure your ingredient suppliers are registered.

Step 3Create Bills of Materials (BOMs)

Define the recipe/formula for each finished product: which ingredients, how much of each.

One-time per productBill of Materials

What to do:

  1. Go to Traceability → Bill of Materials → New BOM
  2. Select the finished product (e.g., “Energy Drink 250ml”)
  3. Add ingredient lines:
    • Taurine — 0.4 kg per batch
    • Caffeine Powder — 0.03 kg per batch
    • Sugar Syrup — 12.5 litre per batch
    • Water — 200 litre per batch
  4. Save as Draft, review, then click Activate
BOM Lifecycle
DraftActiveArchived

Only Draft BOMs can be edited. Active BOMs are used when creating production batches. Archive old versions when you update a recipe.

Tip: When you update a recipe, create a new BOM version rather than editing the active one. The system auto-increments versions. This preserves the historical record of what went into past batches.

Step 4Record Ingredient Lots

When raw materials arrive from a supplier, record them as an ingredient lot with lot number, quantity, and supplier.

Every incoming deliveryIngredient Lots

What to do (every time materials arrive):

  1. Go to Traceability → Ingredient Lots → New Lot
  2. Select the ingredient product (e.g., “Taurine”)
  3. Select the supplier
  4. Enter the lot number from the supplier's certificate of analysis (CoA), or leave blank for auto-generation
  5. Enter received date, expiry date (if applicable), and quantity
  6. Optionally select the warehouse/location where it's stored
  7. Optionally upload the Certificate of Analysis via Documents
Lot Status Lifecycle
AvailableIn UseDepleted
Special statuses:QuarantinedExpired

Status updates automatically: Available → In Use (when partially consumed) → Depleted (when fully consumed). You can manually set Quarantined or Expired.

Tip: Always use the supplier's lot number if available. This makes it easy to cross-reference with their records during an investigation. The system also generates a unique lot number (LOT-2026-00001) as a fallback.

Step 5Create Production Batches

Record each production run: which finished product was made, which ingredient lots were consumed, and how much.

Every production runBatches

What to do (every production run):

  1. Go to Traceability → Batches → New Batch
  2. Select the finished product (e.g., “Energy Drink 250ml”)
  3. If you have an active BOM, it auto-loads — select it to pre-populate ingredient lines
  4. For each ingredient line, select the specific lot you're using:
    • The dropdown shows lot number, product name, and remaining quantity
    • Enter the quantity used from that lot
    • You can use multiple lots per ingredient if one lot isn't enough
  5. Enter production date, quantity produced, and optionally expiry date and location
  6. Submit — the system automatically:
    • Generates a batch number (BATCH-2026-00001)
    • Deducts used quantities from ingredient lots
    • Updates lot statuses (Available → In Use → Depleted)
Batch Status Lifecycle
PlannedIn ProgressCompleted
Special:On HoldRecalled

Planned batches can be deleted (ingredient quantities are restored). Once moved to In Progress or beyond, deletion is blocked.

Important: Quantity Validation

The system validates that each ingredient lot has enough remaining quantity. If a lot is depleted or doesn't have enough, you'll get an error. Check lot availability before starting a batch.

Step 6Link Batches to Orders

Connect production batches to the sales orders they fulfill. This completes the chain: ingredient → batch → customer.

When orders shipBatch Detail

What to do (when fulfilling orders):

  1. Go to the batch detail page (click any batch from the list)
  2. Scroll to the Linked Orders section
  3. Click Link Order
  4. Enter the Order Line ID and the quantity allocated from this batch
  5. Repeat for each order line fulfilled from this batch

Tip: A single batch can fulfill multiple orders, and a single order can be fulfilled from multiple batches. The system tracks quantities at the order-line level for precision.

Step 7Run Traces & Recall Reports

Search by lot number or batch number to see the complete chain. Use this for audits, quality investigations, or recall scenarios.

On demandTrace & Recall

Forward Trace (from ingredient to customers):

  1. Go to Traceability → Trace & Recall
  2. Select Forward (from Ingredient Lot)
  3. Enter the lot number (e.g., LOT-2026-00042)
  4. Click Trace
  5. The system shows:
    • Source lot details (ingredient, supplier, dates, quantity)
    • All production batches that used this lot
    • All orders fulfilled from those batches
    • All customers who received those orders
    • All shipments associated with those orders
    • Recall Impact Summary: total affected batches, orders, customers, and markets

Backward Trace (from batch to ingredients):

  1. Select Backward (from Production Batch)
  2. Enter the batch number (e.g., BATCH-2026-00015)
  3. Click Trace
  4. The system shows:
    • Batch details (product, date, quantity, status)
    • All ingredient lots used in this batch (with supplier info)
    • All orders fulfilled from this batch (with customer info)
In a Recall Scenario

1. Run a forward trace on the affected ingredient lot

2. Note the Recall Impact Summary — number of affected batches, orders, customers, and markets

3. Use the affected batch numbers to set batch status to Recalled from each batch detail page

4. Use the customer and order list to initiate customer notifications

5. Quarantine the ingredient lot to prevent further use

Complete Data Flow

How data flows through the traceability chain

SupplierPartners
Ingredient LotLOT-YYYY-NNNNN
BOMRecipe/Formula
Production BatchBATCH-YYYY-NNNNN
Order LineSales Order
ShipmentTo Customer
Forward trace (recall)
Backward trace (investigation)

Daily Workflow Checklist

Once initial setup is done (Steps 1-3), your daily workflow looks like this

Materials received→Create Ingredient Lot
Every delivery
Production run starting→Create Production Batch
Every production run
Order being shipped→Link Batch to Order
Every shipment
Quality issue reported→Run Trace & Recall
As needed
Weekly review

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the module without BOMs?

Yes. BOMs are optional — they pre-populate ingredient lines when creating batches, saving time. Without a BOM, you manually select ingredient lots when creating each batch. BOMs are recommended for products with consistent recipes.

What happens if I delete a production batch?

Only batches with status 'Planned' can be deleted. When deleted, all ingredient quantities are automatically restored to their lots (remaining quantities go back up, statuses update). Batches that are In Progress or beyond cannot be deleted.

Can one ingredient lot be used across multiple batches?

Yes. A lot's remaining quantity is tracked automatically. When you use 10kg from a 50kg lot, the remaining shows 40kg. You can keep using that lot across multiple batches until it's depleted.

How do I handle a recipe change?

Archive the current active BOM, then create a new BOM for the same product. It will automatically get the next version number. Old batches remain linked to the old BOM version for historical accuracy.

What's the difference between Forward and Backward trace?

Forward trace starts from an ingredient lot and shows everything downstream: which batches used it, which orders shipped it, and which customers received it. Backward trace starts from a production batch and shows everything upstream: which ingredient lots (and suppliers) went into it. Forward is for recalls; backward is for quality investigations.

Do I need to link every order to a batch?

For full traceability, yes — every sales order line should be linked to the batch(es) it was fulfilled from. This is what makes the forward trace reach all the way to the customer. Without this link, the trace stops at the batch level.

Bill of Materials
Ingredient Lots
Production Batches
Trace & Recall