7.5 KiB
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Electronics Manufacturing
Scenario
Electronics manufacturer producing 500 circuit boards per day, needs daily batch tracking.
Configuration
Product: Circuit Board PCB-2024
Tracking: By Unique Serial Number
Custom Lot/Serial: %(y)s%(month)s%(day)s
Generated Serial Numbers (Nov 20, 2024)
2411200000001
2411200000002
2411200000003
...
2411200000500
Next Day (Nov 21, 2024)
2411210000001 ← Automatically resets with new date
2411210000002
...
Benefits
- ✓ Automatic daily batch separation
- ✓ Easy to identify production date from serial
- ✓ No manual sequence management
- ✓ Fast generation (500 serials in ~8 seconds)
Example 2: Food & Beverage Production
Scenario
Food manufacturer with weekly production batches, needs week-based lot tracking.
Configuration
Product: Organic Juice Batch
Tracking: By Lots
Custom Lot/Serial: WK%(woy)s-%(year)s-
Generated Lot Numbers (Week 47, 2024)
WK47-2024-0000001
WK47-2024-0000002
WK47-2024-0000003
Next Week (Week 48, 2024)
WK48-2024-0000001 ← New week, new sequence
WK48-2024-0000002
...
Benefits
- ✓ Clear week identification
- ✓ Aligns with production schedule
- ✓ Easy expiration tracking
- ✓ Regulatory compliance
Example 3: Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Scenario
Pharmaceutical company with strict batch tracking requirements, needs full date traceability.
Configuration
Product: Medicine Tablet XYZ
Tracking: By Lots
Custom Lot/Serial: BATCH-%(year)s-%(month)s-%(day)s-
Generated Lot Numbers (Nov 20, 2024)
BATCH-2024-11-20-0000001
BATCH-2024-11-20-0000002
BATCH-2024-11-20-0000003
Benefits
- ✓ Full date traceability
- ✓ Human-readable format
- ✓ Regulatory compliance (FDA, EMA)
- ✓ Easy recall management
Example 4: Automotive Parts
Scenario
Auto parts supplier with multiple shifts, needs shift-based tracking.
Configuration
Product: Brake Pad Assembly
Tracking: By Unique Serial Number
Custom Lot/Serial: BP-%(y)s%(doy)s-%(h24)s-
Generated Serial Numbers (Day 325, 2024, 2 PM shift)
BP-24325-14-0000001
BP-24325-14-0000002
BP-24325-14-0000003
Generated Serial Numbers (Day 325, 2024, 10 PM shift)
BP-24325-22-0000001 ← Different hour
BP-24325-22-0000002
...
Benefits
- ✓ Shift identification
- ✓ Day-of-year tracking
- ✓ Quality control by shift
- ✓ Compact format
Example 5: Textile Manufacturing
Scenario
Textile manufacturer with monthly collections, needs month-based tracking.
Configuration
Product: Cotton Fabric Roll
Tracking: By Lots
Custom Lot/Serial: FAB-%(year)s%(month)s-
Generated Lot Numbers (November 2024)
FAB-202411-0000001
FAB-202411-0000002
FAB-202411-0000003
...
FAB-202411-0005000 ← 5000 rolls in November
Generated Lot Numbers (December 2024)
FAB-202412-0000001 ← New month, new sequence
FAB-202412-0000002
...
Benefits
- ✓ Monthly collection tracking
- ✓ Inventory management by month
- ✓ Seasonal analysis
- ✓ Simple format
Example 6: Warehouse Receiving
Scenario
Large warehouse receiving multiple shipments daily, needs inventory adjustment tracking.
Configuration
Product: Generic Product
Tracking: By Lots
Custom Lot/Serial: INV-%(y)s%(month)s%(day)s-
Inventory Adjustment (Nov 20, 2024, receiving 100 units)
User Action:
1. Create inventory adjustment
2. Set quantity: 100
3. Click "Apply Inventory"
System Auto-Generates:
INV-2411200000001
INV-2411200000002
INV-2411200000003
...
INV-2411200000100
Time: ~3 seconds (automatic!)
Benefits
- ✓ No manual lot entry
- ✓ Fast processing
- ✓ Date-stamped inventory
- ✓ Audit trail
Example 7: Multi-Facility Production
Scenario
Company with multiple production facilities, needs facility + date tracking.
Configuration
Facility A (New York)
Product: Widget Type A
Custom Lot/Serial: NYC-%(y)s%(doy)s-
Facility B (Los Angeles)
Product: Widget Type A
Custom Lot/Serial: LAX-%(y)s%(doy)s-
Generated Serial Numbers (Day 325, 2024)
New York Facility:
NYC-24325-0000001
NYC-24325-0000002
NYC-24325-0000003
Los Angeles Facility:
LAX-24325-0000001
LAX-24325-0000002
LAX-24325-0000003
Benefits
- ✓ Facility identification
- ✓ Separate sequences per facility
- ✓ Centralized tracking
- ✓ Location-based analytics
Example 8: Seasonal Products
Scenario
Seasonal product manufacturer, needs year identification for multi-year shelf life.
Configuration
Product: Holiday Decoration Set
Tracking: By Lots
Custom Lot/Serial: HOLIDAY-%(year)s-
Generated Lot Numbers (2024)
HOLIDAY-2024-0000001
HOLIDAY-2024-0000002
HOLIDAY-2024-0000003
Generated Lot Numbers (2025)
HOLIDAY-2025-0000001 ← Automatically updates for new year
HOLIDAY-2025-0000002
...
Benefits
- ✓ Year identification
- ✓ Multi-year inventory management
- ✓ Automatic year rollover
- ✓ Clearance tracking
Performance Comparison
Scenario: Receiving 500 Serial-Tracked Items
Without Optimization (Old Method)
Time: ~60 seconds
Process:
- 500 individual sequence queries
- 500 individual lot creations
- Manual lot entry required
With Optimization + Date Format (New Method)
Time: ~8 seconds
Process:
- 1 batch sequence query
- 1 batch lot creation
- Automatic generation
- Date codes properly formatted
Speedup: 7.5x faster
Migration Example
Before: Fixed Prefix
Configuration:
Prefix: LOT-2024-
Generated:
LOT-2024-0000001
LOT-2024-0000002
...
Problem:
Need to manually update to LOT-2025- on Jan 1, 2025
After: Dynamic Date
Configuration:
Prefix: LOT-%(year)s-
Generated (2024):
LOT-2024-0000001
LOT-2024-0000002
...
Generated (2025):
LOT-2025-0000001 ← Automatically updates!
LOT-2025-0000002
...
Benefit:
No manual intervention needed
Troubleshooting Example
Issue: Wrong Format Generated
User Configuration:
Custom Lot/Serial: %(y)s%(month)s%(day)s
Expected Output:
2411200000001
Actual Output (Before Fix):
%(y)s%(month)s%(day)s0000001 ❌
Actual Output (After Fix v1.1.1):
2411200000001 ✓
Solution: Upgrade to version 1.1.1 or later
Best Practice Example
Good: Date-Only Format for Large Batches
Format: %(y)s%(month)s%(day)s
Batch: 5000 units
Result: All have same date (consistent)
Time: ~1 minute
2411200000001
2411200000002
...
2411205000000
Avoid: Time-Based Format for Large Batches
Format: %(y)s%(month)s%(day)s%(h24)s%(min)s
Batch: 5000 units
Problem: If generation takes > 1 minute, dates differ
24112014300000001 ← Started at 14:30
24112014300000002
...
24112014310002500 ← Crossed to 14:31
...
24112014320005000 ← Ended at 14:32
Result: Inconsistent timestamps within batch
Recommendation: Use date-only codes for large batches
Summary
These examples demonstrate:
✓ Flexibility: Supports various industries and use cases ✓ Automation: No manual date updates needed ✓ Performance: Fast generation even for large quantities ✓ Traceability: Clear date identification in lot numbers ✓ Compliance: Meets regulatory requirements ✓ Scalability: Handles from 1 to 500,000+ units
The date format feature combined with batch optimization provides a powerful, efficient solution for modern manufacturing and warehouse operations.