Food and Beverage

Lot Tracking and Expiration Date

Lot tracking and Expiration dates are key components within the food and beverage industry. The ability to track component lots from raw materials to finished products shipped to customers is a key requirement for many companies in this industry for various reasons including food safety and recalls. The Visual ASN Lot tracking module can be used to track individual parts by lot number from the moment an item or finished good containing a lot number is shipped. As orders are shipped, lot numbers are assigned to each carton so that it is identified in the database which lots were shipped on which orders. Visual ASN also provides you the ability to populate expiry dates on GS1 labels if required. Lot tracking is a requirement for industries where quality control and lot traceability are paramount in the procurement and manufacturing process.

Auto Packing

Another feature of Visual ASN is Auto Packing which enables you to pack whole or partial shipments automatically without having to manually place each item into a container. It automates repetitive packing where the same contents are being packaged using set rules. Auto packing rules must be configured to determine which and how many items can be packed into containers. By combining different rules, you can create robust auto packing which will potentially cut down on the process of packing and sending of shipments performed in the warehouses. Auto packing rules are used to control how items are packed when the process is automated. There are options to set up Basic, Pre-pack, Equivalent Items, Weight based, or Custom auto packing rules that will record and validate shipping container dimensions, weight, item contents, freight class, and other details. Visual ASN’s Auto Packing will streamline and optimize the packing and shipment of goods.

Bill of Lading and NMFC Classification

Two key challenges for companies during the shipping of goods are being able to properly identify the NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) class of goods which affects shipping cost and generating a compliant Bill of Lading. A Bill of lading is a document detailing a shipment, including the goods to be shipped, the terms of carriage and delivery and it also serves as a receipt of shipment when the goods are delivered and must accompany the shipped goods no matter the form of transportation. The NMFC standard provides a comparison of commodities which are grouped into classes based on an evaluation of transportation characteristics to establish a commodity’s “transportability.” In Visual ASN every product is assigned to an item number, for which there is a corresponding freight classification and it specifies minimum packaging requirements to ensure that goods are adequately protected in the carrier environment and can be handled and stowed in a manner that is reasonably safe and practicable. Visual ASN provides functionality to generate a VICS bill of lading number based on the VICS Standards, populate the NMFC class information and other required fields and print compliant Bill of Lading documents with a series of simple mouse clicks.

The future looks bright. As we start using the full functionality of Edisoft, we can start driving EDI to achieve data integration that, in turn, will lead to business efficiencies. G.H. Meiser now has increased functionality, satisfied trading partners and Edisoft saved the company time and money.

• G.H. Meiser & Co.