Infor SyteLine3 min readNetray Engineering TeamUpdated March 4, 2025

How to Configure Lot Tracking in SyteLine

Lot tracking in SyteLine provides full traceability from raw material receipt through finished goods shipment. This capability is essential for industries with recall requirements, shelf-life constraints, or regulatory compliance such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Configuring lot tracking correctly ensures you can trace any item back to its source materials, production run, and customer shipments within seconds.

Enable Lot Tracking on Items and Warehouses

Start by setting the Lot Tracked flag on the Items form (Items IDO) under the Inventory tab. Select the Lot Tracking method—options include Lot Only, Lot with Expiration, or Lot with Shelf Life. On the Item Warehouse form (ItemWhse), configure lot-specific settings like default lot prefix, auto-generation rules, and FIFO/FEFO enforcement. The system validates lot requirements during every inventory transaction including receipts, issues, transfers, and shipments through the Lot IDO.

Set Lot Tracked checkbox and tracking method on Items form Inventory tab
Configure lot prefix and auto-numbering sequence on Item Warehouse form
Choose FIFO, FEFO, or manual lot selection on the Item Warehouse Lot Defaults
Enable lot validation on all transaction forms via Inventory Parameters

Configure Lot Number Generation and Attributes

Navigate to Inventory > Setup > Lot Number Generation form to define automatic lot numbering rules. SyteLine supports date-based, sequential, or composite lot numbers using the LotNumberGen IDO. You can include vendor lot numbers during PO receipt on the Material Receipts form. Configure lot attribute tracking on the Lot Attributes form to capture additional data like moisture content, grade, or test results. Attributes are defined per item or product code and can be mandatory during receipt processing.

Define lot number format using date codes, sequence numbers, or supplier references
Map vendor lot numbers during PO receipt on Material Receipts form
Create custom lot attributes on Lot Attributes form for quality data capture
Set mandatory attribute entry rules per item on the Lot Attribute Requirements form

Implement Lot Traceability and Expiration Management

Use the Lot Trace form (LotTrace) to perform forward and backward traceability across the entire supply chain. Forward trace shows all customers who received material from a specific lot. Backward trace identifies all source lots used in a finished product. For expiration management, configure shelf life days on the Items form—SyteLine calculates expiration dates automatically during receipt. The Expiring Lots Report under Inventory > Reports flags lots approaching expiration within your configured warning period.

Run forward trace from Lot Trace form to find all shipments containing a specific lot
Run backward trace to identify all raw material lots in a finished goods lot
Set shelf life days and expiration warning period on Items form
Schedule Expiring Lots Report to run daily and alert quality team automatically

Frequently Asked Questions

Does SyteLine lot tracking support FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance?

Yes, SyteLine's lot tracking supports FDA compliance when combined with electronic signature configuration and audit trail logging. Enable the Audit Trail on lot-related IDOs through the Audit Trail Setup form. Configure electronic signatures for lot disposition changes on the E-Signature form. Most pharmaceutical and food manufacturers achieve full Part 11 compliance within 4-8 weeks of lot tracking configuration.

Can I track lots across multiple SyteLine sites?

Yes, lot numbers are maintained across inter-site transfers in a multi-site SyteLine environment. When transferring lot-tracked items between sites using the Inter-Site Transfer form, the lot number and all attributes carry over automatically. The Lot Trace form queries across all sites, providing enterprise-wide traceability. Configure the Multi-Site Parameters form to enforce consistent lot numbering across 2-15 sites.

How do I handle lot merging or splitting in SyteLine?

SyteLine handles lot splitting through the Lot Split form, which creates new child lots while maintaining parent lot traceability. Lot merging is accomplished via the Lot Merge utility, combining quantities from multiple lots into a single target lot. Both operations maintain full audit trails and traceability linkages. The system supports up to 50 source lots per merge operation, with all quality attributes preserved or recalculated.

Key Takeaways

1Enable Lot Tracking on Items and Warehouses: Start by setting the Lot Tracked flag on the Items form (Items IDO) under the Inventory tab. Select the Lot Tracking method—options include Lot Only, Lot with Expiration, or Lot with Shelf Life.
2Configure Lot Number Generation and Attributes: Navigate to Inventory > Setup > Lot Number Generation form to define automatic lot numbering rules. SyteLine supports date-based, sequential, or composite lot numbers using the LotNumberGen IDO.
3Implement Lot Traceability and Expiration Management: Use the Lot Trace form (LotTrace) to perform forward and backward traceability across the entire supply chain. Forward trace shows all customers who received material from a specific lot.

Implementing lot tracking for compliance or traceability? Netray's SyteLine specialists can configure lot management, expiration workflows, and full traceability for your manufacturing operation.

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