Configuring Infor M3 for Food & Beverage Manufacturing: Traceability, Shelf Life, and Compliance
Infor M3 is widely deployed in food and beverage manufacturing, but generic configurations miss the industry-specific requirements that regulators and retailers demand. Lot traceability, shelf life management, catch weight processing, allergen tracking, and recall readiness require precise M3 configuration across MMS, PMS, and OIS modules. Getting these settings wrong means failed audits, retailer chargebacks, and potential safety incidents.
Lot Traceability and Shelf Life Management
FDA and FSMA regulations require full forward and backward traceability within 24 hours. M3's lot management in MMS001 (Item Master) with lot control method and expiration date handling must be configured per item category. Shelf life rules in MMS002 drive FEFO (First Expired, First Out) allocation in picking, ensuring that warehouse operations automatically prioritize near-expiry stock without manual intervention.
- Enable lot tracking in MMS001 field LOTC with method 1 (manual) or 2 (auto-generate) per item group
- Configure shelf life days in MMS002 (SHLE) and minimum remaining shelf life (SLDY) for customer-specific requirements
- Set up FEFO allocation rules in MWS070 to override standard FIFO when shelf life fields are active
- Enable lot attribute tracking in MMS080 for production date, best-before date, and country of origin
- Configure MMS300 for rapid recall simulation—trace lot to all downstream orders within 4 hours
Catch Weight, Dual UOM, and Allergen Tracking
Protein, seafood, and produce operations require catch weight processing where items are ordered in one unit (cases) but invoiced by actual weight (kg/lb). M3's dual unit of measure in MMS001 combined with catch weight processing in OIS100 and PPS200 must be configured to capture actual weights at receiving, production, and shipping. Allergen tracking through item attributes ensures labeling compliance.
- Enable catch weight in MMS001: set ACWT=1 and configure primary UOM (UNMS) vs catch weight UOM (CWUN)
- Configure OIS300 pick reporting to capture actual shipped weight for invoice-at-actuals billing
- Set up allergen attributes in MMS005 (Item Attribute) for Big 9 allergen declaration requirements
- Use PMS100 production order reporting to capture batch-level actual vs. standard yield variances
- Implement MWS410 receiving to record actual received weights against PO nominal quantities
Regulatory Compliance and Quality Integration
Food manufacturers face audits from FDA, GFSI-benchmarked schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000), and retailer-specific requirements. M3's quality management in QMS modules integrates with production and receiving to enforce inspection requirements, hold suspect inventory, and generate compliance documentation. Automated compliance reporting reduces audit preparation from weeks to hours.
- Configure QMS001 inspection plans triggered by MWS410 receiving and PMS100 production completion
- Enable automatic lot hold in MMS120 when QMS inspection results fall outside specification limits
- Set up GS1-128 barcode label generation from MMS850 with lot, expiry, and GTIN data elements
- Implement HACCP-linked quality checkpoints in PMS production routes via operation-level QMS triggers
- Use Netray AI agents to auto-generate mock recall reports from M3 lot traceability data
Configure your M3 food & beverage environment with confidence—let Netray's AI agents validate your setup.
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