Lot tracking/sourcing

Question

Hello! Looking to see if anyone has a similar experience. We source products from overseas, due to tariffs we now use different countries to source the same product. However if a client orders multiple of the same product, we want to make sure that all quantity comes from the same place due to small differences (slightly different color for example). Is lot tracking the best way to do this? Does anyone have a different suggestion?

Jam Amper-Oracle · Accepted Answer

Hi @User_C2BGJ,

Managing product consistency when sourcing from multiple countries is a common challenge, especially with subtle variations like color or finish. While Lot Tracking is the most robust native solution, there are two primary ways to handle this in NetSuite depending on your volume and inventory accuracy needs.

Option 1: Lot Tracking (Recommended)

Lot tracking is generally considered the best practice for this scenario. By assigning a unique Lot Number to each shipment or country of origin (e.g., CN-101 vs. VN-102), you gain granular control over your stock. During the fulfillment process, NetSuite’s "Auto-Calculate" or manual picking features allow you to ensure that all units for a single line item are pulled from the same lot. This prevents "mixing and matching" at the warehouse level and provides a digital trail if a customer reports a quality issue with a specific batch.

Option 2: Bin Management

If you prefer not to manage individual lots, you can use Bin Management to physically and logically separate inventory within a single warehouse. You can create specific bins labeled by country (e.g., BIN-CHINA-01 and BIN-VIET-01) and associate them with your items. When fulfilling a Sales Order, the warehouse team can manually select a specific bin to ensure the entire quantity is picked from one "origin" bin. While this is less automated than lot tracking, it keeps your item records simpler by avoiding the "Numbered Inventory" requirement.

Hope this helps!