Batch attributes
Batch attributes are characteristics of raw materials and finished products that make up inventory batches. Batch attributes can vary depending on factors such as environmental conditions, the quality of the raw materials that are used to produce the batch, or the outcome of the finished product.
The number and types of batch attributes that are used can vary widely from one industry to another. The following are two examples of using batch attributes:
In the cheese industry, milk is one of the raw materials that is used to produce the cheese. In this scenario, milk can have batch attributes to track fat content in each individual milk container. The cheese that is produced from the milk can have other attributes, such as moisture and age.
In the steel industry, the iron that is produced might have attributes such as the content percentages of magnesium, silver, and zinc.
Other examples of batch attributes could be considered for the paint manufacturing industry, where the paint is inspected and batch attributes are recorded for the color, viscosity, and percentage of VOC levels in each batch.
To better manage and ease the maintenance of batch attributes, you must first define product-specific attributes. Then, you can group attributes in case you have products where batches of the product are described with the same attributes.
You need to create the batch attributes for each customer requirement to use them for item and batch-specific data tracking.
The batch attribute can have the following data types:
String (phrase or free-text entry) - This type is useful for recording vendor information or color description.
Integer - Whole number data entry.
Fraction - Allows for entry of data with decimal places.
Enumerate - A list of values that are specified for the batch attribute. This list of values must be set up on the batch attribute during attribute creation.
Date - This type is useful for recording vendor certification dates or testing dates.
Tolerance Action
Warning - The user receives a warning when the entered batch attribute is not within the tolerance.
Not Allowed - The user is not allowed to enter a batch attribute value outside of the tolerance. Not allowed is only applicable to the Integer and Fraction types; all other types default to Warning only.
Minimum - Sets the minimum allowed value for an Integer or Fraction attribute type.
Maximum - Sets the maximum allowed value for an Integer or Fraction attribute type.
Target - Sets the target value for the batch attribute.
Increment - Sets the allowed increment value for an Integer or Fraction attribute type.
Product information management > Setup > Categories and attributes > Batch attributes
When batch attribute(s) are assigned to a product, the batch attribute's value can be adjusted on the attributes of the individual batches. This approach is useful when a company has many different items that use the same set of batch attributes, but each item has a different minimum and maximum target value to meet the requirement. Therefore, you can override default values at the product level.
Example
A company might have many different chemicals where viscosity is measured, but for each chemical, a specific viscosity range is required. The batch attribute would be set up for the realistic ranges of viscosity, while each item would have the batch attribute of viscosity assigned to the item with a unique range for the item.
Similarly, to the item requirement, a batch attribute can be assigned to a specific customer for an item with customer-specific requirements that are set up for the item/customer combination. The requirements at the customer level can be more stringent than the internal requirements based on how the customer plans to use the material. For the viscosity example, one customer might want the less viscous material to help with flow throughout a tubular reactor, while another customer might want a more viscous material for a different application.
You can access the pages for products that you select on the Product information management > Setup > Categories and attributes > Batch attributes page. After you assign batch attributes to a product, you can add batch attribute values to the individual product batches on the Product specific page. To locate the Product specific page, navigate to the Released product details page. Select Manage inventory > Batch attributes > Product specific.
You can select the Product specific button to set the acceptable range of valid values for each item.
When you are working with batch attributes, consider the following facts:
For items where quality orders are used to determine batch acceptability, the quality order results can be used to update the batch attributes.
The setup for the quality order can indicate if batch attributes should be updated.
Individual quality order results can also be flagged to update batch attributes individually.
Functionality can be used for batch retest or rework testing.
Batch attributes are useful when a set list of attributes must be assigned to multiple items and all have the same batch attribute range requirements.
Product information management > Setup > Categories and attributes > Batch attribute groups allow for the assignment of multiple batch attributes to an item without having to list each attribute.
An example of using batch attributes would be a chemical company, where all purchased solvents are measured for VOC and purity requirements.
A customer can have a range of valid values for an assigned batch attribute that can be assigned for a group of products. However, the attribute values can be overridden at the product level. When completing the reservation of batches to fulfill a sales order to this customer, you must reserve the correct batch that is based on the customer requirements for the batch attributes. Supply Chain Management accomplishes this task by allowing you to search batches for reservations based on the customer's specific batch attribute requirements.
Scenario
In the production of epoxy adhesive material, the batches are manufactured to meet internal standard requirements around Specific Gravity, Viscosity, and Cured material strength. This internal standard is set to allow for product sales to the general public. This same material is ordered by industrial clients that have customer and industry-based standards that the compound must meet, such as aerospace, automotive, and general construction requirements. These requirements are more stringent than the standard internal requirements and must be met to be sold to these customers. Instead of creating unique item numbers for these different specifications, all batches are manufactured under a single item and tested for the SG, Viscosity, and Cured material strength. Then, when an order is obtained from one of these industrial customers, the inventory is reviewed against the customer requirements by using the batch attribute search to determine if a batch exists in inventory that meets the requirements. If so, that batch is reserved and shipped to the customer.
Watch the following video to see an overview of batch attributes and a demonstration of how to create them.