Lot numbers¶
Lots are one of the two ways to identify and track products in Odoo. They typically represent a specific batch of products that were received, stored, shipped, or manufactured in-house.
Manufacturers assign lot numbers to groups of products sharing common properties, facilitating end-to-end traceability through their lifecycles.
Lots are useful for managing large quantities of manufactured or received products, aiding in tracing items back to their group, particularly for product recalls or expiration dates.
See also
Enable lots & serial numbers¶
To track products using lots, enable the Lots & Serial Numbers feature. Go to the , scroll down to the Traceability section, and tick the checkbox next to Lots & Serial Numbers. Then, click Save.
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- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings
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- The Inventory settings page scrolled to the "Traceability" section with the "Lots & Serial Numbers" checkbox enabled.
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- The "Lots & Serial Numbers" checkbox (red frame).
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- Demo company "YourCompany".
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the "Traceability" settings block.
Track by lots¶
Once the Lots & Serial Numbers feature is activated, configure individual products to be tracked using lots. To do this, go to , and choose a product to configure.
On the product form, click into the General Information tab. In the Track Inventory field, tick the checkbox, then select By Lots from the drop-down menu. Now, new or existing lot numbers can be assigned to newly-received or manufactured batches of this product.
See also
Important
If a product has stock on-hand prior to activating tracking by lots or serial numbers, a warning message appears. Use an inventory adjustment to assign lot numbers to existing products in stock.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products ‣ (a product) ‣ General Information tab
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- A product form with the "Track Inventory" checkbox ticked and "By Lots" selected in its drop-down.
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- The "Track Inventory" field set to "By Lots" (red frame).
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- A storable product with no stock on hand yet.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the field.
Assign lots for shipping and receiving¶
Assign new lot numbers to incoming goods on the receipt form. When shipping outgoing goods, select products with specific lot numbers on the delivery order form.
On receipts¶
Assigning new or existing lot numbers to incoming goods can be done directly on receipts.
To begin, go to the app to create and confirm a PO for products tracked by lot numbers. Then, click the Receipt smart button that appears at the top of the page to navigate to the warehouse receipt form.
Note
Alternatively, navigate to an existing receipt by going to the app, clicking the Receipts Kanban card, and choosing the desired receipt.
Important
Clicking Validate before assigning a lot number triggers an error, indicating that a lot number must be assigned before validating the receipt.
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- Inventory ‣ Receipts ‣ (a receipt) ‣ Validate
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- The error pop-up shown when a receipt for a lot-tracked product is validated before any lot number has been assigned.
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- The error text (red frame).
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- Receipt WH/IN/00001 for a lot-tracked product, demand 10, no lot assigned.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the pop-up.
On the receipt form, on the product line in the Operations tab, select the (list) icon to the right of the product that is tracked by lot numbers.
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- Inventory ‣ Receipts ‣ (a receipt) ‣ Operations tab
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- The Operations tab of a receipt with the list icon at the right end of the line of a lot-tracked product.
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- The list icon on the product line (red frame).
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- Receipt WH/IN/00001 with one line for a lot-tracked product.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the operation line.
Doing so opens the Open: Stock move pop-up window, where the Lot/Serial Number and Quantity are assigned.
The two ways to assign lot numbers: manually and importing.
Manual assignment¶
To manually assign lot numbers, click Add a line. Input the Lot/Serial Number, Store To location for the lot, Quantity, and Destination Package, if any.
Note
To assign multiple lot numbers, or store to multiple locations, click Add a line, and type a new Lot/Serial Number for additional quantities. Repeat until the total in the Quantity column matches the Demand at the top.
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- Inventory ‣ Receipts ‣ (a receipt) ‣ Operations tab ‣ (list icon)
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- The "Open: Stock move" pop-up with two manually added lines, each with its own "Lot/Serial Number", "Store To" location and "Quantity", the total matching the demand.
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- The "Lot/Serial Number" column (red frame).
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- Lots "LOT0001" (6 units) and "LOT0002" (4 units), demand 10, location WH/Stock.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the pop-up.
Import lots¶
In the Open: Stock move pop-up window, click Import Serials/Lots, then paste the bulk lot numbers, in the Lots/Serial numbers field.
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- Inventory ‣ Receipts ‣ (a receipt) ‣ Operations tab ‣ (list icon) ‣ Import Serials/Lots
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- The "Import Lots" pop-up with several lot numbers pasted, one per line, into the "Lots/Serial numbers" field, and the "Keep current lines" checkbox visible.
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- The "Lots/Serial numbers" field (red frame).
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- Five lot numbers LOT0001 to LOT0005.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the pop-up. Caption to convey: lot numbers pasted into the "Lots/Serial numbers" field of the Import Lots pop-up.
Tick the Keep current lines checkbox to generate additional lot numbers in the Open: Stock move pop-up window. To replace the lot numbers in the list, leave the Keep current lines option unticked.
Finally, click Generate.
Once all product quantities have been assigned a lot number, click Save to close the pop-up window. Then, click Validate on the receipt form.
On delivery orders¶
Odoo makes it possible to specify which lot numbers for a product are chosen for outgoing shipment on a delivery order form.
To begin, create or select an existing quotation from the app. After confirming the SO, the Delivery smart button becomes available. Click the Delivery smart button to view the warehouse receipt form for that specific SO.
Note
Alternatively, navigate to delivery orders by going to the app, and clicking the Delivery Orders kanban card.
Clicking the Delivery smart button opens the the delivery order form, where lot numbers are picked for delivery. In the Operations tab, click the (list) icon to the right of the product that is tracked by lot numbers. Clicking that icon reveals a Open: Stock move pop-up window.
In the pop-up window, the chosen lot number and its storage location is displayed in the Pick From column, with the with the full Quantity taken from that specific lot (if there is enough stock in that particular lot).
If there is insufficient stock in that lot, or if partial quantities of the Demand should be taken from multiple lots, change the Quantity directly.
Note
The lot automatically chosen for delivery orders varies, depending on the selected removal strategy (FIFO, LIFO, or FEFO). It also depends on the ordered quantity, and whether the lot’s on-hand quantity is enough to fulfill the order.
See also
Repeat the above steps to select enough lots to fulfill the Demand, and click Save to close the pop-up window. Lastly, click the Validate button on the DO to deliver the products.
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- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders ‣ (a delivery order) ‣ Operations tab ‣ (list icon)
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- The "Open: Stock move" pop-up of a delivery order, where the "Pick From" column shows the chosen lot number with its storage location, and the "Quantity" taken from that lot.
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- The "Pick From" column (red frame).
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- Two lines: LOT0001 at WH/Stock for 6 units and LOT0002 at WH/Stock for 4 units, demand 10.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the pop-up.
Lot management¶
Manage and view existing lot numbers for products in the Lot/Serial Numbers dashboard by going to .
By default, lot numbers are grouped by product, and selecting the drop-down menu for each product displays the existing lot numbers. Select a lot number to modify or add details linked to the lot. Lot numbers can also be created from this page, by clicking the New button.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers
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- The Lots/Serial Numbers list grouped by product by default, with one product group expanded to show its lot numbers.
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- None.
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- Two or three lot-tracked products with several lots each.
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, full list view. Caption to convey: lot numbers grouped by product on the Lot/Serial Number dashboard.
Modify lot¶
Clicking a lot from the Lot/Serial Number dashboard reveals a separate page where additional information can be provided about the lot.
Tip
Odoo automatically generates a new Lot/Serial Number to follow the most recent number. However, it can be edited, by clicking the line under the Lot/Serial Number field, and changing the generated number to any desired one.
On the lot number form, the following fields can be modified:
Lot/Serial Number: change the lot number linked to the Product
Internal Reference: records an alternative lot/serial number used within the warehouse that differs from the one used by the supplier manufacturer.
Company: specify the company where the lot number is available.
Description tab: add extra details about the lot or serial number in this text field.
Two further fields are read-only and are only visible to users with the Inventory / Administrator access right, once the lot has been moved:
Location: the internal location where the remaining quantity of the lot is currently stored.
Delivered To: the customer the lot was last delivered to, which makes a recall or a warranty claim easy to trace back. The same value is available as an optional Transfer to column on the Lots/Serial Numbers list.
Three smart buttons at the top of the form open the lot’s stock information:
Transfers: the transfers (receipts, deliveries, internal moves) in which the lot was used. The button is hidden while the lot has not been delivered yet.
Location: the on-hand quantity of the lot per storage location.
Traceability: the full traceability report of the lot.
Important
On existing lots, the Product and On Hand Quantity fields cannot be modified, as the lot numbers are linked with existing stock moves.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers ‣ (a lot)
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- A lot form with the "Lot/Serial Number", "Internal Reference", "Product", "Company", "On Hand Quantity" and "Description" fields, and the "Location" and "Traceability" smart buttons at the top.
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- The "Internal Reference" and "Description" fields (red frames).
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- Lot "LOT0001" of a lot-tracked product, on-hand quantity 6.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, full form.
See also
Add property¶
To add custom fields to lots for enhanced traceability, there are two methods of adding properties on a lot number form:
Click the (cog) icon at the top-left of the page, then select Add Properties from the drop-down menu.
Click the Add a Property button, located below the existing fields.
Name and configure the new field. Once finished, enter the property value in the new field.
Example
The new property, Wood type, is added. The value is recorded as Cherry wood.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers ‣ (a lot) ‣ Add a Property
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- A lot form with a custom property added below the standard fields: a field named "Wood type" with the value "Cherry wood".
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- The new "Wood type" property field (red frame).
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- Lot "LOT0001"; one text property.
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the properties area.
See also
Reserve lot number for a product¶
To create a lot number for a product, begin by going to , and click New.
Important
Creating a lot number reserves it for a product but does not assign it. To assign lot numbers, refer to the section on assigning lot numbers on receipts.
Tip
While Odoo automatically generates a new Lot/Serial Number to follow the most recent number, it can be edited and changed to any desired number, by clicking the line under the Lot/Serial Number field on the lot form, and changing the generated number.
Once the new Lot/Serial Number is generated, click the blank field next to Product to reveal a drop-down menu. From this menu, select the product to which this new number will be assigned.
Example
The lot number, 000001, is created for the product, Drawer Black.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers ‣ New
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- A new, unsaved lot form with the "Lot/Serial Number" set to "000001" and the "Product" field set to a product.
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- The "Lot/Serial Number" and "Product" fields (red frames).
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- Lot number "000001" for the product "Drawer Black".
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the form header.
After a new lot number has been created, saved, and assigned to the desired product, the lot number is saved as an existing lot number linked to the product, and can be selected when assigning lot numbers to products on a receipt.
Manage lots for different operations types¶
By default, new lots can only be created when receiving products, and existing lot numbers cannot be used. For sales orders, only existing lot numbers can be utilized, and new ones cannot be created on the delivery order.
To change the ability to use new (or existing) lot numbers on any operation type, go to the , and select the desired operation type.
On the operation type form, under the Lots/Serial Numbers section, tick the Create New checkbox to enable new lot numbers to be created during this operation type. Choose Use Existing ones if only existing lot numbers can be selected.
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- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Operations Types ‣ (an operation type)
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- An operation type form, "Lots/Serial Numbers" section, with the "Create New" and "Use Existing ones" checkboxes visible.
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- The "Create New" and "Use Existing ones" checkboxes (red frame).
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- Operation type "YourCompany: Receipts".
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the "Lots/Serial Numbers" section.
Tip
For inter-warehouse transfers involving products tracked by lots, it can be useful to enable the Use Existing Lots/Serial Numbers option for warehouse receipts.
Display lots on delivery slips¶
When selling products tracked with lots, it is possible to include the lot numbers on the delivery slips sent to customers. This can be helpful to customers in cases where lot numbers are needed, such as filing an RMA or repair request, or registering the product.
To include lot numbers on delivery slips, open the app, and navigate to . Scroll down to the Traceability section, tick the Display Lots & Serial Numbers on Delivery Slips checkbox, and click Save.
After enabling the Display Lots & Serial Numbers on Delivery Slips setting, lot numbers are listed on delivery slips for products tracked by lots, once the delivery order is validated.
To view lot numbers on delivery orders and delivery slips, navigate to the app, click on Delivery Orders, and select an order containing a product tracked using lots.
To view the lot numbers of products included in the order, make sure the Operations tab is selected, then click the (adjust) button to the right of the tab. Ensure that the Serial Numbers checkbox is ticked, which causes a Serial Numbers column to appear. The lot number(s) for each product included in the order are displayed in this column.
When the order is ready to be processed, click Validate to confirm the delivery and add product information to the delivery slip.
At the top of the order’s form, click the (Actions) button, and select Print –> Delivery Slip. The delivery slip is then downloaded. Open the delivery slip using the device’s browser or file manager. Lot numbers are listed next to their respective products in the Lot/Serial Number column.
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- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders ‣ (a validated delivery) ‣ Actions ‣ Print ‣ Delivery Slip
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- The order-lines table of a printed delivery slip PDF, where each product line is followed by its lot number in the "Lot/Serial Number" column.
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- The "Lot/Serial Number" column (red frame).
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- One lot-tracked product with two lots on the delivery.
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- English UI, light theme; crop of the PDF page to the order-lines table. Requires "Display Lots & Serial Numbers on Delivery Slips" to be enabled.
Print lot labels¶
Labels carrying the lot number and its barcode can be printed straight from a transfer. On a receipt, a delivery order or an internal transfer, click the (Actions) button and select , then choose Lot/SN Labels in the pop-up window that appears.
The label wizard then offers:
Quantity to print: One per lot/SN prints a single label for each lot on the transfer, while One per unit prints one label per unit received or delivered.
Note
If the unit of measure of a lot is not in the Units category, the lot is treated as a single unit and only one label is printed for it.
Format: 4 x 12 produces a PDF sheet of labels, ZPL Labels produces output for a Zebra label printer.
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- Inventory ‣ Receipts ‣ (a validated receipt) ‣ Actions ‣ Print ‣ Labels
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- The lot label wizard with "Quantity to print" set to "One per lot/SN" and the "Format" field showing the "4 x 12" and "ZPL Labels" choices.
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- The "Quantity to print" and "Format" fields (red frame).
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- A receipt with two lots of a lot-tracked product.
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the pop-up.
See also
Traceability¶
Manufacturers and companies can refer to traceability reports to see the entire lifecycle of a product: where it came from, when it arrived, where it was stored, who it went to (and when).
To see the full traceability of a product, or group by lots, go to the . Doing so reveals the dashboard.
From here, products with lot numbers assigned to them will be listed by default, and can be expanded to show the lot numbers those products have assigned to them.
To group by lots, begin by removing any filters in the Search… bar. Then, click the (caret down) icon to open a drop-down menu of Filters, Group By options, and Favorites. Under the Group By section, click the Add Custom Group option, and select Lot/Serial Number from the drop-down menu.
Doing so reorganizes all the records on the page to display all existing lots and serial numbers, and can be expanded to show all quantities of products with that assigned number.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers
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- The Lots/Serial Numbers list with the default filters removed and a custom group by "Lot/Serial Number" applied, so every existing lot and serial number is listed as its own group.
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- The applied "Lot/Serial Number" group in the search bar (red frame).
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- Several lot- and serial-tracked products.
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, show the search bar and the grouped list.
Traceability report¶
To view a full stock moves report for a lot number, select the lot number line from the Lots/Serial Number dashboard. On the lot number form, click the Traceability smart button.
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- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Lots/Serial Numbers ‣ (a lot) ‣ Traceability
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- The traceability report of one lot: the list of stock moves that used the lot, with date, reference, source and destination location and quantity.
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- None.
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- Lot "LOT0001" with a receipt and a delivery move.
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- stock
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, full list view.
See also