Reuse a Serial Number

Hi,

I moved this to the Products section since I think there is no asset management angle here.

Hope it makes sense.

Thanks!
 

@hmccabe Could you elaborate a bit on why you would like to use this serial number for a new product? 

We have base component parts with the serial number hard coded into the physical product. So when we receive a finished good that contains that base component, we want to assign the same serial number to the finished good.  That way any labels or other items that refer to the finished good serial number, match what is on the base component part so it is recognizable.

For example, when a field services tech goes to a customer site to work on equipment, the serial numbers referenced on the work orders match what they see on the component part. If the serial numbers don’t match, they won’t be able to associate the serial number on the work order with the physical unit.

If the unit is later returned and disassembled, the base component part would be returned to inventory for reuse. The next finished good it would be contained in should then be given the same serial number as the component part for reasons previously mentioned.

@hmccabe It seems like there is a real business scenario when the serial no is embedded into the part and the part is reused. However assigning the same serial no to another manufactured part violates the very basic concept of having serial tracked in place. Therefore it is not possible in IFS Cloud.

IMO the solution needs to be re-engineered using disassemble/ repair shop orders.

What is the solution you are using for the following currently?

“If the unit is later returned and disassembled, the base component part would be returned to inventory for reuse.”

Sounds similar to a remanufacturing process where you bring a product back, disassemble it to re-use the components to build another product. In the remanufacturing scenario however you would assign a new part number to the product built out of the re-used components. Than you could assign it the same serial number as the original new product had. Would that be an option?

@Björn Hultgren that is a possible solution. we will try it. thank you!

@Björn Hultgren Thanks for the suggestion. I thought in Remanufacturing the component parts are reused to manufacture a new product. In this scenario, since the requirement is to use the same parent part serial, a new part should not be created. Is that possible in remanufacturing process? 

Reference to remanufacturing can be fount at https://docs.ifs.com/ifsclouddocs/23r2/default.htm?openpage=https://docs.ifs.com/ifsclouddocs/23r2/Manufacturing/AboutRemanufacturingShopOrder.htm

@Buddhika Kurera  I wouldn't say that you in remanufacturing reuses the components to manufacture a new product. Instead you use the reused components from disassembled products to build remanufactured products. The original product (often referred to as the Core part) ceases to exist when it has been disassembled. 

The original (new) product and the remanufactured product would have different part numbers since they are sold as different products, they have different cost and are planned differently. Typically a suffix on the part number is used. A new product typically contains only new components while a remanufactured product may contain a mix of new as reused components.

If you want the product to maintain the same part number and serial number I think it is not remanufacturing but rather refurbishment. I would suggest using a repair shop order for this purpose.

I’ve read through this thread and have a question. We are using repair shop orders with serialized items.  The serialized item, Item A serial 123, is created on the shop order.

Item A - serial 123 is issued to the shop order.

Once the rework is done, Item A serial 123 cannot be received into inventory. We receive Serial 123. (note the dot). If it goes to a second rework the new serial number is 123.. (two dots). 

If the user forces the same serial number in as the finished good. Serial 123 (no dots). and the user attempts to issue it to another shop order, an error occurs saying the serial number is reserved for the previous repair shop order.  

Why doesn’t it release the original serialized item from the repair shop order? 

thank you