Distributors and fabricators of hose and tube assemblies have unique needs when it comes to tracking inventory. Most inventory control systems show the total amount of hose or tubing lengths but have no way to track the various lengths or shorts. This creates a situation where customer service reps have to physically check the warehouse to see what lengths are in stock.

But what if you had a tool that could help your CSR's generate complete hose assemblies in seconds? And what if that same tool automatically calculated cut-off lengths, material costs and labor amounts, and allowed you to automatically generate serial numbers and labels?

Below, we outlined how TrulinX’s lot control and inventory management features work together to take these time-consuming scenarios and make them as easy as a click of a button.

What is Lot Control?

Lot control is an inventory expiration date management module that works in conjunction with an inventory management system. It gives you the power to track inventory in your warehouse and group items based on expiration date, batch, and/or date of entry or exit from the warehouse.

For distributors of hose and tube assemblies, though, your lot control system needs to do more than simply track your inventory’s expiration dates. With TrulinX lot control, you can manage the serial numbers of your inventory and account for the units of measure you apply to the inventory in your warehouse. This means you can purchase one unit (hose reels) and sell in another, e.g. feet, inches or meters, while managing all the various cut lengths.

How Does TrulinX Lot Control Inventory Management Work?

Lots should be assigned at the time inventory is received, when everything is there right in front of you, such as the various lengths on the reel of hose or tubing. This ensures your customer service has real-time information upon receipt of the goods. When inventory is uploaded into TrulinX, there will be an option to add an expiration date, serial number, and units of measure. TrulinX will store all that inventory information, and you can set your inventory rotations using different lot assignment methods like First In First Out (FIFO), Last In First Out, or First Expiring First Out.

When quoting or entering an order a hose fabrication Bill of Materials (BOM), you’ll need immediate visibility into the various lots while you’re on the phone or at the counter with a customer. TrulinX’s Lot Control Inquiry screen gives you the information you need to know the available lengths and where they are located within your warehouse.

Furthermore, TrulinX allows you to choose between Cut-off Length and Overall assembly length. These two different "length-based" components will affect how the assembly is priced, depending on the pricing method used. This is important to help distributors reduce waste and ensure order accuracy. TrulinX also allows users to create templates for popular hose assemblies by series and use the manufacturer’s cut-off length per end fitting to quickly and accurately calculate hose lengths.

At the time of shipment, TrulinX will then confirm which reel and/or lot you removed the hose from to keep it accurate and let you designate any scrap to a separate lot to ensure that nothing goes to waste.

In case a replacement is needed later down the road, TrulinX will allow you to generate serial numbered labels for hose assemblies so that the barcode can be scanned to find the original specifications easily.

Benefits of TrulinX Lot Control for Inventory Management

TrulinX’s Lot Tracking system gives you the power and flexibility to comply with vendor and regulatory requirements while providing you with the tools to offer better service for your customers, vendors and your operational staff. Our hose management lot control system will enable you to keep inventory current and your customers satisfied with full tracking and inventory history. Additional benefits include:

• Gain tighter control of inventory costs and keep scrap to a minimum by calculating Cut-off Length and Overall assembly lengths and designating any scrap to a separate lot.
• Streamline warehouse operations with the ability to quickly pinpoint the bin where the lot is located, as well as the location of that bin.
• Contain and mitigate recall damage with complete traceability into the activity of each lot.

Choose TrulinX for Lot Control and Inventory Management

Tribute has been servicing the hose and accessories industry for over 34 years and focuses on your business like no other distribution software company can. We design our features in TrulinX specifically around your business processes. We help you identify and get tighter control of inventory cost and partner with major hose manufacturers to streamline your supply chain. To learn more about Tribute's industry expertise and how TrulinX software can benefit your hose distribution business, request a demo today.