Why Serialized Unit Tracking Matters for Modern Inventory Teams

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Inventory is typically one of the largest assets that your business owns. If you keep a large amount of inventory it is important to have an appropriate strategy to keep track of it. This becomes more complex when your business sells new and/or used units, has units for internal use, and services customer-owned units. Implementing an inventory management system that is capable of serial number tracking is a good way to maintain control, offer organization and keep customer unit information accessible for your staff.

Once an inventory system like Windward System Five on Cloud is in play, your team can track units throughout your fulfillment or work order process, allowing them to deliver a seamless experience for your customers.

What Are Serialized Units?

Items such as appliances, electronics, automobiles and jewelry often bear a serial number as an individual identifier.

Serialized units are unique inventory items that have an additional layer of tracking other than the manufacturers model or part number. This might be a serial number that the manufacturer assigned to an appliance, or a VIN number on a piece of equipment or a vehicle.

Not every type of product will need to be identified with this level of detail and may only have a model or part number.

In addition to reading the serial number assigned by the manufacturer, Windward System Five on Cloud also facilitates barcode creation for items that the manufacturer didn't serialize. This is particularly useful for Rental Businesses where depreciation of units is common.

serial number being scanned from a label

Barcoding in your business helps to eliminate errors when identifying products during the ordering and receiving process.

How System Five on Cloud Supports Serialized Inventory Tracking

Windward System Five on Cloud enhances serialized inventory by supporting both:

Manufacturer‑assigned serial numbers, and
Windward‑generated barcodes for items that aren’t serialized by the manufacturer

This is especially valuable for rental businesses, where asset-level tracking and depreciation are critical.

Benefits of barcode adoption:

Reduces picking and receiving errors
Simplifies fulfillment
Enables faster and more accurate audits
Enhances warehouse efficiency

Why Serial Numbers Improve Inventory Efficiency

The ability to control your inventory workflow effectively results in less excess stock sitting around. When you use an inventory management system with serial number tracking, inventory turnover rates and other data can be leveraged in becoming more efficient. Let's face it, excessive stock levels cause warehouse inefficiency.

reading-barcode

With serialized tracking, teams can:

reduce the potential for product damage
makes it easier to prevent spoilage
can help minimize obsolescence

Support Recalls and Prevent Faulty Repairs

If one of your suppliers identifies a problem with a product and issues a recall, you will be able to quickly find the affected serial numbers and kick off your RMA process to exchange them for working units.

The likelihood of selling or using a known faulty product in a repair is significantly reduced if serial number tracking in place.

And finally, the inability to control your inventory effectively resulting in excess stock sitting around can cause warehouse inefficiency, potential for product damage/spoilage, and potential for obsolescence can be costly to the company.

Improve Customer Service With Complete Unit History

thumbs-up-wrench-up Unit records are automatically listed on the sale of new or used items that then appear in a customer’s record. You are able to view the service history of their unit as well as track other aspects of its history such as the item’s warranty status. Create unique records for customer owned equipment that you service, but did not sell. Windward System Five on Cloud also allows you to transfer a unit from one owner to another, retaining the service history of the unit without effecting the invoicing.

Capitalize & Depreciate Units With Accounting Built In

Accounting functions often get overlooked when researching inventory management systems. Windward System Five on Cloud truly helps to run your business instead of just reporting on it, so you'll find accounting functions that work alongside each feature. This is especially true when it comes to Capitalization and Depreciation of Units. Costs can be added to a serialized unit to track your total investment prior to sale. For those assets that get used in the business, and for rental units, there are a number of depreciation methods to choose from.