Product Setup / Configuration

SKU (required, read-only)

Unique internal identifier auto-generated by P4 Warehouse when the product is created. Cannot be edited. Every warehouse transaction references this value:

• Inbound receipts and putaway
• Inventory movements and adjustments
• Order picking and shipments
• Reports, API integrations, and RF terminal lookups

UPC

Universal Product Code. Defaults to the SKU value but should be overridden with the product's actual retail barcode when one exists. Supported formats:

• UPC-A (12 digits) — standard North American retail
• EAN-13 (13 digits) — international retail standard

Used by handheld scanners to pull up the product record, by label printing templates, and by EDI integrations with suppliers and Clients. If a product has multiple barcodes (retail unit vs. master carton), use the one most commonly scanned at your receiving dock.

Barcode / Symbology

The barcode value encoded on warehouse-printed labels. The dropdown selects the symbology — the encoding standard that determines how bars represent the data. Available options:

• Code128 — default. Handles alphanumeric values of any length. Best choice for general warehouse use
• Code39 — older standard sometimes required by specific Clients or government agencies
• EAN-13 — international retail standard for consumer units
• QR — stores larger amounts of data, readable by mobile devices

Confirm symbology compatibility with your RF guns and label printers before changing this setting.

Category

Assigns the product to a user-defined classification. Pre-configured by your administrator under Master > Categories. Used for:

• Filtering Inventory Reports and snapshots by product type
• Grouping products in four-wall Reports
• Driving storage-zone assignment rules in some tenant configurations

A product can belong to only one category. Consistent categorization across all products is important for accurate reporting. Examples: FROZEN, CHILLED, DRY GOODS, BEVERAGES, HAZMAT, ELECTRONICS.

Substitute Group

Links this product to a group of interchangeable items for order fulfillment. Two or more products that share the same Substitute Group code become mutually substitutable — when one product is unavailable or its Inventory is exhausted, P4 Warehouse can fulfill the demand using another member of the same group. Substitution is bidirectional between all members of the group.

How to configure:

• Enter the same free-text group code on every product that should be interchangeable
• No separate setup screen is required — the link is created the moment two products share the same value
• A group can contain more than two products
• Leave blank if no substitution policy applies to this product

Example — Turkey product family

Assign the code TURKEY-GROUP to all of the following:

• Turkey, whole bird (sold by unit)
• Turkey, portioned (sold by kilogram)
• Turkey, ground (sold by kilogram)

If an order requests whole birds and none are in stock, the system can substitute with portioned or ground turkey. The operator is presented with the available substitutes and confirms the exchange. Any member of the group can replace any other member — there is no fixed direction.

Other common uses:

• Swap a branded product for its private-label equivalent when the branded item is out of stock
• Exchange a full pallet unit for the equivalent quantity in loose cases
• Link seasonal product variants that share the same end use

Description (required)

The full product name displayed throughout the system. Appears on:

• RF terminal screens during receiving and picking
• Printed pick lists and packing slips
• Bills of lading and shipping documents
• Client-facing Reports and invoices

Should be descriptive enough that a warehouse operator can identify the product without seeing it. Follow a consistent naming convention aligned with how your suppliers or Clients refer to the item. Avoid internal abbreviations that new staff would not recognize.

Lot Controlled

When enabled, every Inventory transaction must be associated with a Lot number. Lots group units produced, harvested, or received together as a single batch. Enables:

• Full batch traceability from receipt to shipment
• Targeted recalls — identify exactly which orders received product from an affected lot
• Supplier batch performance tracking over time
• Compliance with food safety, pharmaceutical, and chemical regulations

Required for any product where batch traceability is mandated or commercially expected.

Lot Pattern

Optional validation mask that enforces a specific format for lot numbers entered at receiving. If defined, the system rejects any lot number that does not match the pattern.

• Prevents data entry errors at the RF terminal
• Ensures consistency across all historical records
• Makes Reports and database queries easier to write and interpret
• Example: enforcing YYYY-MM-DD means every lot number is interpretable as a date

If left blank, any free-text value is accepted. Define patterns before onboarding suppliers so that historical data is clean from the start. Changing the pattern after data exists does not retroactively validate or invalidate existing lot numbers.

Serial Controlled

When enabled, every individual unit must be assigned a unique serial number from the moment it enters the warehouse. Unlike lot control which tracks batches, serial control tracks individual items through every transaction, creating a complete unit-level audit trail. Use for:

• Electronics and high-value equipment
• Medical devices and pharmaceutical instruments
• Luxury goods and items subject to warranty tracking
• Any product requiring individual accountability through the supply chain

Allows you to answer: which specific unit shipped on which order to which client. Supports warranty claims, insurance investigations, and unit-level recalls.

Expiry Controlled

When enabled, every Inventory receipt must include an expiration date. P4 Warehouse automatically applies FEFO (First Expiry, First Out) logic during order allocation and picking, ensuring stock closest to expiry is always picked first. Benefits:

• Reduces waste and the risk of shipping expired goods
• Generates expiry alerts when Inventory approaches a configurable warning window
• Ensures compliance with shelf-life regulations for food, pharma, and cosmetics
• Expiry date is recorded at the lot level when used alongside Lot Controlled

Required for food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agricultural inputs, and any product where shelf-life tracking is legally or commercially required.

Inbound Allowance (requires Expiry Controlled)

Minimum number of days of remaining shelf life a product must have at the time of receipt for the system to accept it. If a lot's expiry date falls within this window on the day of receiving, the system blocks the receipt and prompts the operator to reject the shipment or request a supervisor override.

• Example: a value of 90 blocks any lot expiring within 90 days of today's receipt date
• Protects the warehouse from accepting stock that will expire before it can be sold
• The appropriate value should be negotiated in supplier contracts and agreed with the commercial team before configuration

Outbound Allowance (requires Expiry Controlled)

Minimum number of days of remaining shelf life a product must have at the time of shipment for the system to allow it to be allocated and picked. If all available Inventory falls within this window, the system treats the product as unavailable for that order.

• Example: a value of 30 prevents allocation of any lot expiring within 30 days of today's ship date
• Protects Clients from receiving near-expiry goods
• Reduces chargebacks and returns related to short-dated product
• The appropriate value should be agreed with each client and encoded in their order profile or the product master

Decimal Controlled

When enabled, this product can be transacted in fractional quantities such as 1.5 kg or 0.25 liters. Enable for any product received, stored, or shipped by weight or volume rather than whole units. Common use cases:

• Catch-weight items where each unit has a slightly different weight (fresh meat, fish, produce)
• Bulk liquids dispensed in variable amounts
• Any product billed or ordered by weight rather than count

When disabled, the system enforces whole-number quantities at every transaction point, preventing accidental decimal entry that would corrupt Inventory balances.

Packsize Controlled

When enabled, this product is managed using defined pack-size hierarchies. Pack sizes are configured in the product's Packsize tab after the product is saved. Benefits:

• RF terminal workflows present case-pick or unit-pick options depending on the order requirement
• System converts between pack levels automatically
• Supports 3PL billing by case or pallet
• Improves receiving speed by allowing operators to scan at the case level
• Enables accurate cartonization during outbound packing

Example hierarchy: each unit / inner pack of 6 / case of 24 / pallet of 48.

Images

One or more product photographs attached to the product record. Supported formats: JPG and PNG. Images appear in:

• RF terminal picking screens to help operators visually confirm the correct item
• Product lookup screens throughout the application
• Client-facing documents, depending on report template configuration

Use clear, well-lit photographs against a neutral background. Multiple images can be uploaded per product. Particularly valuable in environments with many similar-looking products.

Dimensions

Physical measurements of the product's storable unit: length, width, height, and unit weight. Used by:

• Warehouse slotting systems to recommend appropriate storage locations
• Cartonization logic to determine how many units fit in a shipping carton
• Freight rating engines that calculate volumetric weight for carrier cost estimation
• 3PL billing runs for Clients charged on cubic-meter or weight basis

Enter the dimensions of the unit as it sits on the shelf or pallet, not the individual consumer unit unless that is what is being stored.

Freight Details

Shipping and compliance attributes specific to this product's transport requirements. Fields typically include:

• Hazmat classification — UN number, packing group, and hazard class for regulated dangerous goods
• Temperature requirements — acceptable range for cold chain or frozen products
• Freight class and NMFC code — required for LTL carrier rating in the US market
• Special handling instructions — text that appears on the Bill of Lading

Accurate freight details are required to generate compliant shipping documentation, avoid carrier surcharges for misdeclared freight, and meet import and export regulatory requirements when shipping across borders.

Product Additional Details

Extended custom fields configured by your P4 Warehouse tenant administrator to capture business-specific information not covered by the standard product master. Available fields vary by tenant. Common examples:

• Supplier item code
• Country of origin
• HS tariff code for customs declarations
• Shelf life in days, used to auto-calculate expiry dates at receiving
• Minimum order quantity and reorder point
• ABC classification for Inventory management
• Client-specific product codes for EDI or reporting purposes