InFlow use case
Raw material tracking, from reagent bottles to metal drums
InFlow handles raw material tracking for everything from a 2-liter chemical bottle to a 300-pound metal drum, the materials that feed every line and every lab. Each receipt, put-away and issue is recorded as it happens (who took what, when and from where) and your ERP stays in step with the shelf.
The problem
The material is in the building. Nobody can get to it.
A scientist needs a reagent at 9 p.m., but issuing it takes warehouse staff, a paper form and a signature. A line needs a component that is still on a pallet by the receiving dock, waiting for put-away.
Every manual step is another chance for SAP and the shelf to disagree. In a regulated plant, an incomplete movement record turns into an audit finding.
- Chemistries & reagents
- Bottles, containers and drums, including hazardous materials
- Components & parts
- Components, kanban parts and spare parts
- Bulk & heavy items
- Pallets, cases, large rolls and heavy metal parts
- Regulated materials
- Lot- and batch-controlled materials with FDA traceability requirements
What changes
What raw material tracking changes in the storeroom
- Every incoming item enrolled at receiving and matched against the ASN: paper or PET labels printed and encoded for non-metal items, hard RFID tags for metal parts
- Self-service issuing around the clock. Authorized users take what they need, and each movement (who, what, when, how much) reaches SAP automatically
- Lot and batch traceability for recall readiness, with alerts when the trace has a gap
- Arrival notifications, shelf-life reminders and automatic decommissioning when materials move to an “out of use” area
At Cepheid, scientists and chemists got 24/7 access to raw materials without waiting for warehouse staff, every movement stayed in sync with SAP, and productivity savings rose by more than 1,000% in less than a year.
How it works
Capture, understand, act.
- CaptureRFID labels or hard tags encoded to EPC standards on receipt, location markers on shelves, and handhelds, storeroom readers and portals.
- UnderstandTrapeze ties each movement to the item, lot, user and location, and checks it against ASNs, pick orders and rules.
- ActIssues, picks and audits run on Visium Mobile and Visium Station kiosks. EAI-Bridge posts receipts and goods issues to SAP or your ERP.
Material by material
Three setups we deploy most.
Chemical inventory and reagents
Bottles, containers and drums get printed RFID labels at receiving. Storeroom readers record every issue, shelf-life reminders go out before a lot expires, and hazardous materials keep a full movement history for EHS and auditors.
RFID parts tracking for components and heavy parts
Hard RFID tags go on metal parts, encoded semi-automatically at a fixed reader or automatically by Trapeze. Kanban parts, spare parts, large rolls and heavy items are counted continuously, and Bluetooth LE or UWB tags locate the expensive ones on the floor.
After-hours self-service issuing
A storeroom that runs without staff: authorized users badge in, take what they need, and readers post the goods issue to SAP. This is the Grab-N-Go setup Cepheid runs in its R&D labs.
Workflows this use case improves
Part of the InFlow material lifecycle.
Production & material planning
Re-order triggers and replenishment based on real consumption.
Workflow details
WIP visibility & milk-runs
Materials picked for production and delivered to the right workbench.
Workflow details
Alerts & reports
Exceptions surface themselves.
- Dock to stock time
- Search time for inventory
- Inventory aging & stock status
- ASN mismatch
- Shelf-life reminder
- Traceability gap
Technology fit
The right tag for each material.
- UHF RFIDPaper or PET labels on non-metal containers, hard tags on metal parts, and bulk reads at storeroom doors and portals.
- Barcode & NFCLow-cost identity and deliberate scans at the point of issue.
- Bluetooth LE & UWBReal-time location for high-value materials and heavy parts moving across the floor.
Proof
Raw materials, available around the clock.
Cepheid
The molecular diagnostics company replaced pen-and-paper raw materials tracking in 18 R&D labs with InFlow’s RFID Grab-N-Go system, fully integrated with SAP in under 12 months. Scientists and chemists now take the materials they need at any hour.
In less than a year, our productivity savings skyrocketed — by over 1,000%!
Tom Healy, Director, Logistics Technology and Projects, Cepheid
1,000%+productivity gain across 18 R&D labs
28,000manual touchpoints eliminated annually
10,000material transfer forms eliminated each year
2,300labor hours saved in 9 months
By vertical
Where parts and materials tracking matters most.
Manufacturing & Logistics
Components, kanban parts, heavy parts and chemicals feeding the line.
Manufacturing & Logistics
Life Sciences & Healthcare
Reagents and raw materials with chain of custody and lot recall readiness.
Life Sciences & Healthcare
Questions buyers ask
Raw material tracking FAQ
Do RFID tags work on metal parts and drums?
Yes. Non-metal items use printed paper or PET RFID labels and metal items use hard RFID tags. Tags can be encoded semi-automatically at a fixed reader or automatically by Trapeze, which enrolls each item as it is encoded.
How does it stay in sync with SAP?
Each physical movement becomes an event that EAI-Bridge publishes to SAP, Oracle or your WMS and MES in real time. The record follows the warehouse instead of waiting for someone to key it in.
Can we start with one storeroom or lab?
Yes. Most projects start with one pain point: after-hours access, a congested receiving dock or a traceability requirement. Trapeze runs on a single server for a pilot and scales to high-availability clusters for an enterprise rollout.
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Part of InFlow
One material tracking application for every material in motion.
Parts and raw materials is one of four InFlow use cases, alongside goods and consumables, shipments and milk runs, and jobs and travelers. All four run on the same InThing platform.
- Related use cases
- Goods & consumables · Jobs & travelers
- Platform
- Trapeze · Visium · EAI-Bridge
Find your material blind spots
Bring your hardest material flow.
Reagents, components or heavy parts: we’ll map where materials wait today and which technology mix takes the wait out.