Crates of apples, fresh-caught tuna, tubs of tofu, and many other raw materials for the food industry typically differ in weight. Companies run into tracking and measuring challenges when they transform these bulk items into standardized, canned and packaged products. When they order materials, they typically specify the number of items, not the weight. For a rough accounting, they may use an average weight, but that is really not very precise. And, the larger the business volume is, the more consequential those inaccuracies can become. To ensure food safety, control their finances and inventory, and meet regulatory requirements, companies need to track materials and products without interruption, from the bulk stage to customer delivery. Many organizations therefore use a dual tracking system that can maintain the weight and other details related to the raw materials as well as those of the eventual products. The actual weight of the source material is referred to as catch weight. Because the catch weight can vary and is generally different from the average weight of a bulk unit, it’s crucial to record and track catch weights accurately, or costing, inventory management, and customer invoicing can be way off. Catch weight management is a complex effort. Several activities and processes need to facilitate catch weight management, including purchasing, receiving, estimating, production planning, pricing, invoicing, and shipping. In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012, administrators can set up catch weight items . With To-Increase Data Collection Studio , catch weight management capabilities become available on PDAs, vehicle-mounted terminals, and other mobile devices warehouse workers use. In Data Collection Studio, you can use the catch weight feature to capture item weights, and assign serial and batch numbers to items to make it possible to track them. Because Data Collection Studio integrates with Microsoft Dynamics AX, your batch and serial numbers are always available in the ERP system. In an uninterrupted, auditable chain of information, you can fully account for items and materials as soon as they reach your warehouse, through the production process, and the conversion into standardized products. You can also set up rules for catch weight items. For example, if you require that a certain kind of meat has to weigh between 8 and 10 kilograms upon receipt, Data Collection Studio can flag any exceptions that fall outside of that range. Data Collection Studio includes a standard integration with Seagull Scientific BarTender© software, which supports GS1-128/EAN 128 application identifier printing. As a result of the solution’s support for the GS1-128 barcode application standard (which I discussed in a previous blog post ), you can use a single barcode to include batch and serial numbers, expiration dates, and other details, thereby making catch weight management even more versatile and transparent. Many large To-Increase customers, some with hundreds of Data Collection Studio users, rely on the solution to help them address their challenges in streamlining catch weight management and tracking all of the related information. Catch weight and data management help companies control and direct their production, finance, and business planning, but they make it easier to ensure that food products are safe to consume. Many of us are not always aware of the complex supply chain operations that impact what we eat. But, next time you open a can of tuna or a jar of pineapple sauce, you might remember the complex conversions and extensive tracking at play in catch weight and item management. It’s not at all improbable that Data Collection Studio helped simplify these tasks and bring a safe, fresh product into your kitchen, sooner and more efficiently. With any feedback or questions, please get in touch by contacting To-Increase , sending email to rkhurana [at] to-increase.com, or reaching me on LinkedIn .![]()
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