Batch Traceability and Quality Management

Track quality and traceability from raw materials to finished goods — supporting compliance, reducing risk, and helping you deliver consistent, high-quality products.

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Inventory and Batch Management

Abel’s Quality functionality integrates seamlessly with inventory and batch management to help manufacturers maintain consistency, meet compliance standards, and deliver products with confidence. From incoming materials to final output, Abel provides the tools to manage testing, record results, and track quality across your entire operation. Whether you’re handling food products, pharmaceuticals, or precision-engineered goods, Abel supports traceability, reduces risk, and helps you meet both customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

Inventory Features

Quality Tolerances Set specific tolerances on inventory items, for example, weight must be within 5g, to support your quality control processes.
Special Handling & Storage Settings Configure inventory items with handling and storage requirements, such as temperature controls or allergen protocols, to meet site-specific standards.
Use-by Date Management Define use-by date in days, months, or years to automatically calculate use-by dates for manufactured goods.
Controlled Use-by Date Adjustments Use structured processes to update use-by dates when corrections are needed or when quality tests allow for extensions.
Inventory Regrading For products like honey, Abel supports regrading workflows, consuming the original inventory and producing new inventory based on test results (e.g. for honey, UMF or MGO levels).
Batch History & Traceability View detailed batch history across multiple screens, including records of testing, regrading, and other quality-related changes.

Flexible Batch Management

Batch Recording Record batches against inventory as items are receipted into Abel, whether from external suppliers, internal transfers, or manufacturing processes.
Batch Generation OptionsUse automatic batch generation with configurable numbering schemas or create batches manually, depending on your operational needs.
Supplier Batch Tracking Record supplier batch numbers as a secondary identifier for inwards deliveries, alongside Abel’s batch number, to support full traceability and compliance.
Compliance Support Apply batch numbering rules to meet New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) standards where required.

Inventory Tracking Methods

Abel supports three distinct inventory tracking methods to suit different operational needs:

Batch Tracked Batches can represent any quantity, and the same batch number can be used multiple times. For example, a supplier may deliver the same batch of inventory across multiple shipments, with each delivery adding to the quantity of the batch already on hand.
Serial Tracked Each item is tracked individually with a unique serial number. Serial numbers are assigned upon receipt and cannot be reused for subsequent deliveries.
Unique Tracked Items are assigned a unique identifier upon receipt, which can apply to any quantity. Like serial tracking, these unique numbers cannot be reused across deliveries, ensuring precise traceability.

Batch and Unique Costing Methods

Abel offers optional batch and Unique batch costing methods for inventory items where costs vary by batch. While inventory is held and valued at average cost (calculated as the total cost of all batches divided by the total quantity on hand), individual batches are consumed at their actual batch cost. This provides more accurate cost tracking and reporting for batch-sensitive products.

Costing Methods Choose between batch costing and unique batch costing for inventory items where costs vary by batch.
Average Cost Valuation Inventory is held and valued at average cost, calculated as the total cost of all batches divided by the total quantity on hand.
Actual Batch Cost Consumption When inventory is consumed, Abel applies the actual cost of the specific batch used, improving accuracy in cost tracking and reporting.
Support for Batch-Sensitive Products Ideal for industries where batch-level cost differences matter, such as food production, pharmaceuticals, or specialty goods.

Quality Control and Release Processes

Abel supports configurable quality workflows for both incoming and manufactured goods, giving you control over quality checks and compliance before stock is released into main inventory for use or sale.

Core Features

Flexible Quality Workflows Apply quality processes to inwards goods, manufactured goods, or both, depending on your operational needs.
Quarantine Locations Goods pass through a designated quality or quarantine stock location where required checks are completed before release.
Controlled Stock ReleaseOnly goods that meet your quality standards are moved into the warehouse, ensuring that non-compliant items are held back for review or rework.

Bills of Materials

Abel’s Bills of Materials support quality processes by embedding quality steps into your BOMs to ensure that standards are followed consistently. Abel’s BOMs provide for version control, wastage and other quality management features. Ingredient families define allowable substitutes. Abel’s BOMs also include operations, consumption steps and work instructions. They also support weighing and dispensing procedures that identify major and minor ingredients.

Quality Features for BOMS

Embedded Quality Checks Add quality instructions to BOM lines, such as check temperature or mix for 30 minutes, to guide workers through critical steps.
Visual References Attach images to BOM steps to show workers what goods or semi-finished products should look like at each stage.
Quality Documentation Attach quality procedures and checklists for workers to complete during manufacturing, helping you maintain records and ensure compliance.
Topup Ingredients Identify a designated ingredient that allows workers to top up mixtures to the required weight. Commonly used in food manufacturing, this setting helps ensure accurate batch quantities while maintaining your quality standards.
Ingredient Families Define families of ingredients to guide workers in selecting allowable substitutes when a primary ingredient is unavailable. Commonly used in food manufacturing to preserve recipe integrity, support flexibility, and maintain processing efficiency.

Bills of Materials Versioning

Abel’s Bill of Materials (BOM) Versioning features give you the flexibility to manage product changes while maintaining control and visibility. Whether you need simple version tracking or a formal approval process, Abel supports a range of versioning options to suit your business.

Core Features

Check-Out / Check-in ProcessMake a copy of a Bill of Material (BOM) for maintenance while keeping the original in use. The revised BOM only replaces the original once it’s checked back in.
Effective-Dated Versions Create multiple BOM versions with effective dates to control when changes take effect in production.
Document Versioning Attach and manage versions of related documents, such as CAD drawings, alongside your BOMs.
Authorization Controls Implement an approval process for BOM changes, with authorization restricted to designated users.
Mandatory or Optional Versioning Choose whether BOM versioning is required. When mandatory, each version has a unique code and the original BOM is locked to prevent changes.
Visual Change Tracking Use the BOM Changes screen to compare versions. Color-coded highlights make it easy to see additions, deletions, and modifications.

Country of Eligibility

Abel’s Country of Eligibility feature helps exporters meet the regulated quality standards of international markets. Whether you’re shipping pharmaceuticals, nutritional products, dairy, honey, or meat, Abel gives you the tools to manage batch eligibility with precision.

Core Features

Configurable Export RegionsDefine the countries or groups of countries (such as the EU) that are relevant to your export operations.
Batch Classification Classify each batch based on its suitability for different export destinations, ensuring compliance with varying international standards.
Visual Batch Selection Use color coding to easily identify and select batches that meet the requirements of specific countries during stock issuing.
Standards Matching Issue batches that meet, but do not exceed, the standards for a given country, helping you optimize product allocation.

Testing

Abel supports quality testing for batches of finished or semi-finished goods, helping manufacturers maintain standards and manage outcomes based on test results.

Core Features

Lab Testing Workflows For batch or serial-tracked products, quality processes can include lab testing and workflows to hold goods in quarantine while awaiting results.
Handling Quality Issues If a product fails testing and cannot be rectified, it can be discarded, reworked, or written off. Abel supports initiating a new process to re-make the product.
Regrading Based on Test Results Products can be regraded according to test outcomes, ensuring accurate classification and compliance.

Test Result File Import

Lab File Import Import test result files directly into Abel from your testing labs. Abel has developed file imports for a number of laboratories.
Batch-Level Test Results Test results are stored against product batches in the Abel database for full traceability.
Accessible Results View imported test results in Abel’s Batch Register screen for easy reference and audit support.

Product Recall

Abel provides powerful traceability tools to support fast, accurate product recalls, whether you’re tracking raw materials, finished goods, or anything in between. With full visibility across all inventory movements, you can respond quickly to quality issues and meet compliance requirements with confidence.

Core Features

Batch History Screen Perform traceability analysis and manage product recalls using Abel’s comprehensive batch history view.
Tracking Across Batch, Unique, and Serial Numbers Assign batches upon receipt, whether from suppliers, internal transfers, or manufacturing, and every movement is linked and traceable.
Top-Down and Bottom-Up Traceability Investigate issues from any point in the supply chain, whether starting with a raw material (forwards) or a finished product (backwards).
Mock Recalls Carry out periodic mock recalls to help you meet audit and compliance requirements, ensuring your team is prepared and your systems are ready.

MPI Compliance (New Zealand)

For New Zealand manufacturers of animal products, Abel supports compliance with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) traceability requirements. Whether you’re moving stock between locations, manufacturing goods or exporting, Abel helps ensure your processes meet MPI standards.

Core Features

Inventory Identification Flag inventory items that require MPI-compliant traceability.
Jurisdiction Settings Assign MPI jurisdiction codes to each branch, or warehouse, and link related documents to those jurisdictions.
Batch Control Across Jurisdictions Prevent the same batch number/ ED number from being used in multiple MPI jurisdictions at the same time.
Internal Dispatch Documentation Use internal documents to manage dispatches and deliveries, capturing required data for MPI-tracked inventory.
Stock Receipt Compliance Enforce MPI jurisdiction rules during stock receipt while preserving the original supplier batch information.
Eligibility Document Generation Automatically generate the MPI Animal Products Eligibility Document to support export requirements.

Weighing

Abel supports weighing and dispensing processes with flexible workflows for both connected USB scales and manual entry, helping you maintain accuracy and traceability in your production environment.

Core Features

Group Ingredients for Efficiency Combine like ingredients from the BOMs of multiple manufacturing jobs to weigh portions from a single opened bag, saving time and reducing waste.
Weighing with TouchscreensReceive weights from a connected USB scale or enter them manually using Abel’s weighing screen, then generate barcoded inventory labels for scanning and traceability.
Enforce Tolerances Ensure consistency and quality by only producing labels when the weight falls within a defined percentage tolerance of the required amount.