Inventory Management

Seal Inventory Management is a container-level inventory tracking and control system designed for life sciences organizations operating under GMP and GxP requirements. Rather than tracking material counts by SKU, Seal tracks individual physical containers — recording lot number, location, remaining quantity, expiry date, usage history, and status — so that what the system shows reflects what is actually on the shelf. It is intended for labs and manufacturing operations where spreadsheet-based or ERP-based inventory tracking creates gaps between recorded and actual stock, leading to stockouts, expired-material deviations, and audit findings.

The platform is part of a broader suite that includes an Electronic Lab Notebook, QC LIMS, and Manufacturing Execution System. Inventory data is shared across these modules, so material consumption recorded during a lab experiment or a manufacturing batch step is captured once at the point of use, with lot numbers linked to records and quantities deducted automatically.

Container-Level Tracking

• Each container is tracked individually with its own record: lot number, volume or quantity, physical location within a storage hierarchy (e.g., Lab → Freezer → Shelf → Position), receipt date, expiry date, remaining quantity, and last-use details including user and batch reference.
• When material is needed, operators see a list of actual available containers — not an aggregate count — with full location and status information.
• Partial consumption is supported: the system records the amount used and updates the remaining quantity on the container record.
• Full container history is accessible: when it arrived, who handled it, where it has been stored, and what experiments or batches consumed from it.

Status Enforcement

• Container statuses include Released, Quarantined, Expired, and Received - Pending QC, among others. Status controls are architectural: a quarantined container cannot be selected for any operation, and an expired container does not appear in pick lists.
• There is no override checkbox or "continue anyway" option. If a container fails a status check, the system blocks the operator with an explanation.
• Released status can be scoped — for example, released for R&D only versus released for GMP batches — and the system enforces the distinction at the point of use.
• Expiry enforcement is automatic: at midnight on the expiry date, the container status changes to Expired and the container becomes unavailable for selection. Using expired material requires a formal deviation with appropriate approvals.
• Changing a lot or container to Quarantine immediately blocks all containers with that lot from use across the system.

Scan-to-Use Workflow

• Operators scan a container barcode when using material in a lab experiment or manufacturing batch step.
• At the point of scan, the system verifies: correct material, released status, within expiry, and storage unit within acceptable temperature range.
• If all checks pass, the operator proceeds; quantity is deducted automatically and the lot number is recorded in the associated experiment or batch record.
• If any check fails, the system blocks the operation and displays the reason.
• Labels with barcodes, material name, lot number, expiry, and storage conditions can be printed during receiving or at any time.

Expiry and Stock Visibility

• Alerts are generated before a container reaches its expiry date, and automatic blocking occurs on the expiry date itself.
• First-Expired, First-Out (FEFO) enforcement is supported.
• Real-time stock levels account for pending consumption — when multiple batches are scheduled, the system shows projected remaining quantities.
• Minimum and maximum stock alerts are configurable to flag when levels fall outside defined thresholds.

Recall Impact Tracing

• When a supplier issues a recall or a quality hold is needed, querying a lot number returns every container of that lot: current location, status, and every batch or experiment that consumed from it.
• This covers containers still in storage, containers in quarantine, containers already consumed, and products that have shipped.
• The query returns results in seconds rather than requiring manual record searches across systems.

Storage Monitoring Integration

• Storage units such as freezers and refrigerators are linked to environmental monitoring.
• When a storage unit goes out of temperature range, the system identifies every container inside and can automatically quarantine affected materials.
• The system also shows which batches or experiments have already used containers from that storage unit, enabling rapid impact assessment.

Cycle Counting

• Count lists can be generated by location, material class, or random sample.
• Operators record actual physical counts; the system flags discrepancies between recorded and actual quantities.
• Adjustments are made with reason codes and require approvals. The full count and adjustment history is retained in the audit trail.

AI-Assisted Material Setup

• Supplier documentation — datasheets, specifications, Certificates of Analysis — can be uploaded to the system.
• AI extracts material properties, storage conditions, handling requirements, lot numbers, expiry dates, and test results into a structured changeset for human review.
• Reviewers can edit extracted data and approve or reject individual fields before anything is written to the system.
• Nothing enters the system without human verification, which the platform notes is relevant for GxP compliance.
• Receiving a shipment becomes a verification step rather than manual data entry: drop the CoA, review the AI extraction, approve.

Receiving Workflow

• Receiving creates container records with lot numbers, quantities, expiry dates, and storage locations.
• Initial status is set to Received - Pending QC. The material cannot be used in GMP operations until someone with appropriate permissions changes the status to Released following testing.
• Labels can be printed automatically at the point of receiving.

Implementation Approach

• Seal recommends starting with one material class — critical raw materials or high-cost reagents — rather than attempting a full inventory migration at once.
• Existing inventory remains in place and is consumed out of the old system; new receipts enter Seal as they arrive.
• AI-assisted material setup from supplier documentation is intended to reduce the configuration time typically associated with inventory implementations.
• The platform states a go-live target of 48 hours for initial setup.

Seal Inventory Management is positioned to complement rather than replace ERP systems: ERP handles financials and purchasing, while Seal handles operational inventory and GMP compliance at the container level. The system integrates natively with Seal's LIMS, MES, and ELN modules, so lot traceability, material consumption, and batch records share a single data layer without reconciliation between separate systems.