FIFO-LIFO Controller
Overview
The FIFO-LIFO Controller is an automated skill that manages inventory rotation to ensure proper product flow based on expiration dates, production dates, or receipt dates. It enforces First-In-First-Out (FIFO), First-Expired-First-Out (FEFO), or Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) policies and manages lot tracking and shelf life compliance.
Capabilities
- FIFO Enforcement at Pick Time: Ensure oldest inventory is picked first based on receipt or production date
- FEFO (First Expired First Out) Management: Prioritize inventory with nearest expiration dates for picking
- Lot and Batch Tracking: Maintain complete traceability of inventory by lot, batch, or serial number
- Expiration Date Alerting: Generate alerts for inventory approaching expiration thresholds
- Shelf Life Calculation: Calculate remaining shelf life and predict expiration risk
- Product Hold Management: Manage inventory holds for quality, recall, or compliance reasons
- Compliance Documentation: Generate documentation for regulatory compliance and audit requirements
Tools and Libraries
- WMS APIs
- Lot Tracking Systems
- Shelf Life Databases
- Compliance Management Tools
Used By Processes
- FIFO-LIFO Inventory Control
- Cycle Counting Program
- Receiving and Putaway Optimization
Usage
skill: fifo-lifo-controller
inputs:
item:
sku: "SKU001"
rotation_method: "FEFO"
shelf_life_days: 180
min_remaining_life_percent: 50
inventory:
- lot_number: "LOT001"
quantity: 100
receipt_date: "2025-10-15"
production_date: "2025-10-10"
expiration_date: "2026-04-10"
location: "A-01-02"
- lot_number: "LOT002"
quantity: 150
receipt_date: "2025-11-20"
production_date: "2025-11-15"
expiration_date: "2026-05-15"
location: "A-01-03"
pick_request:
quantity: 75
order_date: "2026-01-25"
customer_min_life_days: 60
outputs:
pick_recommendation:
- lot_number: "LOT001"
quantity: 75
location: "A-01-02"
expiration_date: "2026-04-10"
remaining_life_days: 75
meets_customer_requirement: true
rotation_status:
sku: "SKU001"
total_quantity: 250
lots_at_risk: 0
lots_expiring_30_days: 0
lots_expiring_60_days: 0
lots_expiring_90_days: 1
alerts:
- type: "approaching_expiration"
lot_number: "LOT001"
days_remaining: 75
action_required: "prioritize_for_picking"Integration Points
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
- Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Recall Management Systems
- Compliance/Regulatory Systems
Performance Metrics
- FIFO/FEFO compliance rate
- Expired inventory percentage
- Write-off due to expiration
- Lot traceability accuracy
- Customer freshness compliance