Removal strategies¶

For companies with warehouses, removal strategies determine which products are taken from the warehouse, and when. For example, for perishable products, prioritizing the picking of goods with the nearest expiration date helps minimize food spoilage.

The following columns in the table below list the removal strategies available in Odoo, and detail how pickings are determined along with the picking order. Leverage these removal strategies to have Odoo automatically select how products are selected for orders:

	FIFO	LIFO	FEFO	Closest Location	Least Packages
Based on	Incoming date	Incoming date	Removal date	Location sequence	Package quantity
Selection order	First in	Last in	First to expire	Alphanumeric name of location	Quantity closest to fulfilling demand

For comprehensive examples for how to use each removal strategy, refer to each individual documentation page.

Configuration¶

Removal strategies are set on either the product category or storage location.

Change the Force Removal Strategy for either the Product Categories or Locations.

Configure removal strategies on the location by going to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Locations, and selecting the desired location. On the location form, choose a removal strategy from the Removal Strategy field’s drop-down menu options.

Important

To set a removal strategy on a location, the Storage Locations and Multi-Step Routes settings must be enabled in Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings.

These features are only necessary when setting the removal strategy on a location.

Configure removal strategies on product categories by going to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Product Categories and selecting the intended product category. Next, choose a removal strategy from the Force Removal Strategy drop-down menu options.

Important

When there are different removal strategies applied on both the location and product category for a product, the value set on the Force Removal Strategy field set on a Product Category form is applied as top priority.

Required features¶

While some removal strategies are available by default, some additional features must be enabled in Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings for the removal strategy option to appear in the drop-down menu of the Force Removal Strategy or Removal Strategy field.

Refer to the table below for a summary of required features. Otherwise, refer to the dedicated sections for the removal strategy for more details on requirements and usage.

	FIFO	LIFO	FEFO	Closest Location	Least Packages
Required features	Lots & Serial Numbers	Lots & Serial Numbers	Lots & Serial Numbers, Expiration Date	Storage Locations, Multi-Step Routes	Packages

Lots and serial numbers¶

Lots and serial numbers differentiate identical products and track information like arrival or expiration dates. To enable this feature, navigate to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings. Under the Traceability heading, check the box beside Lots & Serial Numbers to enable the feature.

Next, ensure the intended product is tracked by lots or serial numbers by navigating to the product form through Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products, and selecting the desired product. On the product form, switch to the Inventory tab, and under the Tracking field, select either the By Unique Serial Number or By Lots options.

After enabling the features, assign lot or serial numbers to products using an inventory adjustment or during product reception.

Locations and routes¶

Storage locations and multi-step routes are necessary features for setting all types of removal strategies on a location. However, these features are specifically required for the closest location removal strategy since it is only applied at the location level.

To activate these features, navigate to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings. Under the Warehouse heading, enable the Storage Location and Multi-Step Routes features.

Enable the locations and route features.

Expiration date¶

Enable the expiration date feature to track expiration dates, best before dates, removal dates, and alert dates on a lot or serial number by navigating to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings.

Under the Traceability heading, ensure the Lots & Serial Numbers feature is selected, and then select the check box for Expiration Dates to enable the feature.

Enable expiration dates feature for FEFO.

Packages¶

The packages feature is used to group products together and is required for the least packages removal strategy.

Navigate to Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings and select the check box for the Packages feature.