- Feature
- Same-batch raw material selection
- Availability
- Preview in Supply Chain Management 10.0.49
- Industry focus
- Paints and coatings manufacturers
In paints and coatings, consistency is the product. A customer repainting a wall, refinishing a car panel or coating a production line expects the colour, gloss and performance to match what they had before. Variation between batches of raw materials, especially pigments, resins and additives, is one of the main sources of inconsistency.
The industry challenge
Many raw materials vary slightly from one supplier batch to the next. To control that, formulators often require that all of a given ingredient used in a production batch comes from a single raw material batch. Mixing pigment from two different supplier lots in one production run can produce a visible colour shift.
Where the ERP cannot enforce this, the rule lives in operating procedures and the experience of warehouse and production staff. Pickers are told to take from one batch only; supervisors check; mistakes are discovered at quality control, when a production batch fails a colour match and has to be adjusted, reworked or downgraded. Each failure costs material, time and capacity.
What Microsoft is delivering
Supply Chain Management 10.0.49 introduces same-batch raw material selection in preview. Organizations can set a default requirement on the product or item model group that a raw material must come from a single batch. The default can be overridden on individual BOM or formula lines, and the rule is enforced at reservation, so reservations for a production order draw the ingredient from one batch.
Microsoft has indicated that validation in master planning and during execution is planned for later releases.
Where the value shows up
| Business area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Product quality | Lower risk of colour and performance variation from mixed raw material lots |
| Production efficiency | Fewer batches needing adjustment or rework after quality control |
| Warehouse operations | The system enforces the rule instead of relying on picker knowledge |
| Traceability | Clearer link between a production batch and the raw material batch used |
| Customer satisfaction | More consistent finished products, especially for repeat colour orders |
A worked scenario
(An illustrative example.) A decorative paint manufacturer produces a popular range of colours in large batches. A particular red pigment varies noticeably between supplier lots, so the formula requires all pigment in a production batch to come from one lot.
In a sandbox using the preview, the production team sets the same-batch requirement on the pigment's item model group and confirms it is inherited by the formula line. When a production order is reserved, the system reserves pigment from a single lot with enough quantity, rather than splitting across two lots. The team then plans how to handle cases where no single lot has enough stock, ahead of production use.
Adoption considerations
- Treat it as a preview. Test in a sandbox before production use, and watch for the planned planning and execution validation.
- Choose ingredients carefully. Apply the rule where batch variation really matters, not to every material.
- Plan for insufficient batches. Decide what happens when no single batch can cover the requirement: smaller production batches, purchasing larger lots or a controlled exception.
- Align purchasing. Buying in lot sizes that match production batch sizes makes the rule easier to satisfy.
- Update procedures. Make sure warehouse and production staff understand how reservations now behave.
The bottom line
For paint and coatings manufacturers, raw material batch control is a quality issue that shows up directly in front of the customer. Same-batch selection moves that control from procedure into the system, reducing rework and protecting consistency. It is still in preview, so start by testing the rules and planning for edge cases. An experienced Dynamics 365 Supply Chain adviser can help you design a pilot.
Source: Microsoft: What's new or changed in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management 10.0.49