Where are customer MSLS requirements maintained?

Customer MSLS requirements are maintained in the customer master in HublerX — linked to the ERP customer record. Requirements can be set by customer, by customer tier, or by product category. When a customer's MSLS requirement changes, it is updated once and applied automatically to all future orders.

Does HublerX account for transit time when calculating MSLS compliance?

Yes. HublerX calculates MSLS compliance based on the remaining shelf life at the point of customer delivery — not at the point of dispatch. Transit time by lane and carrier is configured in HublerX and factored into the compliance calculation automatically.

What happens when no compliant batch is available for an order?

HublerX flags the breach before the picking list is generated, notifies the commercial team and production planner simultaneously, and surfaces the next available production run that will produce a compliant batch — with the earliest possible dispatch date. The commercial team can then manage the customer expectation proactively.

Can this workflow handle split shipments — where part of an order ships from one batch and part from another?

Yes. Where a single order quantity cannot be fulfilled from one compliant batch, HublerX calculates the optimal split across multiple batches — each meeting the MSLS requirement — and generates a picking list that specifies the exact batch and quantity for each line.

Shelf Life Aware Inventory Allocation

The Problem

The right stock goes to the wrong customer. The wrong stock goes to the right customer.

Different customers have different minimum shelf life at shipment requirements. A modern trade retailer like Reliance Retail may require 75% remaining shelf life at delivery. An export customer may require 80%. A general trade distributor may accept 50%. The ERP allocates the nearest available batch — not the batch that meets each customer's specific requirement.

The mismatch surfaces at the customer's receiving dock — a batch is rejected because it does not meet the MSLS requirement, the truck returns with the load, and the manufacturer absorbs the cost of a failed delivery, a re-pick, and a customer relationship under strain. The batch that was rejected may have been perfectly suitable for a different customer who received a batch that was over-specified for their requirements.

Current Workaround

What most operations do today: Most operations today: the warehouse team picks against a system-generated picking list that does not account for MSLS. A QC check at the loading dock — if it exists — may catch obvious shelf life issues but cannot systematically verify every batch against every customer's specific requirement. Rejections are discovered at the customer's dock. The cost of a failed delivery — returned truck, re-pick, customer penalty — is absorbed after the fact.

The HublerX Approach

Shelf life allocation is a matching problem — each customer order has a shelf life requirement, each batch has a remaining shelf life, and the allocation engine needs to match them before the picking list is generated. HublerX reads each customer's MSLS requirement from the customer master, reads the remaining shelf life of every available finished goods batch from the WMS, and generates a batch allocation for each order that satisfies the customer's requirement — before the picker receives the instruction.

How It Looks in HublerX

Live workflow view

Shelf Life Allocation Board

12 orders allocated today

ALLOCATED4

Reliance Retail Mumbai — SO-8847Glucose Biscuits 200g · 24,000 unitsAllocatedBatch B-4401 · 28 days · MSLS 21 days ✓

D-Mart Pune — SO-8845Digestive 100g · 18,000 unitsAllocatedBatch B-4403 · 32 days · MSLS 21 days ✓

Spencer's Delhi — SO-8841Cream Cracker 200g · 12,000 unitsAllocatedBatch B-4407 · 24 days · MSLS 18 days ✓

Metro C&C Thane — SO-8839Marie Light 100g · 9,600 unitsAllocatedBatch B-4409 · 30 days · MSLS 21 days ✓

MSLS RISK3

Carrefour UAE — SO-8849Glucose Biscuits 200g · 36,000 units · ExportBorderlineWatchBest batch: 22 days · MSLS 21 days · 1 day margin

Lulu Hypermarket — SO-8851Digestive 250g · 24,000 units · ExportBorderlineWatchBest batch: 19 days · MSLS 18 days · Tight

Patel Distributors Surat — SO-8843Wheat Biscuits 200g · 14,400 unitsReviewingMediumMultiple batches · Optimal split being calculated

MSLS BREACH2

Big Bazaar Delhi — SO-8855Oat Cookies 150g · 12,000 unitsBreachAction neededNo compliant batch available · Production needed

DISPATCHED3

More Retail — SO-8831Glucose Biscuits 100g · 9,600 unitsDispatchedMSLS compliant · POD received

Reliance Retail Pune — SO-8829Cream Cracker 200g · 18,000 unitsDispatchedMSLS compliant · POD received

Noon UAE — SO-8827Digestive 100g · 24,000 units · ExportDispatchedMSLS 30 days · Batch 38 days · Compliant

How HublerX Coordinates It

The step-by-step sequence

1
Customer MSLS requirements read from master data
HublerX reads each customer's minimum shelf life at shipment requirement from the customer master in the ERP — by customer tier, product category, or individual customer agreement. MSLS requirements are maintained once and applied automatically to every order.
On order confirmation
2
Available batch shelf life read from WMS
HublerX reads the remaining shelf life of every available finished goods batch from the WMS — batch ID, manufacturing date, best before date, and current location. Batches on quality hold are excluded automatically.
On allocation run
3
Shelf life aware allocation calculated
For each customer order, HublerX calculates which available batches satisfy the customer's MSLS requirement — accounting for transit time to the customer's location. Where multiple batches qualify, the oldest eligible batch is allocated first (FEFO within the qualifying set).
Before picking list generation
4
MSLS breaches flagged before picking
Where no available batch meets a customer's MSLS requirement for a specific order line, HublerX flags the breach before the picking list is generated — with the customer requirement, the best available shelf life, and the shortfall. The logistics coordinator and commercial team are notified to resolve before the truck is loaded.
On breach detection
5
Compliant picking list generated
Once allocation is confirmed, HublerX generates the picking list with the specific batch IDs allocated to each customer order line — not just SKU and quantity. Warehouse operators pick the exact batches specified, eliminating the risk of a compliant allocation being overridden at the shelf.
On allocation confirmation
6
Allocation recorded for audit and compliance
The batch-to-customer allocation is recorded in HublerX and linked to the delivery order in the ERP — with the batch shelf life at time of allocation, the customer MSLS requirement, and the compliance status. The record is available for customer compliance submissions and regulatory audits.
On dispatch