The quick answer
On Build Assemblies, enter the Quantity to Build, then click the Inventory Detail icon in the header of the build. Click Autogenerate Numbers, enter a Prefix, the Minimum Digits and a Starting Number, and click OK. NetSuite fills one serial line for each finished unit. Click OK in the Inventory Detail popup and save the build.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own assembly, quantities and numbering convention when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. builds KA-300 Desk Speaker, a serialized assembly item. Every finished speaker needs its own serial number. The bill of materials, KA-300 Desk Speaker BOM, uses one KA-300 Cabinet, two KA-300 Drivers and one KA-300 Amplifier Board per speaker. The components are not lot-numbered or serialized, so they need no inventory detail.
This is a standalone build on Build Assemblies. Serialized and lot-numbered inventory must be enabled in your account, and the assembly item must be marked as serialized. The Inventory Detail popup can also show a Bin column, a bin list and a Status list if the build location uses bins and inventory statuses. This example location uses neither bins nor a status other than Good.
01. Start the build
Go to Transactions > Manufacturing > Build Assemblies. Select Kestrel Audio US as the Subsidiary, Main Warehouse as the Location and KA-300 Desk Speaker as the Assembly. The Bill of Materials fills in as KA-300 Desk Speaker BOM, and Buildable Quantity shows 35. That is the most the components on hand allow, limited by the scarcest one: 35 amplifier boards.
02. Enter the quantity
Type 5 in Quantity to Build. That is the number of finished speakers. The Components subtab updates to 5 KA-300 Cabinets, 10 KA-300 Drivers and 5 KA-300 Amplifier Boards, which is the bill of materials quantity times 5.
03. Open the finished assembly's Inventory Detail
The speaker is serialized, so the build needs a serial number for each finished unit. Click the Inventory Detail icon in the header of the build, beside Quantity to Build. This is the icon for the finished assembly. The icons on the Components subtab are for the components only.
The popup shows the item, its quantity of 5, and two buttons above an empty serial line: Express Entry and Autogenerate Numbers. Use Express Entry instead when your numbers do not follow a simple sequence.
04. Autogenerate the numbers
Click Autogenerate Numbers and fill in the popup:
- Prefix is text placed in front of every number. Enter KA-.
- Minimum Digits is how many digits the number is padded to with leading zeros. Enter 4.
- Starting Number is the first number in the sequence. Enter 12.
Click OK. NetSuite adds one line per speaker: KA-0012, KA-0013, KA-0014, KA-0015 and KA-0016, each with Status Good and Quantity 1. The popup does not save anything yet. Check that the number of lines matches Quantity to Build, then click OK in the Inventory Detail popup.
05. Save the build
Click Save. Assembly build ASSYB6114 (your reference number follows your numbering setup) opens with a Confirmation that the transaction was saved. It is a build of 5 KA-300 Desk Speakers at Main Warehouse.
Click the Inventory Detail icon on the saved build to see the serial numbers it recorded.
Check the result
- Quantity to Build 5 gave 5 cabinets, 10 drivers and 5 amplifier boards on the Components subtab.
- Autogenerate Numbers with prefix KA-, 4 minimum digits and starting number 12 listed KA-0012 through KA-0016.
- Assembly build ASSYB6114 saved for 5 speakers at Main Warehouse.
- The saved build's Inventory Detail lists the same five serial numbers.
Common questions
How do I generate serial numbers automatically on an assembly build in NetSuite?
Open the Inventory Detail icon in the header of the build, click Autogenerate Numbers, enter a prefix, minimum digits and a starting number, and click OK. NetSuite fills one serial line per unit in Quantity to Build.
What do Prefix, Minimum Digits and Starting Number do?
Prefix is text placed in front of every number. Minimum Digits pads the number with leading zeros to that width. Starting Number is the first number. Prefix KA-, Minimum Digits 4 and Starting Number 12 give KA-0012, KA-0013 and so on.
Where do I enter serial numbers for the finished item?
In the Inventory Detail popup opened from the header icon on the build. The Inventory Detail icons on the Components subtab are for components that are lot-numbered, serialized or bin-tracked.
How many serial numbers do I need?
One for each finished unit. The number of serial lines must match Quantity to Build, and each number must be unique for the item. If you change the quantity after generating numbers, check the list again before saving.
What is the difference between Express Entry and Autogenerate Numbers?
Autogenerate Numbers creates a sequential list from a prefix, minimum digits and a starting number. Express Entry is the alternative when the numbers do not follow a simple sequence. This guide does not walk through Express Entry.
How do I see which serial numbers a saved build created?
Open the saved assembly build and click its Inventory Detail icon. The serial numbers assigned to the finished units are listed there.
Does this work when the build comes from a work order?
A serialized assembly built from a work order asks for its serial numbers in the same Inventory Detail popup. This walkthrough covers a standalone build on Build Assemblies.