Summary
- The problem
- A receipt is often handled as a single unit: the supplier certificate looks right and most results are in. A container without its identity result, or one with a damaged seal, can be lost in the count.
- Seal’s approach
- The shipment is matched to the expected material, manufacturer and lot, and each container is recorded with its condition and quarantine location. Sampling, results and the use decision stay linked to the containers that arrived.
- What changes
- Supplier claims stay distinct from the site’s laboratory results, exceptions are resolved before a use decision, and the authorised status, expiry and remaining quantity follow each container into storage and dispensing.
- Where to start
- One receipt, its sampling plan, a supplier CoA and the release checklist. Book a demo.
Account for every container before the receipt moves.
A receipt is often treated as one unit: the supplier certificate looks right and most results are in, so a container without its result can be lost in the count. Seal records each physical container with its condition, samples and results. In this illustrative receipt, ten of twelve containers have the required identity evidence. C-11 has no linked result and C-12 has a recorded damaged seal, so the receipt remains on hold rather than ten containers being released automatically.
Receipt RM-120 / 12 containers
Receipt on hold
Identity evidence missing
RM-120-S- Container
- C-11
- Required evidence
- Identity result
- Linked result
- None in snapshot
- Sample reference
- S-120-11
The example plan includes C-11, but this snapshot contains no linked identity result for that container. A missing result is not a failed result, and a neighbouring container’s result does not fill the gap.
What follows
Reconcile S-120-11 with the laboratory record. Determine whether evidence is pending, missing or linked incorrectly before deciding the next sampling or testing action.
Run the work in Seal.
Receive and identify.
Match the shipment to the expected material, manufacturer and lot. Record each physical container, its condition and quarantine location.
Sample and test.
Execute the approved sampling plan. Keep sample identity, custody, methods and results linked to the actual received population.
Review and make available.
Resolve evidence gaps and exceptions through the authorised workflow. Keep the use decision, status labels and inventory state consistent.
The CoA alone doesn’t resolve these two exceptions. C-11 lacks the identity evidence required by this example plan, and C-12 has seal damage awaiting assessment. The receipt is still on hold.
I’ve separated the missing evidence from the physical-condition assessment. The review preserves the container identities and leaves the scope of any release to the authorised decision.
RM-120 / receipt review
DraftReconcile C-11’s identity evidence and assess C-12’s seal damage before a use decision.
QC analyst
Trace S-120-11 through sample receipt and testing. Link the existing result if appropriate, or document what work remains under the approved plan.
Receiving and Quality
Assess C-12’s recorded condition and the scope of the exception. Retain the original observation and any supplier follow-up.
Authorised material reviewer
Review all applicable criteria, including supplier evidence and open exceptions. Record the decision and exact container scope; do not infer release from the ten linked results.
From the receiving dock to the dispense.
Why teams choose Seal for raw materials
Raw material receipt is often split between an ERP goods receipt, a paper sampling record, a LIMS and a release form, with the whole delivery handled as one unit. Seal records each container with its condition, samples, results and use decision on the same platform as dispensing, so an exception stays with the container it concerns.
Supplier claims stay distinct from site results, and the authorised status follows each container into storage and dispensing.
The supplier is not the manufacturer.
Match the material, grade, manufacturer site and supplier relationship the purchase actually requires.
Keep qualification scope, specification version, required certificates and transport conditions with the expected receipt. A familiar supplier name should not obscure a different manufacturer, site or material grade. Agree which system owns purchasing, qualification and the material definition.
Sampling follows the received population.
Resolve the approved plan against the containers that actually arrived.
Record container selection, sampling location, quantity, tools, resealing and custody. Preserve the contributing containers for composite samples. Sampling and identity-test coverage depend on the approved strategy; the twelve-container illustration is not a universal sampling rule.
Certificates and site results have different sources.
Keep supplier claims distinguishable from your laboratory’s evidence.
Reconcile the CoA to the material, manufacturer lot, specification, units and methods. Preserve imported values and extraction review. Connect the site’s samples and approved results without treating a supplier certificate as an automatic release or silently replacing an unresolved test.
Eligibility follows the container into use.
Carry the authorised status, expiry or retest condition and remaining quantity into storage and dispensing.
Record physical movement separately from a status change. Retain partial receipts, splits, returns and rejected containers with their original lot relationships. Agree how holds and release decisions reach inventory, labels and downstream workflows, including reconciliation when an interface fails.
Connected to the surrounding work.
Keep specialised systems where they belong. Agree the source of each record, the permitted actions and the reconciliation at each handoff.
Explore integrationsAQuestions and answers
Do all containers need individual identity tests?
The number selected and testing strategy come from your approved, scientifically justified plan and applicable requirements. The example deliberately uses container-level evidence to expose a gap; it does not prescribe a universal test-
Can one container stay on hold while others proceed?
Retain container-level status and the exact scope of the authorised decision. Whether a partial release is appropriate depends on the material, evidence and assessment. The example keeps the whole receipt on hold and does not assume that the other containers may be used.
Can Seal work with our ERP and LIMS?
Scope the connection around the source of purchase, receipt, inventory and approved laboratory data. Agree identifiers, permitted actions, status ownership and exception handling. Test the actual interfaces and reconcile differences before relying on them for use eligibility.