Background
Overview
This section introduces the main background concepts for Inextor General Operation.
It covers:
- Interfaces
- Workflow
- Components
- Vault
- Gate
- Liz
Interfaces
This page provides an introduction to the various web interfaces used to integrate with Inextor modules.
For detailed API descriptions, refer to the relevant integration developer web service documentation.
Vault interfaces
The Vault provides interfaces for:
- Activating codes, querying code status, and pairing codes through SOAP
- Managing TPD entries and master data on Vault through REST or SOAP
- Receiving TPD notifications from Vault through REST or SOAP
- Sending code pairing and commissioning events to DLR for United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia markets through REST
- Sending code pairing and commissioning events to ATTP
Vault and Gate interfaces
The Vault and Gate provide interfaces for:
- Verifying codes
- Rebuilding codes
Gate interfaces
The Gate provides interfaces for:
- Managing Gate entities, including production orders and manufactured products
- Managing Stock Keeping Units, manufactured products, and production start
- Managing production orders, stocks, and products through SOAP interfaces
- Managing production orders, stocks, and products through REST interfaces
For more details, refer to the Product Integration documentation.
Gate and Liz interfaces
The Gate and Liz provide interfaces for:
- Production management on Gate
- Production management on Liz
Liz interfaces
The Liz provides interfaces for:
- PMI MES system integration
- Receiving production events and production information
- Controlling production flow from Liz
- Ordering codes
- Reporting codes back to Liz
Workflow
In any factory, the information to be printed on product items, as well as the way to generate it for printing, varies from one manufactured product to another.
This depends on several parameters.
The information to be printed or serialized on product items is defined by regulations depending on:
- The industry
- The local market
- The target market
- Brand owner policies
- Manufacturer policies
Each actor can define a set of information to be serialized on each product item at different packaging levels.
The way this information is serialized onto the product depends on:
- Production line configuration
- Hardware
- Printers
- Line topology
- Physical capabilities of the hardware
- Packaging levels
- Relationships between packaging levels
- Technical constraints
The sum of these parameters for a product is the product recipe.
Recipe dependency flow
The recipe depends on a sequence of configuration steps.
An action earlier in the sequence must be completed before dependent actions can be performed.
Typical dependencies include:
- Define the sourced product or Stock Keeping Unit
- Define the content
- Define manufacturing market constraints
- Define the layout
- Define device configuration
- Define the template
- Create the manufactured product
- Create the layout implementation
- Create the production order
- Prepare production
- Run production
The process involves the following Inextor components:
- Vault
- Gate
- Liz
Components
Inextor is composed of three main components/applications:
- Vault
- Gate
- Liz
These components support regulated and unregulated market requirements within the track and trace industry.
Operational ecosystem
Inextor operates within a broader operational ecosystem that may include:
- Supply chain systems
- Production line systems
- Track and trace systems
- Case tracking
- Carton tracking
- Pack tracking
- Inextrack
- uTrack
- Inextend
- HERMOS
- FRACTURECODE
- Tracking systems
- Manufacturing Execution Systems
- Brandsomatic brand change systems
- SAP P1
- Master data systems
- Inexpress
- Server components
- Quality assurance checks
- Factory systems
- Tracking monitoring
1. The Vault
The Vault is the manufacturer’s central system.
It interacts with outside actors such as:
- ID issuers
- Primary repositories
- Third-party reporting systems
The Vault is the main repository for the manufacturer and provides code decomposition and rebuild services.
Primary functions of the Vault
The primary functions of the Vault are:
- Provide a central point for code verification
- Provide a central point for querying codes
- Centralize production data at company level
- Centralize master data and configuration at company level
- Synchronize master data and configuration to factories
- Provide reporting on production data
- Provide reporting on code ordering
- Provide reporting on code stock
- Report code pairing and commissioning events to third-party systems, including SAT and DLR
- Download TPD, DLR, and SAT codes from ID issuers to the Vault database
- Send downloaded codes to factories
- Provide a user interface to order Mexico SAT codes
- Process and route code orders from factories to the appropriate ID issuers
- Create and integrate products from Enterprise Resource Planning systems
- Report commissioning events for CRPT codes to the OMS
- Process and route CRPT code orders from factories to the OMS
Vault in the Inextor architecture
The Vault participates in processes such as:
- Code generation and management
- SUPI generation
- Volume production synchronization
- Template and Stock Keeping Unit management
- Authentication
- Quality assurance checks
- Web service communication
- SQL replication
- Communication with Gate
- Communication with Inexpress where applicable
2. The Gate
The Gate is a server that manages operations within the factory site.
Each factory contains a single Gate.
The Gate is the factory’s link to:
- The outside world
- The manufacturer’s repository, meaning the Vault
- Onsite Liz instances
The Gate centralizes all factory-level data required to manage production.
This includes, for example:
- Templates
- Stock Keeping Units
- Products
- Machines
- Printer templates
- Codes
- Production information
Primary functions of the Gate
The primary functions of the Gate are:
- Centralize production data at factory level
- Centralize master data and configuration at factory level
- Manage products
- Manage machines
- Manage printer templates
- Manage codes
- Follow up code ordering
- Configure printer templates
- Configure contents for printing
- Create production orders
- Create machines
- Create LinkUps
- Interact with all onsite Liz instances
- Interact with the Vault
Gate role in factory operations
The Gate acts as the operational bridge between:
- Vault-level company and regulatory functions
- Factory-level production management
- Line-level Liz execution
It supports the factory by receiving and managing production-related information, then coordinating with Liz instances for production execution.
3. The Liz
The Liz is the serializer used on the production line.
There is one Liz per production line.
The Liz manages operations on the production line, generates internal codes, drives printers, and communicates with the Gate.
Primary functions of the Liz
The primary functions of the Liz are:
- Operate production execution
- Start production
- Stop production
- Generate internal codes, including SUPIs
- Drive printers
- Communicate with the Gate
- Send codes to printers or production line systems
- Send static data to printers or production line systems
- Send codes to aggregation systems
- Send static data to aggregation systems
Component relationship summary
| Component | Main level | Main responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Vault | Company / central level | Central repository, code management, reporting, master data, external actor communication |
| Gate | Factory level | Factory operations, production data, products, templates, code ordering follow-up, communication with Vault and Liz |
| Liz | Production line level | Production execution, serialization, printer driving, code and static data handling |
End-to-end operational flow
At a high level, the operational flow is:
- Master data and regulatory configuration are managed centrally in Vault
- Factory-level product and production configuration is managed in Gate
- Line-level production execution is managed in Liz
- Liz communicates production execution information to Gate
- Gate synchronizes relevant information with Vault
- Vault provides central visibility, code services, reporting, and external system interactions