A batch is (in addition to the continuous article number) an additional identifier of the article units, since despite following the respective formula, unacceptable differences can arise for the customer from production batch to production batch (e.g. tinting of wallpaper or wool) or, due to the increased product liability, the manufacturing and production conditions must be exactly traceable. For inventory management, the introduction of a batch identifier has the same effect as an increase in the number of articles and can therefore lead to considerable additional expense.

Source: logipedia / Fraunhofer IML