Case study: running a cold storage on Dravyaa
A cold storage doesn't buy what it stores. Goods arrive from depositors, sit in lots and leave on delivery notes, and nobody raises a purchase order. Here's how one business set Dravyaa up around that, and what changed.
At a glance
- Inward goods are booked on a direct GRN, with no purchase order, against the depositor who brought them in.
- Every line carries lot number, variety, count and weight, and the printed GRN and GDN show those same columns.
- Document numbers follow the business's own format (prefix / GRN / financial year / month / serial), with their terms printed on each slip.
- With batch tracking on, each GRN line becomes a batch with its expiry date. The GDN suggests the batch that expires first, and the system won't let you ship more than a batch holds.
- GRNs and GDNs move stock only. Money is still booked on the bill and the invoice, so nothing is counted twice in the accounts.
A cold storage needs an inward and outward register by party and by lot, not a purchase cycle. This business stores produce and packed food for depositors. Before Dravyaa, the inward register was a book at the gate, delivery slips were printed from a word-processor template, and the stock position by depositor was rebuilt in a spreadsheet when someone asked for it.
What was the problem?
Most inventory software assumes you buy what you stock. Goods come in against a purchase order, a GRN closes it, and a bill follows. None of that fits a cold storage:
- There is no purchase order. A depositor turns up with a truck and the goods are received as they are.
- The things that matter are lot number, variety, count and weight, not just a quantity.
- Goods leave on a goods delivery note (GDN), often to someone other than the depositor.
- Stock has a shelf life. Shipping a newer lot while an older one expires in the chamber is a straight loss.
How was Dravyaa set up?
| Need | What the business used before | How it runs in Dravyaa |
|---|---|---|
| Receive goods without a PO | Gate register book | Direct GRN against the depositor, stock posted on save |
| Lot, variety, count, weight | Handwritten columns | Fields on every GRN and GDN line, printed on the slip |
| Own document numbering | Typed by hand | Prefix / GRN / FY / month / serial, generated per document |
| Terms on every slip | Pre-printed stationery | GRN and GDN terms set once in settings, printed automatically |
| Outward delivery | Word-processor template | GDN, which reduces stock when it is marked delivered |
| Expiry and FEFO | Visual check in the chamber | Batch per GRN line with expiry; GDN suggests the earliest-expiring batch |
How does batch and expiry tracking work here?
With batch tracking switched on, each GRN line becomes its own batch. That's one row per receipt, not per lot number, because the same supplier lot can arrive twice. Each batch stores the quantity received, the quantity issued so far and its expiry date. Each batch is tagged with the party it came in from, whether that party is a vendor or a customer.
On a GDN, the batch picker lists the batches with stock and pre-selects the one that expires first. If you pick a batch that came in from a different party, Dravyaa warns you ("came in from X") but still lets you ship it, because that is sometimes legitimate. What it refuses is shipping more than a batch holds. It also refuses an edit to a GRN that would push the received quantity below what has already gone out.
What about the accounts?
GRNs and GDNs move stock and nothing else. Where money changes hands, it's on a bill or a sales invoice, and those already post to the ledgers. Posting a voucher on the GRN as well would count the same goods twice.
What changed
- The stock position for any depositor, item or lot comes from the register itself. Nobody rebuilds it in a spreadsheet any more.
- Every slip carries the same columns, numbering and terms, whoever prints it.
- Dispatch follows expiry by default, not by whichever lot is nearest the chamber door.
Frequently asked questions
Can Dravyaa receive goods without a purchase order?
Yes. With cold storage mode on, a direct GRN records goods received from a party without any purchase order. Stock is added when the GRN is saved.
Does Dravyaa track lot number and weight for cold storage?
Yes. Each line on a direct GRN and a goods delivery note carries lot number, variety, count and weight alongside the quantity, and the printed slips show the same columns.
How does FEFO work on a goods delivery note?
With batch tracking on, each GRN line is a batch with its own expiry date. When you add an item to a GDN, Dravyaa pre-selects the batch that expires first and refuses to ship more than that batch holds.
Does a GRN in cold storage mode post an accounting entry?
No. GRNs and GDNs only move stock. Money is recorded on the bill or sales invoice, which post to the ledgers, so the same goods are never counted twice.
About this case study
Customer names are withheld at the customer's request. Figures are taken from the customer's own Dravyaa account and source documents, not estimated. The setup described is the cold storage and batch tracking configuration built in August and September 2026.
Run your cold storage register in Dravyaa
See depositor GRNs, lot-wise stock and FEFO dispatch in a 20-minute walkthrough.