When to use Intermediary Products

Manufacturing processes have steps in production that track granular data, such as non-cannabis inventory inputs, labor, or observational data, but do not result in a change of form or quantity of the input cannabis items. Intermediary products allow for runs to be added to manufacturing batches to log this additional data, but does not require a compliance output tag.

To accomplish this using the standard “Create Output” function in a manufacturing run requires creating a new compliance output tag. Creating new output tags when there are no changes in the cannabis quantity or form can unnecessarily increase the costs associated with a batch, including the actual costs of the tag(s), as well as labor and NCI costs associated with re-labeling WIP products to ensure existing tag numbers on physical inventory match your system.

Some examples of how intermediary products may be useful in your facility are:

Replicating any step in your process that does not result in a form change, such as an initial preparation step to gather all inputs. Source compliance tags can be added with NCI as an input, while the output is created as an intermediary tag of the same item and weight as the source to be used in the next run, resulting in a compliance output tag in the end.
Creating runs in the manufacturing batch to log additional notes & observations currently being tracked outside of Canix today
Tracking time in a process, labor, NCI, yields or additional notes & observations for processes, like extraction, that are not yet ready for a package tag
Indicating steps for testing where the bulk package awaiting testing is the source input package, and the output is an intermediary output tag once the testing is complete. This intermediary output can be used as the source in the next run to complete the rest of the manufacturing process, resulting in a compliance output tag in the end.

How Intermediary Packages Function

Because intermediary packages are a Canix-only function that do not utilize state compliance tags, creating the package does not change the current quantity of the source tag in Metrc. The actual quantities of the source cannabis package will not be adjusted until a compliance output package is created from an intermediary product.

Cannabis Quantity Reservations

Once a source compliance package is added on a manufacturing run, the input quantity is reserved so that it is not used in other Canix functions. This is displayed in the package table as a new column for Reserved Quantity.

The “Reserved Quantity” column is subtracted from the “Quantity” column to create a new column called “Usable Quantity”.

The “Usable Quantity” of a package acts as a safeguard within Canix to prevent inventory associated with an intermediary package from being used elsewhere in the system. If a user attempts to split a package within Canix that is more than the usable quantity reflects, an error message will be received, even if the “Quantity” column shows enough weight/quantity in the package.

Note: Users could bypass the reservation system by changing the package quantity directly in Metrc. If this occurs, an error will be displayed on the manufacturing batch and runs indicating the need to adjust the information on the batch for what quantities are available now.

Quantity reservations and the batches they are tied to can be viewed in the package detail page.

View the Quantity Reservations card on the package detail page to view each individual quantity reserved against a package.
Select the run name text on the Quantity Reservation card to navigate to the batch that the reserved quantity is associated with.

Create an Intermediary Package

Intermediary packages utilize the same overall process as a regular manufacturing run output. For more detail on creating manufacturing batches and runs, please see the Help Center article here.

Watch this video walk through, or keep scrolling down for written directions.

The following steps must be completed before creating an intermediary package:
- Create a batch
- Create a run
  - Assign cannabis and non-cannabis inputs
Next, create the output tag:
- If you have pre-filled your outputs using a BOM, select “Create Output Package”, then “Create Intermediary Output”:

If you are adding output packages ad hoc, select “Add Output”, then “Add Intermediary Outputs:

Edit the intermediary output package details:
- Fields requiring information in this view will mirror the regular package creation fields, with one notable exception:
  - The intermediary package tag number will be pre-filled with the next available tag number.
    - Note: Intermediary packages use a Canix-only tag number, which is be differentiated from your standard package tags by the prefix INT:

Click save to add your intermediary package to the outputs section. Intermediary packages in this section can be differentiated from regular output packages by the tag prefix as seen above, as well as the modified icon next to the tag number. Regular tags are represented by a black box, and intermediary tags are represented by a white box:

Submit the run to create your package. The new intermediate package will live in the Intermediary Packages tab within the Manufacturing Module, and will not appear in the regular Packages table.

View Your Intermediary Products

Navigate to the Intermediary Products tab at the top of the manufacturing batch page to see a package details, including tag number, item name, packaged date, and quantity.

Select the batch name to navigate to the batch summary page associated with the tag, or select the run name to navigate to the specific run the tag was created in.

The status column indicates whether the intermediary package weight/quantity has been successfully used as an input for a subsequent run in the batch.

Active status indicates that the full quantity in the intermediary tag has not been used, and is being reserved against its source input package. NCI is also being reserved against its lot in this status
Inactive status indicates that the full intermediary package quantity has been used to create a new intermediary product or compliance output tag The source compliance quantities reserved are still associated with the new intermediary or compliance output tag.

Use an Intermediary Package

Intermediary packages can only be used within the manufacturing batch that they were created. This restriction preserves the lineage between the source compliance package and the compliance output package, and ensures that costs are correctly transferred between packages.

To use an intermediary package, add a run to your batch. If you have added a BOM, click “Select source package” > “Previous Outputs”, then select the intermediary package from the previous run.

If adding the input package ad hoc, click “Add Input” > “Previous Outputs”, then select the intermediary package from the previous run.

Next, create your output package. After submitting the run, the following will occur:

The cannabis quantity from the intermediary package will no longer be reflected in the reserved quantity column of its source compliance package. It will now be recorded as an official package split from the source compliance package to the new compliance output package.
- For example:
  - Your original source compliance package tag number was #10001,
  - 10g from compliance package #10001 was reserved as an input for intermediary package tag #INT-10002.
  - Intermediary package tag #INT-10002 was used as an input for compliance package tag #10003.
  - Compliance package tag number was #10001 will show that 10g was applied to child package #10003.
Any costs from associated with the source compliance package that were applied to the intermediary package will be proportionately applied to the new compliance output package.
Non-cannabis inventory reserved for the intermediary package will be deducted and applied to the new compliance output package. NCI transactions will be reflected in Non-Cannabis Inventory Usage Report and list the intermediary package tag number in the "Applied to Inventory" column.
Labor applied directly to the intermediary package will be proportionately applied to the new compliance output package.

Limitations of Intermediary Packages

Intermediary packages can only be used within the manufacturing batch that they were created. This restriction preserves the lineage between the initial source package and the next compliance package output within the batch, and ensures that costs are correctly transferred between packages.

Waste cannot be created in runs with an intermediary product source. Edit the run with the source compliance package to add waste and adjust intermediary packages as needed, then resubmit the run.

Certain states may have regulations regarding the allotted time to report inventory changes to your state tracking system, or other rules that oppose the use of intermediary packages. Please consult your compliance department or state to determine whether this function should be utilized in your facility.

In this Article: