Electronics warehouse software for lithium batteries, returns grading and scan-verified picking
Transport Canada treats lithium batteries as Class 9 dangerous goods: UN3480 for lithium-ion batteries and UN3090 for lithium-metal batteries. People who handle or transport them need a valid training certificate or must work under the direct supervision of a trained person, and damaged, defective, recalled or recycled batteries may not travel by air.
Radio certification and Québec recovery obligations depend on the product and the responsible manufacturer, importer, supplier or seller. Check that scope for each electronics line. WarePulse supports warehouse lots and returns, without end-to-end serial inventory tracking or dangerous-goods classification.
Connect workflow fit to rollout context earlier.
Radio certification and Québec recovery obligations depend on the product and the responsible manufacturer, importer, supplier or seller. Check that scope for each electronics line. WarePulse supports warehouse lots and returns, without end-to-end serial inventory tracking or dangerous-goods classification.
Electronics distributors and refurbishers that grade returns and decide restock, refurbish or liquidate (all plans).
3PLs storing electronics for brands, with client portals on every plan.
Warehouses whose shrink risk sits in high-value, look-alike SKUs at the pick face.
Keep the next commercial step visible.
Move from this page into pricing or implementation without losing the next step.
ImplementationCompare related WarePulse options
Compare the next topics buyers usually review: implementation, pricing, trust, field evidence, and operating fit.
Plan the next warehouse step
Bring a week of returns with their outcomes, and we will set up grades and dispositions and run them through WarePulse with you.
Workflow steps
- Receive a customer return, grade it and send it to refurbishment with a work order.
- Put a unit with a damaged battery on hold and confirm it drops out of available stock.
- Pick two look-alike SKUs and confirm the wrong one is refused at the scan.
Implementation planning
- Decide which return grades lead to restock, refurbish, liquidate or return to vendor before go-live.
- Keep dangerous-goods classification, training records and shipping papers in your existing process; WarePulse does not hold them.
Security and purchasing context
- Holds and releases are limited to managers.
- Define the audit records and retention needed for return grading, adjustment and disposition review before rollout.
- On every plan, each brand’s portal login sees only its own inventory, receipts and returns.
Questions to resolve
- Does this replace serial traceability or dangerous-goods controls? No. Confirm product, customer and warranty requirements; a return-inspection serial reference is not unit-level inventory traceability.
- Can the WMS decide how a battery ships? No; classification stays with trained staff.
Expected business impact
- A grade and a disposition on every return stop untested units from being restocked as new.
- A hold on a damaged battery keeps it out of allocation, so it cannot be picked into an outbound order.
The sector rules your WMS has to respect
The operating rules that create the most risk in this sector — and hurt the most when the software gets them wrong.
Lithium batteries (TDG, Transport Canada): Class 9 dangerous goods, UN3480 for lithium-ion and UN3090 for lithium-metal batteries; handlers need a training certificate or direct supervision by a trained person.
Small lithium-ion cells and batteries may qualify for special provision 34 relief only when all applicable testing, packing, marking and transport-mode conditions are met. Confirm the complete provision before shipping; the 20 Wh/100 Wh limits alone are insufficient.
Damaged or defective batteries (special provision 137): specific packing instructions and a “Damaged/Defective Lithium Ion Batteries” mark, and no transport by aircraft; recalled or recycled batteries are forbidden by air as well.
Energy marking: lithium-ion batteries made on or after January 1, 2009 must show a watt-hour rating on the case to use the exemptions.
Radio apparatus (Radiocommunication Act s. 4): no one may manufacture, import, distribute, lease, offer for sale or sell radio apparatus except in accordance with the applicable technical standards and certificate.
Québec extended producer responsibility: brand owners, first suppliers in Québec and out-of-province online sellers of electronic products join a recognized management organization or run their own recovery program.
Where WarePulse fits this sector
How WarePulse handles the sector rules that actually matter on your floor.
On every plan, returns record condition, a grade code and recovery value, take a disposition (restock, refurbish, quarantine, dispose, return to vendor or liquidate) and can open a refurbishment work order.
A unit with a damaged or swollen battery can be put on hold with a damage reason or moved to a quarantine location, and only managers can release it.
Mobile damage reports can preserve photos with the recorded adjustment; capture the evidence at the appropriate inspection step before moving the unit.
Picking checks the location and item; the mobile ship-out flow requires verified, fully packed lines and a tracking number before submission.
Roles control stock adjustments and count posting; recorded operations can be reviewed in the audit trail. Do not treat those records as a product-safety certification.
WarePulse has no end-to-end unit serial inventory tracking or dangerous-goods classification engine. A return inspection can record a serial reference; battery classification and shipping documents remain with trained staff and the responsible tools.
Built for warehouses in this industry
Operators and customer profiles where sector-specific rules shape the decision.
Electronics distributors and refurbishers that grade returns and decide restock, refurbish or liquidate (all plans).
3PLs storing electronics for brands, with client portals on every plan.
Warehouses whose shrink risk sits in high-value, look-alike SKUs at the pick face.
Not a fit if every unit must be traced by serial number, or if the WMS must classify dangerous goods and print their shipping documents.
Three questions for every returned unit
Inspect the returned unit, record its condition and decide disposition under the approved procedure. A hold controls available quantity; it does not determine battery safety or transport classification. Trained staff must decide whether and how the battery may travel.
Grade every return before it can be restocked, and record why.
Keep damaged or swollen batteries in a quarantine location, away from sellable stock.
Confirm who on each shift holds a TDG training certificate.
Set ABC classes by value so high-value SKUs are counted most often.
Where to go next
Returns workflows
Grade, disposition and refurbishment for returned units.
See detailsBarcode scanning
Scan-verified picking and ship-out for look-alike, high-value SKUs.
See detailsFeature hub
Review barcode, lot, billing, and portal capabilities.
See detailsWorkflow hub
Connect the sector rule to the station that must change first.
See detailsComposite operating scenarios
Use disclosed composite scenarios to keep planning grounded in operations.
See detailsEcosystem data exchange
Review CSV, Next Movement, and scoped data handoffs that shape the sector flow.
See detailsPricing
Plans from $699 CAD a month for one warehouse, with unlimited users.
See detailsImplementation
Review the rollout path before the evaluation turns into a risky cutover.
See detailsFrequently asked questions
Are lithium batteries dangerous goods in Canada?+
Can damaged lithium batteries be shipped by air?+
Who needs TDG training in an electronics warehouse?+
Does WarePulse track serial numbers?+
How does WarePulse handle refurbished returns?+
Anchor the evaluation to the hardest rule on your floor.
Start with your returns bench: if every unit leaves it with a grade and a disposition, and every damaged battery goes on hold, the rest of the floor is easier to control.
Plan the next evaluation step
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