What options are there for keeping track of parts that ship loose? We need to have everything that ships loose to be accounted for so there's no discrepancies later.

Currently, I've been assigning an item number to anything that will ship loose. This may include pieces of hardware or a loose part that belongs to a larger assembled product. This is done with empty products or starter part products drawn off to the side of my drawing. This way, everything is listed on a shipping report that can get checked off as it is loaded and unloaded from the truck. This is a great way to confirm that every single piece was delivered.

I find my current method can become time consuming. For example, when I draw a countertop, I use separate products for the splashes & grommets & support brackets. It would be much quicker to have all those drawn within the same product.

I like the idea of having these loose parts identified with an item number on the drawings so everyone knows what they are & where they go, but I'm wondering if there are more efficient methods to achieve this.