- SAP Managed Tags
Introduction
With the SAP Cloud ERP for Public Cloud 2502.4 release, a valuable new feature has been introduced, 'Enhanced Mapping of Advanced Variant Configuration Characteristic Values to Production Orders'. This enhancement allows you to map variant configuration characteristic values directly to custom fields within production routing operations. These custom fields can then be used as parameters in Work Centre formulas to dynamically calculate activities such as machine processing time, labour, and setup costs.
In this blog post, we'll explore how this feature can be applied in a real-world scenario to improve cost accuracy and operational efficiency in a manufacturing process.
Business Scenario
Imagine an automobile manufacturing company where the sit fitment time and cost vary depending on the number of seats to be installed in a custom-built caravan. In the custom-built caravan production process, the sit fitment time is calculated based on the number of seats selected by the customer during order configuration. In this case, the sit fitment time is expressed as machine time, calculated using a custom formula in the Work Centre.
Let’s say the time factor is 1 for assembling 5 seats, which serves as the base configuration. We then maintain time factors of 3 for 6 seats and 5 for 7 seats to represent the proportionally higher effort and machine time required as the seat count increases, due to added installation work, alignment, and quality checks.
The table below illustrates this:
Seat Count (Z_SEAT_COUNT) | Time Factor (Z_SAFT) | Explanation |
5 | 1 | Base time unit |
6 | 3 | 3× time of 5-seat fitment |
7 | 5 | 5× time of 5-seat fitment |
Consider the characteristic Z_SEAT_COUNT captures the number of seats selected. The system uses a dependency procedure (e.g., SEAT_ASSEMBLY) to calculate the machine time factor (Z_SAFT), which is then used to determine the overall operation time in routing.
This feature is especially valuable for industries that manufacture products with dynamic or customizable designs—such as automotive, furniture, modular kitchens, pool tile manufacturing, or industrial machinery—where production time and cost vary significantly based on configuration-specific attributes.
In the following section, we’ll walk through how this use case can be implemented using the new feature in SAP Cloud ERP for Public Cloud.
Prerequisites
Before implementing this feature, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
- Activate the Feature
Enable the feature "Map Object Dependency Value to Operation" (FTGL_PPH_MD_MAPOBJDPNVALS_2) via the Activate Features configuration activity in your system.
- Create a Custom Field
Define a custom field under the business context Manufacturing: Bill of Operations Operation. This field will be used in the Work Centre formula to calculate activities like machine, setup or labour time and cost.
For detailed steps on how to create a custom field and incorporate it into a Work Centre formula, refer to the link below:
👉https://community.sap.com/t5/enterprise-resource-planning-blog-posts-by-sap/step-by-step-guide-to-se... - Create a Super Routing with Object Dependency
Set up a Super Routing for the configurable material and assign an Object Dependency of type 'Procedure' to the relevant operation.
For guidance on how to create a routing for configurable materials, refer to the documentation below:
👉https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_S4HANA_CLOUD/f369b2eff700401494ba6e7c9a573288/d5ed07180f7a40189b043c81...
Step-by-Step Execution:
1) Create and Verify Custom Field
Ensure that a custom field is created in the business context Manufacturing: Bill of Operations Operation. This field should be visible at the operation level in the routing.
In this example, we’ve created a custom field called Seat Assembly Time Factor (YY1_SEAT_ASSEMBLY_TIME_PPO) to represent the offset value used for time and cost calculation.
2) Define Work Centre Formula
Create a Work Centre formula (e.g., Z_TIME) that uses a parameter (e.g., Z_SATF) linked to the custom field created above. This formula will be used to dynamically calculate activity times based on the selected configuration
3) Assign Formula to Work Centre Activities
Assign the custom formula (Z_TIME) to the relevant activity types (e.g., Setup, Machine, or Labour) in the Work Centre (SEATASMB) responsible for the seat assembly operation.
4) Create Characteristic and Map to Custom Field
Define a variant configuration characteristic (e.g., Z_SATF) and map it to the custom field YY1_SEAT_ASSEMBLY_TIME_PPO. This enables the system to pass characteristic values to the routing operation dynamically.
5) Create Super Routing and Assign Procedure
Set up a Super Routing for the configurable material (e.g., a car model), and assign an Object Dependency of type ‘Procedure’ to the relevant operation (e.g., Seat Assembly).
In this example, the Seat Assembly Time Factor (Z_SATF) is determined based on the selected number of seats. The procedure is defined as below,
WorkCentre SEATASMB assigned to the operation 0025 – Assemble Seat Units
Object dependency of type Procedure
Dependency Editor
6) Create Sales Order and Test Configuration
Once all the above steps are complete, create a Sales Order for the configurable material. On the Variant Configuration screen, select the desired number of seats.
Then, review the machine cost and overall calculated activity costs — they should adjust dynamically based on the selected characteristic value (i.e., the number of seats).
a) Select number of seats as ‘5’ in the variant configuration screen
Cost of Goods Sold and Seat assembly machine processing cost for 5-seater.
b) Select number of seats as ‘6’ in the variant configuration screen
Cost of Goods Sold and Seat assembly machine processing cost for 6-seater.
c) Select number of seats as ‘7’ in the variant configuration screen
Cost of Goods Sold and Seat assembly machine processing cost for 5-seater.
Conclusion
The “Enhanced Mapping of Advanced Variant Configuration Characteristic Values to Production Orders” feature in SAP Cloud ERP for Public Cloud 2502.4 offers greater flexibility and accuracy in manufacturing configurable materials. By mapping configuration characteristics to custom fields in production operations and using them in Work Centre formulas, manufacturers can calculate activity times and costs dynamically based on real-time inputs. In the seat assembly example, processing time and cost adjust based on the number of seats selected, improving cost transparency and operational efficiency. This is especially valuable in make-to-order and engineer-to-order scenarios, where production effort varies with each configuration.
By leveraging it, businesses can better align operational planning with customer-specific configurations—driving both efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Happy Learning!!
Bluesky| User | Count |
|---|---|
| 15 | |
| 14 | |
| 11 | |
| 8 | |
| 6 | |
| 5 | |
| 5 | |
| 4 | |
| 4 | |
| 4 |
