EWM Task Interleaving

[Jayant_Pawar]

Requirement -

In a warehouse, to reduce the unutilized resource time, travel time and at the same time distribute the warehouse tasks evenly.

Example -

After performing goods receipt, Operator performs the putaway of pallet in the warehouse e.g. Rack. While coming back to Goods receiving area to putaway another pallet to rack, operator is actually going empty handed. i.e. Resource (Operator and forklift) is having unutilized time while going back to initial Goods receipt area.

During this return way, if another warehouse task is assigned to operator, it will reduce unutilized reource time as well as reduce travel time.

Solution -

The aim of task interleaving is to to reduce the unutilized resource time, travel time and at the same time distribute the warehouse tasks evenly.

Task Interleaving can be used during Putaway to final storage types and Stock Removal from final storage types.

Prerequisite of Task interleaving -

Each WO must only consist of one WT. i.e. WOCR should be configured using Limits assigned to the Warehouse order creation Rule.

After completing putaway, resource is assigned to picking warehouse task so that the return leg also utilised reducing unutilized time.

The most important thing to remember with EWM task inerleaving is Task Interleaving works only with System Guided Processing in RF.

Below are the important steps to perform task interleaving in EWM.

1. If EWM is implemented and you want to introduce task interleaving, then calculate the number of pallets movement from each storage type (and destination strage type).


2. From this calulated data and Physical layout of the warehouse, identify the combination of goods movements which will reduce unutilized time as well as travel time.


3. If task interleaving is part of EWM implementation, then based on the physical layout and estimated material flows between storage types, identify the combination of goods movements which will reduce unutilized time as well as travel time.


4. Define Queue Types based on the movement of products within warehouse


5. Assignment of Queue types to Queues


6. These queue types are assigned queue sequence

We will configure above scenario of Task interleaving in system.

• Define Queue Types based on the movement of products within warehouse  (SPRO - Extended Warehouse Management - Cross Process Settings - Resource Management - Define Queue Types)

Here, all the Movement of products from Staging area to within warehouse (e.g. putaway to selective racks or multi deep racks or Floor area in above example) are combined in one Queue Type.

• Assignment of queue types to queues

Queues are made task interleaving relevant by asssigning Queue types to it. (SPRO - Extended Warehouse Management - Cross Process Settings - Resource Management - Define Queues)

Queue type need to be assigned to all the queues which are relevant for task interleaving. In this example, task interleaving will take place between putaway and picking.

With reference to example in fig.1, we have defined different queues for movement from each storage type as below e.g. STAG-RC01 to move material from Staging area to Selective rack.

• These queue types are assigned queue sequence (Master Data) via transaction /SCWM/QTSQ. Task interleaving is assigned to resource types.

Here, first tasks of queues assigned to queue type QT01 are displayed and the next task displayed is a task of a queue assigned to queue type QT02.

 

This way, in this example we have configured task interleaving. We defined Inbound and Outbound queue types  (in customizing) so the operator will be able to process tasks in an optimized way, e.g. after a pallet has been moved into the selective rack (Putaway), a pallet is removed (Pick) on the way back instead of an empty movement. The next putaway is then done after the picking and so on.

Thanks for reading. Hope you would like this blog

Jayant Pawar

 

References - https://help.sap.com/saphelp_ewm91/helpdata/en/f8/980325ca584637ab9861db152cff70/content.htm?no_cach...