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We have recently released the latest updates for SAP EWM with the SAP S/4HANA 2023 Feature Pack 1 update. The enhancements we delivered not only improve and compliment the SAP EWM features of the SAP S/4HANA 2023 release, but also add a few new features to our solution, as well as round off the remaining Customer Connection topics that weren’t yet delivered in 2023. As this is a lighter release, I would like to cover only some key highlights, and leave the rest for your own exploration.
Batch Specific Unit of Measure
One of the big highlights of this release that I personally want to start with is the ability to use Batch specific Unit of Measure (UoM). Our warehousing solution is used across 24 industry sectors, and in some cases (for example, pharmaceutical, chemical, steel, or paper), the composition or attributes of products vary to some degree. Now with the SAP S/4HANA 2023 FPS01 release, Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) embedded in SAP S/4HANA, you can use batch-specific units of measure to handle these types of products throughout the entire logistics chain.
When discussing such products, it is important to make a distinction between proportion units of measure and product units of measure.
- Proportion units are used in chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries to manage active ingredients in a carrier material. What is important to note is that there we have to make a distinction between the Filling Quantity and the Contents (a.k.a. the Active Ingredients). The Filling Quantity is the Base unit of measure which is the logistical relevant unit of measure. The active ingredients meanwhile are not logistically relevant units of measure. For example, in the case of a box of juice, the Filling Quantity (and the Base unit of measure) is 1L of juice. The active ingredients (which are not logistically relevant) are the proportions of ingredients within that juice, such as 35% fruit extract, 2% acid, 30% water, etc.
- Product units are used mainly in steel, paper, wood, and textile industries to handle the fixed relationship between the number of pieces and the base unit of measure, for example, kilogram, for each batch. When talking about product unit, the Product unit of measure is counted in Pieces (e.g. 1 Piece of metal bar, or 10 Pieces of wood). The Base unit of measure on the other hand is the measure by which that material is quantified, such as weight or length. As an example, a roll of metal cord can be counted as 1 PC as Product unit of measure, but as a Base unit of measure, it can be counted as 50 meters of metal cord.
Batch-specific units of measure are used to maintain proportion units and product units for these types of products because it is not feasible to use a fixed conversion factor to convert quantities of these products into various units of measure. Instead, each batch must be given an individual conversion factor.
To use this feature, users must be aware of the following prerequisites:
- Specify the batch level as Batch Unique at Material Level in Customizing for Logistics - General under Batch Management -> Specify Batch Level and Activate Status Management.
- Implement the prerequisites for maintaining data for batch-specific units of measure (see Maintaining Data for Batch-Specific Units of Measure).
- Activate batch-specific units of measure in Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Cross-Process Settings -> Batch Management -> Activate Batch-Specific Units of Measure.
For more information about restrictions when using proportion units or product units, please read the "Proportion Unit and Product Unit Restrictions" help portal page.
Assign Multiple Bins per Production Supply Area
In a manufacturing plant, long assembly lines are usually set up to execute more than one operation steps so to stream-line complex manufacturing processes. Whereas only one work center and one production supply area is defined for this assembly line. Components or raw material used for different operations /production resources are physically stored in separated areas to avoid mix-up, especially to avoid mixing usage of the same components and raw material in different resources. To improve assembly line efficiency, with this release SAP introduces the ability to assign multiple bins for each Production Supply Area
In this release, we make this feature available for MES-Driven staging for production & process orders, as well as follow-on scenarios, such as consumption triggered from a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), clear of Production Supply Area, etc. For all these scenarios, users can assign more than one bin to a PSA in the staging master data. When MES triggers a Staging Request, it also then can provide not only the PSA but also PSA bin information to EWM. Staging activities are considered completed by replenishing requested stock to the given PSA bin. Stock Change Notification are then sent out to notify MES of the updated PSA bin and stock information.
Assignment of Printer to Resources
Another highlight of this release comes from the Customer Connection 2023 program, where several users requested more flexibility in assigning printers to warehouse workers that require them, e.g., during the picking process, when they need to print the labels as fast and as convenient as possible. First, we must distinguish between local printers and central printers.
- Local printer are attached to the resource and only used by this resource. This is normally a small mobile label printer which is used in a dedicated process e.g., labeling of pick-HUs during picking. The printer might be directly linked with the resource e.g., for a forklift with fixed RF device and fixed printer but it can also be decoupled e.g., for a mobile RF device and a mobile printer.
- Central printers are used by many resources. These are normally laser printers which support different kind of labels. These printers are determined automatically during the RF processing based on condition tables (e.g., maintained in transaction /SCWM/PRHU6). These condition tables can be created by the customers with fields from a field catalog. The EWM standard field catalogs already contain the resource. This allows to make a fixed assignment between resource and printer. But as mentioned before, this will only support a small number of resources and mean a lot of maintenance effort e.g. if a RF device or a printer must be exchanged, also the corresponding condition record must be found and updated.
With the SAP S/4HANA FPS01 release however, a new column called “Printer” has been added to the Transaction /SCWM/RSRC_PRN. In this transaction resources and the printer pool are maintained in the transaction table first, so users can then input/edit the printer on the RFUI screen later.
It is important to note that the new feature "Assignment of Printer to Resources" for centrals printers is restricted to HU label printing. On a central printer also pick lists get printed. Pick list printing (Warehouse Orders) or Physical Inventory (Count Lists) are not supported by the new feature.
A new logical transaction ’03 Printer’ has been added under the RF menu Internal -> Resource Management. Users can trigger to a new printer assignment interface through this button to assign printers to different printer pools. In this way, the warehouse worker can directly select the printer needed for later HU printing before operation.
FIND OUT MORE!
To see more details on the above mentioned topics (such as examples of configuration screens), as well as see what other enhancements we delivered with this release (such the ability to update quantity changes in LE after partial Goods Receipt, new RF enhancements and so on), I highly encourage you to explore our latest “SAP EWM in SAP S/4HANA 2023 FPS01 – What’s New” slide deck.
You can also find more technical details and documentation on the above listed topic and others we left out via the “What’s New” viewer on the Help Documentation portal.
For more information about SAP Extended Warehouse Management, please follow us on social media, our YouTube channel or our community pages:
SAP Digital Supply Chain Channel
SAP Extended Warehouse Management Roadmap Explorer
Release information and restrictions of embedded EWM on SAP S/4HANA 2023
Release information and restrictions of Decentralized EWM on SAP S/4HANA 2023
For a complete list of Q&A from the EWM community, please access this link:
https://answers.sap.com/tags/01200615320800000705
In case you do not find your specific question there, feel free to post your question via the following form:
https://answers.sap.com/questions/ask.html?primaryTagId=01200615320800000705
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