We have now released our innovations in the area of Warehouse Management in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2105. You can find the overview of this release by accessing the following link to our “What’s New in Warehouse Management in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2105″ presentation.
This Cloud release is one of our most comprehensive to date, where we improved upon all areas of Warehouse Management in the Cloud to further bridge the gap between the On Premise and Cloud deployment options.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2105 compared to the 2102 release
While you may find all the details in the above-mentioned slide deck, we would like to briefly go through each category of improvements, listing a few highlights in the process. And we start with Master Data.
Master Data & Warehouse Layout
With this release of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Warehouse Management, we added new and enhanced existing Master Data configurations to offer more flexible options in defining your warehouse layout and flows. More specifically, we focused on:
- Storage bins
- Storage types
- Warehouse products
- Staging areas
Two examples we would like to highlight are the configuration enhancements for warehouse products and for staging areas.
A lot of new configuration and attributes have been added on the product master data side. In the “Manage Product Master Data” App, we have added more attributes via new fields such as “Product Group” “Process Block Profile” and “Warehouse Storage Conditions”. We also added a lot more configuration options in the “Manage Your Solution” App, a list of which you can find in the linked “What’s New” document, but as a highlight we want to point out the new SSCUI “Define Quantity Classification”. Quantity classifications allow you to describe in which packing unit a product is stored in the warehouse. This classification can then be used in the SSCUI “Maintain Storage Types” to determine the storage type in which the product is stored in the optimal packing unit.
Define quantity classifications
We would like to also highlight a new SSCUI through which to set up the goods receipt process, and that is “Determine Staging Area – Inbound”. With it you can define the rules to determine which staging area goods should be sent to during the inbound process. The inbound staging areas are used for the interim storage of unloaded goods until they are put away. The aim of staging area determination is to find the best staging area for a delivery based on the attributes of the delivery.
The new SSCUI to set up the goods receipt process
The attributes defined in this SSCUI can then be used in the new “Define Access Sequence – Staging Areas – Inbound” App to define in which order of priority the system should check when determining a staging area. Similar work and Apps were also created for the outbound side, and you can see examples of that in our “What’s New” document or on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Help portal linked at the bottom of this article.
Inbound
On the Inbound Process side, we have made several updates to optimize inbound flows and improve quality of life in the following areas:
- Flexible definition of putaway strategies by using storage type searches, section search and bin type search
- Batch Management and remaining shelf life check
- More options to configure storage types and defining putaway rules for the dedicated storage type
- ABC analyses to let the system update the strategy based on historic movements
- New App to pack in Inbound
To highlight some examples, let’s start with the new flexibility available when defining putaway strategies. We offer additional flexibility for putaway strategies to give users more options in determining the most suitable destination storage bins. While there are many new or enhanced configuration options to that end, what we would like to point out is the enhanced SSCUI “Assign Storage Types to Storage Type Search Sequence”. Before the 2105 release, only one storage type could be assigned to a storage type search sequence. Therefore, during putaway bin determination, only one storage type was considered. Now however, it is possible to assign multiple storage types to a storage type search sequence and multiple storage types can be considered to find a suitable bin. You can see this change in the example below.
Configure the putaway storage sequence
We also have a new App to pack in Inbound. From the Fiori Apps “Change Inbound Deliveries – Deliveries”, and “Change Inbound Deliveries – Production”, you can now navigate to the Packing screen. There you can manage handling units (HUs) more extensively, including nested HUs. For inbound deliveries, you can also create and assign serial numbers to an HU for a product with a stock-level serialization requirement.
Navigate to the Inbound packing App
Outbound
A lot of work and development has also gone into making the Outbound process more efficient and accurate through the following:
- New options and enhanced flexibility for stock removal strategies
- Define own work centers / packing stations
- New App to pack Outbound deliveries
- Enhancements of “Post Goods Issue – Unplanned” App
- New monitor methods to change the staging area of selected deliveries
- New stock type determination configuration
Similar to the Inbound process, we have added more flexibility for stock removal strategies. You can now assign multiple storage types to storage type search sequences in the corresponding SSCUI. Before this release, only one storage type could be assigned to a storage type search sequence. Now, it is possible to assign multiple storage types to a storage type search sequence and multiple storage types can be considered to find the best suitable bin for stock removal.
Configure the stock removal strategy
Another Outbound highlights is the new App to pack in outbound. With the “Work Centre Packing for Outbound Deliveries” App, you can view the HU hierarchy, create/change/delete HUs, repack HUs and products, post differences and repack batch-managed materials as well as products with a stock-level serialization requirement.
Navigate to the Outbound packing App
Internal Processes
For internal movements and inventory management, we now provide new and enhanced internal processes for better stock accuracy and faster fulfilments:
- Support stock based serial numbers in counting
- New physical inventory procedures
- More flexibility when defining tolerance groups
- New cross-docking option: preallocated stock
- New replenishment option: order related replenishment
- New App to change stock attributes with option to automate updates in background
- Quality management enhancements e.g. internal inspections
To mention a few examples, on the physical inventory (PI) side, you can now capture stock based serial numbers (C-serial numbers) with the App “Count PI documents”. Aside from this, we can now also support new physical inventory procedures, such as ad-hoc counting, low stock check with and without physical inventory, and putaway physical inventory.
Capture stock based serial number when doing Physical Inventory counting
Warehouse monitor methods to edit entries for preallocated stock
Cross Processes
Here we would like to briefly mention something that was hinted at in previous parts of this blog article, and that is the end-to-end support of nested handling units throughout the warehouse process. With this release you can:
- Receive nested handling
- Pick nested handling
- Pack nested handling
- Count nested handling units in physical inventory
We also now support end-to-end stock based serial numbers (C-serial numbers). Aside from adding serial number support in Apps such as “Work Center Packing” and “Confirm Warehouse Tasks” we also enhanced posting change methods in the warehouse monitor to post serialized stock items. There is a new “Serial Number” sub-node in the warehouse monitor which gives you the ability to select specific products within an HU with own serial numbers and perform stock changes on a serial number level.
Perform stock changes on a serial number level via the Warehouse Monitor
Miscellaneous
Aside from the major categories listed above, we also worked on general topics that are meant to improve the user experience, such as:
- New and updated warehouse monitor nodes and methods
- New folder structure in “Manage Your Solution” App
- Various system configuration enhancements
- Enhancements to migration objects
- Layout-oriented storage control
- Exception handling
Wrap Up
With the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2105 release for Warehouse Management we have ensured a strong growth in the Cloud scope. We have increased the flexibility and efficiency in warehouse layouts and processes. But most importantly, we have laid the foundation for future innovations.
If you want to go into more details on the innovations mentioned above, or go through the features and updates that were only briefly mentioned, we recommend to read our “SAP S/4HANA Cloud Warehouse Management 2105 – What’s New” document.
Alternatively, you can check out the SAP Help portal for a full and detailed list of all additions to Warehouse Management with this release.
FIND OUT MORE!
For more information about SAP Extended Warehouse Management, please follow us on social media, our YouTube channel, or our community pages:
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Community -> https://s4hanacloud.community.sap/home
SAP EWM Community -> https://www.sap.com/community/topics/extended-warehouse-management.html
SAP Digital Supply Chain Channel -> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCELmE2CEAkcwqpBLnuZHufA
EWM LinkedIn Community -> https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1952257/
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
