Serialisation & Batch Management in S/4 HANA (Simple Logistics)
Context
Recently I had to present usage of Serialization and Batch Management to a group and being S/4 HANA Finance and Controlling expert it was not my comfort area. In preparation of this meeting I gained this knowledge and understanding about the topic of Serialization and Batch Management. I believe it is worth sharing.
Serialisation and Batch Management understanding
| Serialization | Batch Management |
| Serial Number is used to track individual items (such as TV, Computer, Washing Machine etc. when processing transactions) for example, Goods Receipt, Goods Issue and Physical Inventory etc. | Batch management is used to track lot (such as Cement lot, Medicine lot etc. when processing transactions) for example, Goods Receipt, Goods Issue and Physical Inventory etc. |
| With serialization manufacturing date, guaranty, warranty can be tracked. | With batch management manufacturing date, lot etc. can be tracked |
| Serial numbering is used for individual product and it can be used along with Batch. For example, if there is a batch of 1000 phone manufactured on 27.12.2017 so it will have one batch e.g. Batch15122017 and serial number would be unique for each phone. | Batch management is used generally for group of products (a lot) and it can be used along with serial numbering. For example, if there is a batch of 1000 phone manufactured on 27.12.2017 so it will have one batch say Batch15122017 and serial number would be unique for each phone. |
|
Standard automation is available for generating Serial numbering on goods receipt from production orders and Goods receipt form external procurement etc.
Automation is always used in Serialization. |
Standard automation is available for generating batch numbering on goods receipt from production orders and Goods receipt form external procurement etc.
Manual entry of batch number is also used in many industries/organizations. |
| Automated Serial determination can be used (e.g. serial number sorting, Date sorting, LIFO and FICO) at goods removal such as goods issue to sales order, GI to cost center etc. | Automated batch determination can be used (e.g. batch number sorting, Date sorting, LIFO and FICO) at goods removal such as goods issue to sales order, GI to cost center etc. |
| Generally serialization is used for Finished products (saleable products such TV, Computer, pumps), it could be manufactured Finished Goods or Trading Goods. | Batch management is used for Finished products, semi-finished and raw materials. |
| It is must to use where warranty and guaranty is given for the products. | It is used where tracking is required for management or legal requirement such as in case of pharmaceutical industry. |
|
Industries where serialization is used generally are: · Pharmaceuticals · Consumer product · Electronic |
Industries where Batch management is used generally are: · Pharmaceuticals · Cement · Cosmetics · Food · Chemicals |
| Report is available to show all movements for a specific serial number. | Report is available to show all movements for a specific batch. |
| Serialization can be activated at material master level. | Batch management can be activated at material master level. |
Note: There is no change in terms of functionality in ‘Serialization and Batch Management’ in S/4 HANA, all these functions are/were available in ECC6 and older versions too. However, there are changes in transaction codes in Batch Management in S/4 HANA. Likewise there is minor change in Serialization updating in LIS in S/4 HANA.
Change in S/4 HANA:
- Batch Management:
The following transactions related to Logistics Batch Management are not available in SAP S/4HANA:
MSC1, MSC2, MSC3 and MSC4.
The functional equivalent in SAP S/4HANA are the following transactions:
MSC1N Create Batch, MSC2N Change Batch, MSC3N Display Batch, MSC4N Display Change Documents for Batch.
2. Serialization:
Serialization of MM-IM document processing in LIS does not gets updated anymore in S/4 HANA.
______________________________________________________________________________
Dear Shakeel,
Can this serialization be used for tracking Computers with their Unique Id of the Manufacturer / Service Tags Number of the IT Assets.
Similarly can this number be uploaded from the RFID / Bar Code labels.
Hi Varkey,
Yes, serialization can be used for tracking computes with their unique ID.
Serialization can also be updated/generated through RFID and bar code with help of small ABAP customization in the system
Regards
Shakeel
Hi Shakeel, First off great summary. We are looking to capture serial numbers on the outbound side using RFID. We currently do this but the data is kept in a 3rd party system. You mentioned Serial number can be updated in SAP using RFID with some ABAP customization. Can you provide some clues as to how this can be done? We do not want to use AutoID since it is dead in 2015.
Thanks - Jason
Hi Shakeel,
Serialization of document processing in LIS will gets any updation for future in S/4 HANA.?
regards
Prasanna
I don’t see any plan for this yet. May be a moderator who is S/4HANA Logistics expert can comment on this.
regards
shakeel
In the MTE environment, can we make batch management mandatory for all HAWA material types? If so, how is it configured?