This blog provides you an overview of innovations in the SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1805 release for Manufacturing. Please check out also my video.
First and foremost I want to share with you a highlight in the area of Quality Management. For quality engineers it is important to see, when inspection lots have been accepted or rejected. Therefore, our intelligent cloud ERP now leverages inspection lot analytics.
With this feature, you can analyze accepted and rejected lots, as well as skipped and non-skipped lots. By aggregating inspection lot data, you can obtain meaningful KPIs on plant level, and drill down to inspection lot data in order to identify any issues on material level. Be one step ahead with this analytical feature and prevent a shortage of materials.
Fig. 1: SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Analytics’
The SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Detailed Analytics’ allows the Quality Engineer to combine several analysis steps to an analysis path. For instance figure 2 shows the combination of the ‘Accepted and Rejected Lots by Time Series’ column chart and the ‘Rejection Rate by Calendar Year and Week’ line chart. If the user clicks on a particular column in the first chart, this filter criteria will be automatically applied to the second chart. At a glance the app shows the rejection rate of the filtered lots.
Fig. 2: SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Detailed Analytics’
Besides the new analytical pages shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 above, I want to also highlight how you can manage nonconformances by leveraging quality tasks in Quality Management.
The app “Record Defect” enables the Quality Technician to capture defects and nonconformances for documentation and further processing as well as for analytical evaluations. For this purpose the Quality Technician creates a nonconformance record leveraging a defect. If required, the user can add a picture that documents the defect.The quality engineer further processes the record by defining an immediate, corrective or preventive task that is assigned to a processor. The task processor documents his steps in the processor notes. After successful execution of the task, the quality engineer closes the record.
Defects Recording is a flexible and state-of-the-art worklist app for monitoring quality tasks created for defects.
Fig. 3: SAP Fiori app 'Record Defect'
Let us move to Inventory Management where we highlight an innovation which leverages machine learning capabilities. This is in continuation with my past blog where I highlighted an innovation from SAP which predicts the delivery of Stock in Transit.
For companies issuing and receiving goods from and to their plants, it is important to track the status of the materials in transit. What can inventory managers do to directly get predictive insights, and to make better and faster decisions? The answer is: leverage our intelligent ERP.
Using the Predictive Analytics Integrator technology, we have enhanced the app "Overdue Materials – Stock in Transit” with ‘Predicted Delivery Dates’ and now, with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud release 1805, we are enhancing the app “Transfer Stock – Cross Plant” which determines a proposal for the delivery date of the stock transport order. This proposal is based on historical data. Navigating from this app the inventory manager can create a Stock Transport Order with only one click.
Fig. 4: SAP Fiori app ‘Transfer Stock – Cross Plant’
In case you want to learn more about predictive analytics for stock in transit with SAP S/4HANA & SAP Leonardo, watch this video on YouTube.
Besides the predictive analytics use case our SAP S/4HANA cloud release 1805 offers new useful SAP Fiori apps used by warehouse clerks. For instance with the app ‘Post Goods Receipt without Reference’ a warehouse clerk can post the receipt of goods without reference to any previous order or document. This app also enables the user to post the goods receipt for items with for example shelf life expiration date and production date.
Fig. 5: SAP Fiori app ‘Post Goods Receipt without Reference’
Another example is the SAP Fiori app ‘Create Physical Inventory Documents’ which enables the warehouse clerk to create physical inventory documents across different stock types and special stock types in one single app.
Fig. 6: SAP Fiori app ‘Create Physical Inventory Documents’
Fig. 7: Basic integration with SAP Extended Warehouse Management
After launching the Third-Party Warehouse Management System Integration in SAP S/4HANA Cloud release 1708 now we are taking the next step of integration.
As of SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1805, customers can integrate their on-premise warehouse management as of SAP EWM 9.5 FP02, using a predefined integration scenario. This enables cloud customers to extend their cloud scope to best-of-breed warehouse management functionality, facilitating high-volume warehouse operations. This includes, for example, managing stock on bin level and improved visibility into inventory.
Customers benefit from pre-configured best practices processes supporting the integration of inbound processes (goods receipt) and outbound processes (goods issue), stock transfer, production, batch management, customer returns, and selected internal warehouse processes. Master data transfer via the Data Replication Framework (DRF) ensures that the same set of master data, such as for material, customer, and suppliers, is used in both systems. Additionally, customers can now leverage the Application Interface Framework (AIF) for queue monitoring and error handling.
Last but not least I want to share with you an important innovation in the area of Advanced Variant Configuration which improves the Make-to-Stock Production with Variant Configuration.
Advanced Variant Configuration enables efficient state-of-the-art configuration for configurable products. If specific configurations of a configurable product are ordered frequently, it is useful to create individual stock materials for these configurations, so that these materials can be manufactured in advance, and a sales order with this configuration can be supplied from stock if required.
The innovation enables Sales Representatives to select interactively material variants in the sales order configuration process and replace configurable materials which are maintained in sales orders with material variants. Here the benefit is also obvious: time savings and improved transparency.
Fig. 7: Interactive Material Variant Selection
For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, check out the following links:
Quality Management
Inspection Lot Analytics
First and foremost I want to share with you a highlight in the area of Quality Management. For quality engineers it is important to see, when inspection lots have been accepted or rejected. Therefore, our intelligent cloud ERP now leverages inspection lot analytics.
With this feature, you can analyze accepted and rejected lots, as well as skipped and non-skipped lots. By aggregating inspection lot data, you can obtain meaningful KPIs on plant level, and drill down to inspection lot data in order to identify any issues on material level. Be one step ahead with this analytical feature and prevent a shortage of materials.
Fig. 1: SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Analytics’
The SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Detailed Analytics’ allows the Quality Engineer to combine several analysis steps to an analysis path. For instance figure 2 shows the combination of the ‘Accepted and Rejected Lots by Time Series’ column chart and the ‘Rejection Rate by Calendar Year and Week’ line chart. If the user clicks on a particular column in the first chart, this filter criteria will be automatically applied to the second chart. At a glance the app shows the rejection rate of the filtered lots.
Fig. 2: SAP Fiori app ‘Inspection Lot Detailed Analytics’
Nonconformance Management Leveraging Quality Tasks
Besides the new analytical pages shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 above, I want to also highlight how you can manage nonconformances by leveraging quality tasks in Quality Management.
The app “Record Defect” enables the Quality Technician to capture defects and nonconformances for documentation and further processing as well as for analytical evaluations. For this purpose the Quality Technician creates a nonconformance record leveraging a defect. If required, the user can add a picture that documents the defect.The quality engineer further processes the record by defining an immediate, corrective or preventive task that is assigned to a processor. The task processor documents his steps in the processor notes. After successful execution of the task, the quality engineer closes the record.
Defects Recording is a flexible and state-of-the-art worklist app for monitoring quality tasks created for defects.
Fig. 3: SAP Fiori app 'Record Defect'
Inventory Management
Transfer Stock - Cross Plant
Let us move to Inventory Management where we highlight an innovation which leverages machine learning capabilities. This is in continuation with my past blog where I highlighted an innovation from SAP which predicts the delivery of Stock in Transit.
For companies issuing and receiving goods from and to their plants, it is important to track the status of the materials in transit. What can inventory managers do to directly get predictive insights, and to make better and faster decisions? The answer is: leverage our intelligent ERP.
Using the Predictive Analytics Integrator technology, we have enhanced the app "Overdue Materials – Stock in Transit” with ‘Predicted Delivery Dates’ and now, with the SAP S/4HANA Cloud release 1805, we are enhancing the app “Transfer Stock – Cross Plant” which determines a proposal for the delivery date of the stock transport order. This proposal is based on historical data. Navigating from this app the inventory manager can create a Stock Transport Order with only one click.
Fig. 4: SAP Fiori app ‘Transfer Stock – Cross Plant’
In case you want to learn more about predictive analytics for stock in transit with SAP S/4HANA & SAP Leonardo, watch this video on YouTube.
Post Goods Receipt without Reference
Besides the predictive analytics use case our SAP S/4HANA cloud release 1805 offers new useful SAP Fiori apps used by warehouse clerks. For instance with the app ‘Post Goods Receipt without Reference’ a warehouse clerk can post the receipt of goods without reference to any previous order or document. This app also enables the user to post the goods receipt for items with for example shelf life expiration date and production date.
Fig. 5: SAP Fiori app ‘Post Goods Receipt without Reference’
Create Physical Inventory Documents
Another example is the SAP Fiori app ‘Create Physical Inventory Documents’ which enables the warehouse clerk to create physical inventory documents across different stock types and special stock types in one single app.
Fig. 6: SAP Fiori app ‘Create Physical Inventory Documents’
Warehouse Management
Basic integration with SAP Extended Warehouse Management
Fig. 7: Basic integration with SAP Extended Warehouse Management
After launching the Third-Party Warehouse Management System Integration in SAP S/4HANA Cloud release 1708 now we are taking the next step of integration.
As of SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1805, customers can integrate their on-premise warehouse management as of SAP EWM 9.5 FP02, using a predefined integration scenario. This enables cloud customers to extend their cloud scope to best-of-breed warehouse management functionality, facilitating high-volume warehouse operations. This includes, for example, managing stock on bin level and improved visibility into inventory.
Customers benefit from pre-configured best practices processes supporting the integration of inbound processes (goods receipt) and outbound processes (goods issue), stock transfer, production, batch management, customer returns, and selected internal warehouse processes. Master data transfer via the Data Replication Framework (DRF) ensures that the same set of master data, such as for material, customer, and suppliers, is used in both systems. Additionally, customers can now leverage the Application Interface Framework (AIF) for queue monitoring and error handling.
Advanced Variant Configuration
Interactive Material Variant Selection
Last but not least I want to share with you an important innovation in the area of Advanced Variant Configuration which improves the Make-to-Stock Production with Variant Configuration.
Advanced Variant Configuration enables efficient state-of-the-art configuration for configurable products. If specific configurations of a configurable product are ordered frequently, it is useful to create individual stock materials for these configurations, so that these materials can be manufactured in advance, and a sales order with this configuration can be supplied from stock if required.
The innovation enables Sales Representatives to select interactively material variants in the sales order configuration process and replace configurable materials which are maintained in sales orders with material variants. Here the benefit is also obvious: time savings and improved transparency.
Fig. 7: Interactive Material Variant Selection
For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, check out the following links:
- Sven Denecken’s SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1805 Release Blog
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud release info: http://www.sap.com/s4-cloudrelease
- Feature Scope Description here
- Best practices for all the cloud editions here
- What’s New in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 1805 document
- New SAP S/4HANA Cloud User Community: register here
- SAP Managed Tags:
