Personal Insights
Synchronous backflush posting with Repetitive manufacturing in embedded EWM in S/4HANA 1909 Release
SAP has introduced several new features and enhancements with Extended warehouse management (EWM) in S/4HANA 1909 Release. SAP’s Joerg Michaelis (Product Owner of EWM) has described very well on business benefits on the enhanced integrations with manufacturing / production in his blog as in below link.
Highlighted the new KANBAN replenishment strategy with embedded EWM in S/4HANA 1909 release in my previous blog as in below link
My present blog is to describe to new synchronous backflush posting with repetitive manufacturing (REM) introduced in S/4HANA 1909 release , highlight the differences in process flows, transactions (documents) and the pre-requisite configurations.
Repetitive manufacturing is used to produce a product (with low complexity) over a period of time. It is based on planned order in SAP unlike production order in case of discrete manufacturing. ‘Backflush’ automates the goods issue of components at the confirmation of operation or order i.e there is no need to post the components manually at the completion / confirmation of the order.
Backflush (automatic goods issue of components) from a EWM managed storage location was not possible for REM in embedded EWM prior to S/4HANA 1909 release. Process flow with REM in embedded EWM prior to 1909 release is depicted below. Components must be stored in IM (Inventory managed) storage location. REM confirmation triggers only inbound delivery for goods receipt of finished good in ERP (or S/4HANA core) which gets transferred to embedded EWM. Once the putaway warehouse task is confirmed (or Goods receipt is posted), Confirmation log is created in ERP (or S/4HANA core) for goods receipt. Posting for the good issue of components from IM storage location needs to be carried out separately.
Refer the below image with SAP transactions to correlate (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) with process flow diagram in above image. Note that the material document (5) has only posting for finished good with movement type 131.
With 1909 release, it is now possible to post goods issue of components from EWM managed storage location and also to synchronize the goods issue with goods receipt of final product. Refer the below image for the process flow diagram with synchronous goods movement in embedded EWM for REM in 1909 release. Note that there is no inbound delivery (neither in ERP nor in embedded EWM) at REM confirmation. Warehouse tasks are created in EWM for ‘goods receipt posting’ & ‘goods issue posting’ and confirmed automatically which creates confirmation log (in ERP or S/4HANA core) for both goods receipt and goods issue synchronously.
Below image shows the corresponding SAP transactions correlating (1), (2), (3) with the above process flow diagram. Note that the material document (3) has both the finish good with movement type 131 and component with movement type 261.
The pre-requisite configuration for this synchronous goods movement for REM is to flag the checkbox ‘Post synchronously to bin’ under ‘Embedded EWM’ in REM profile at IMG menu path SAP IMG->Production->Repetitive manufacturing->Control->Define repetitive manufacturing profile.
This synchronous goods movement has immensely simplified the REM confirmation and has eliminated the goods issue posting for the components manually. Moreover, the component can now also be kept in EWM managed storage location alongwith finished good.
Also note that, some customers (or business scenarios) may prefer the creation of inbound delivery at REM confirmation and want to confirm the putaway task only when the finished good is kept in storage bin. That is also very much possible in 1909 release and in that case the checkbox ‘Post synchronously to bin’ in REM profile should not be flagged.
This blog is based on my personal insights. Feedback / comments will be appreciated. My next blog will be on ‘Synchronous goods receipt posting’ in embedded EWM in S/4HANA 1909 release.
Hello Mrinal,
Excellent blog and great improvement in area of EWM Manufacturing integration.
You wrote:” Posting for the good issue of components from IM storage location needs to be carried out separately.”
Cant this below setting will trigger GI and GR at time of MFBF final confirmation? Backflush from IM and GR at EWM managed sloc prior to 1909 edition?
I would update you
Best regards
Shailesh Mishra
Hi Shailesh,
Thanks for your comments .
I observed that Flag on 'GI backflush at GR posting' does both GI and GR if both are with IM storage location, but If GR is at EWM storage location with GI at IM storage location, then MFBFcreates only inbound delivery for GR i.e not GI from IM storage location.
With regards,
Mrinal
Thank you for this blog.. Very informative and well explained..
Hi Mrinal Kanti Roy ,
Thank for the one more awesome blog.
I tried to reproduce the same scenario in my 1909 system but I am not able to trigger the back-flush consumption. In MFBF there is a message "Enter the warehouse number" in the components screen.
Control cycle and Supply are all maintained.
Do you have any idea on what might be missing?
Thank you!
Hi Calo,
Thanks .
Hope that the components are managed in EWM managewd storage location i.e not in IM. Please check.
Regards,
Mrinal
Also, Can you check the message if the warehouse number is entered manually.
Hello Mrinal,
Thank you for the useful blog on the Repetitive manufacturing.
We are receiving finished material into HUs in our process. Could you please let me know how can we map this process S/4 Embedded EWM system.
Our process is as below:
If we want to issue components (EWM manged) & receive Finished material into EWM managed SLOCs, which way, we can map.
I have gone through your steps in the above documentation as illustrated in post 1909 release which will support non HU relevant business scenarios, I would appreciate your if you can help me in HU relevant.
Regards,
Vinod Yenne
Hello Vinod,
There is a SAP note for it , it is possible to post handling units into an embedded EWM with MFHU. SAP note 2836467- MFHU+Embedded EWM- Inconsistent goods movements posting in IM and EWM.
Best regards
Shailesh Mishra
Hi Shailesh,
This SAP note said posting HU into Embedded EWM is not supported in S4CORE 104 release, it might be available in future release. Do you know is it available now in future releases?
Regards,
Vivian Wu
Hi Shailesh,
How are you?
Any advice on how to incorporate inspection lot creation in this process?
I have been trying with inspection types 04, 05, 08 and 1704 but none them created inspection lot for the synchronous posting.
Thank you!
Hello all,
Would it be possible to implement such a solution with the GR/GI synchronization for a Decentralized EWM S/4 HANA (with REM process in ERP system)?
Many thanks.
Hi Caroline,
This synchronous GR/GI is only in embedded EWM i.e not in decentral EWM .
With regards,
Mrinal
Dear Mrinal,
I would like to confirm for 100% - Currently I have on a project 2 S4HANA 1909 installations (one acting as ERP and one as decentralized EWM) and I am trying to implement scenario with 2 EWM storage locations (one with RAW material and second as production one).
Ideally that would be scenario R3:
Unfortunately during MFBF posting there is an error as shown below:
Does it mean that "Release Order Part" scenario works only with REM in embedded S4HANA 1909 and not in decentralized ? So the only scenario for me is to have RAW material in EWM and then material staging via EWM to IM production storage location ?