This blog provides an overview of innovations in SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2102 for Manufacturing and Supply Chain.
Abstract: What are the main focuses of this release in Manufacturing and Supply Chain?
This blog post starts with the table of contents for ease of reference and allows you to navigate directly to the topic you are interested in by clicking on a specific entry:
Watch my video in which I present the following innovations:
Video 1: Release Highlight Video on Manufacturing and Supply Chain
The functionalities mentioned in this video are only a selection of the many innovations in the area of Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Let us start with Manufacturing.
Already in my 2011 release blog I mentioned that in the Define Flexible Constraints app, you can create constraints for multiple materials, for example materials of a material group, supplied materials or materials of a production line. With the 2102 release the enhancement of the Define Flexible Constrains app is finished: The system now saves a draft version of your work. This prevents any loss of work before saving, for example.
Fig.1: SAP Fiori app Define Flexible Constraints
Watch the next video which shows how to add a constraint for materials procured from a supplier.
Video 2: Define flexible constraints for multiple materials (note: no audio voice available)
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You can now use a new planning strategy to create inactive planned independent requirements for configurable materials. These planned independent requirements are only used by pMRP during the simulation process.
Fig.2: SAP Fiori app Manage Product Master Data - New Planning Strategy P6
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With the new Projected On-Hand Alerts app, a production planner can monitor the occurrence of material stockouts closely and hence ensure that optimum quantities of stock are maintained. This app is designed to display stock alerts in the future till the decoupled lead time (DLT) before the actual replenishment takes place.
Watch the next video in which a production planner uses the new Projected On-Hand Alerts app to monitor material stockouts:
https://youtu.be/fjtittxiSDk
Video 3: Monitor material stockouts with the Projected On-Hand Alerts app (note: no audio voice available)
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Already with the 2011 release, the SAP Fiori app Schedule Production allows you to set an offset value before and after the current date in the Horizon filter based on which the dates are calculated (see my 2011 blog).
Now, the flexible time horizon is also available in the SAP Fiori app Manage Work Center Capacity. As a result, you can select a date range or set an offset value before and after the current date in the Evaluation Horizon filter to narrow down your search.
Fig. 3: Flexible Time Horizon in SAP Fiori apps 'Manage Work Center Capacity' and 'Schedule Production'
Additionally you can now choose the Bucket Type and set an overdue horizon using the Overdue For filter in the Manage Work Center Capacity app. The application is rounded off by configuration options for the overdue time frame and the overdue time is visible in the object page as shown in the screenshot.
Fig.4: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Work Center Capacity' - 'Bucket Type' and 'Overdue For' filter
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Now, Material Planner for External Procurement and Production Planner can display the intraday supply with two decimal places in the following apps:
The new intraday supply is a combination of days' supply and a statistical statement about how long (evenly averaged over the day) the final previous days’ inventory will be sufficient relative to the aggregated daily requirement. You can filter and sort the displayed list in these apps by this new column.
Fig. 5: Monitor Material Coverage app with new Intraday Supply
Production Planning with Alternative Plant
With this feature, you can display information on the supplying / receiving plant in the Manage Material Coverage and Manage Production Orders or Process Orders apps if a material is planned and produced in two different plants. The new column with this information is only visible if a material is relevant for this scenario, this means the material to be produced must be assigned a special procurement type that indicates the production in another plant.
The information on the special procurement type has been added to the material info and the material quick view of the apps.
Fig. 6: Information about production in alternative plant in the Manage Material Coverage and Manage Production Orders or Process Orders apps
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The new SAP Fiori app Kanban Control Cycle Analysis is a graphical analysis tool which provides an aggregated overview of the status of kanban containers in selected control cycles. By selecting measures and dimensions you can create evaluations to visualize the overall replenishment situation and identify errors or critical situations in the kanban process.
As a production supervisor in lean manufacturing, this app supports you to
Watch the video to get an impression of the new Kanban Control Cycle Analysis app in the system.
Video 4: A production supervisor in lean manufacturing analyses kanban control cycles with the new SAP Fiori app Kanban Control Cycle Analysis (note: no audio voice available)
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As an Production Supervisor in Discrete Manufacturing or in Process Manufacturing you will surely be happy about the following enhancements in the supervisor apps Manage Production Orders and Manage Production Operations:
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With the Manage Process Orders app, you can now calculate operations in progress based on the activities recorded during time ticket and time event confirmations. You can use the new Business Add-In (BAdI) PP_PI_MNGPROCORDOP_CALCTPRGRS to customize the logic of calculating the progress of operations for Manage Process Orders app expressed as a percentage.
Fig. 10: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Process Orders' with new Operations Progress Micro Process Flow Chart
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With the 2102 release, product assistance has been made available for the following apps:
A further app for order confirmation is now available:
Also new apps for creating, displaying and processing shift notes have been made available:
Additionally you have access to several new apps for repetitive manufacturing:
Since the 2011 release, you can use miscellaneous PRT and document PRT in SAP S/4HANA Cloud (see my 2011 blog).
Now you can maintain and use also Material PRTs.
For this purpose, you can create or edit a production resource/tool as a product in the Plants section of Manage Product Master Data app. You can create or edit production resources/tools (PRT) master record for a product with the product category FHMI and maintenance status F. A plant can have a PRT (1:1 mapping).
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The following apps are now available:
With the enhancements to PRTs, Master Recipe and Routing apps the user is able to
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With the Manage Inspection Plans app, you can now:
Fig.11: 'Manage Inspection Plans' app - dependent characteristic specifications
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Quality Technicians have now access to new apps for displaying or editing inspection point quantities:
As a Quality Planner you can now use the following apps to determine which materials have no valid inspection plans assigned to them:
The following apps are now available for QM in Procurement:
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Now coming to line of business Supply Chain, starting with two highlights in Order Promising that were already introduced in the last release and have now been enhanced.
In chapter New ATP-check method for supply protection of my past blog I have explained the idea of supply protection (SUP) and the principle of Horizontal and Vertical Protection. The next picture shows you an example of use in fashion industries with the changing importance of different distribution channels like eCommerce, Retail, Wholesale, Outlet over the course of the season.
Fig. 12: Supply Protection Scenarios - Protecting a Season
The Manage Supply Protection app has been enhanced with the following features:
Fig. 13: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Supply Protection'
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Chapter Product Substitution in Sales Order Requirements of my past blog summarizes the key features of Product Substitution. Now validity data for Product Substitution are introduced:
With this feature, you can define validity periods to enable the substitution and exclusion of products during availability checks.
In the Manage Substitutions - Products app, you can use the Valid From... and Valid To... fields for date and time in the product master data to define the time periods during which an alternative product is used to substitute a product requested in a sales document.
Equally, in Manage Exclusions - Products app, you can use the Valid From... and Valid To... fields for date and time to exclude a product from being considered when an availability check is executed for a product requested in a sales document.
Fig. 14: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Substitutions - Products' extended with the new validity data (yellow highlighted in the animated image)
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With this feature in the Manage Product Allocation Sequences app, you can choose between two options for the order in which the backward and forward time periods in a product allocation sequence are checked for available allocation quantity to fulfill a sales order requirement.
Fig. 15: Consumption Direction in Manage Product Allocation Sequences app
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With the past release, we started the support of serial numbers in the inventory analytics and goods receipt process (see my blog post) which allows you as an inventory manager or warehouse clerk to reach the Display Serial Numbers app by navigating from the following SAP Fiori apps:
With the 2102 release, further SAP Fiori apps support serial numbers in the goods receipt process:
Now, also post goods receipt for purchasing document with subcontracting process including subcomponents with serial numbers is supported.
Fig. 16: Support for post goods receipt for purchasing document with subcontracting process including subcomponents with serial numbers
Although we live in a digital world, printing material documents is important in practice.
This enhancement enables you to add the Serial Number and Equipment Number fields to a selection of printouts in Inventory using the Maintain Form Templates app. The What's New document lists the form template names which can be enhanced. The next picture shows you an example, how to add the serial number field with the Adobe LiveCycle Designer.
Fig. 17: Adobe LiveCycle Designer - Add the serial number field to the goods receipt printout
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My 2011 release blog describes the Synchronous Goods Receipt Postings for External Procurement that allows you to post goods receipt for products arriving from external procurement in the Post Goods Movement app in inventory management and warehouse management at the same time without creating delivery and warehouse request documents.
Since the 2011 release, the tab strip for goods receipt with handling units is available in the Post Goods Movement app which allows you manual packing. Now, the app supports also packing with proposal from packing instruction.
The packaging material to be used and quantity to be packed is derived from the packing instruction. The corresponding packing instruction for the packing proposal is determined via the determination record.
Fig. 18: Post Goods Movement app with packing proposal for handling unit creation
Not supported yet, but planned with future releases is the Quality Management inspection lot creation.
If you use the new posting, be aware that the following scenarios are out of scope:
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With the OData service Warehouse Inbound Delivery - Read, Update (A2X) (API_WHSE_INBOUND_DELIVERY), it is now possible to perform the following actions
on warehouse inbound delivery header level:
and on warehouse inbound delivery item level:
You can also retrieve the serial numbers assigned to inbound delivery items.
Fig. 19: Overview of APIs in the Warehouse Management area
*Note: The screenshot of the smartphone app shows an example call of the Warehouse Inbound Delivery API as it could be built by a customer / partner. There are no prebuild mobile apps available for Cloud WM by SAP.
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You can now enable Situation Handling based on the new situation template Handling Unit IoT for monitoring handling units. SAP Internet of Things (SAP IoT) sensors added to the handling units inform you directly in the Monitor Handling Units app about, for example, an exceeded temperature or humidity value for a product packed in the handling unit. You can then react fast and get, for example, a replacement on the way.
The following system demo video with a length of three and a half minutes shows you how a handling unit is connected with sensor data and how the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system informs the user automatically that a critical value for the acceleration is detected.
Video 5: The video shows how a handling unit is connected with IoT sensor data and how the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system informs the user automatically that a critical value for the acceleration of a handling unit is detected. (note: no audio voice available)
Find more information about SAP IoT and especially about the Thing Modeler, and about situation handling in the SAP Help Portal.
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With this feature, you have access to several new apps for creating handling units and planned handling units based on production orders and for posting the goods receipt via handling units.
The following apps are now available (corresponding on-premise transaction codes in brackets):
With this feature, you have access to several new apps for using handling units in material staging and in packing material produced as last step of production.
The following apps are now available for material staging:
The following apps are now available for packing material produced:
Apps for Handling Units in Repetitive Manufacturing (BJH, 4MM)
With this feature, you have access to several new apps for creating handling units and planned handling units and posting produced material quantities goods receipt based on HUs.
The following apps are now available:
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As an inventory manager or warehouse clear, you can now move handling units from one storage location to another within the same plant in one step.
Fig. 20 : Post Goods Movement - Handling Units app
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Fig. 21: New tab page International Trade on Change Outbound Delivery app
With this feature, you can assign additional number range intervals and, optionally, number range prefixes to delivery documents that fulfill specific criteria. Refer to the What's New document for more information about the new configuraton steps.
Fig. 22: Manage Your Solution app - Configure Your Solution
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Thanks for reading this blog post. Stay tuned!
You will find a collection of my SAP S/4HANA Cloud release blogs here:
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Abstract: What are the main focuses of this release in Manufacturing and Supply Chain?
- Intelligent ERP
The current COVID-19 pandemic shows that staying cold is so important to Covid-19 vaccines. The new situation template 'Handling Unit IoT' enables you for monitoring handling units in connection with IoT sensor data like temperature, acceleration, relative humidity, etc. Watch the system demo video in chapter Handling Unit Management and see how the user is automatically informed by the system that the sensor on a handling unit detected a shock. - Continuity - Enhancements of key innovations
Key innovations of the past releases like Predictive MRP, Demand Driven Replenishment, Supply Protection are supplemented. This is the subject of my release video. - Flexibility - More customizing options
Many new customizing options increase the flexibility of SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Refer to the What's New Viewer for further information. - Industry focus
Repetitive Manufacturing, Serial Number Handling, Handling Unit Management, to name just a few topics, are massively driven by requirements from Discrete and Process Industries. - Multitude of new visual harmonized apps
We are enhancing the capabilities of SAP S/4HANA Cloud rapidly by providing a multitude of new visual harmonized apps which are based on proven transactions from SAP S/4HANA on-premise.
This blog post starts with the table of contents for ease of reference and allows you to navigate directly to the topic you are interested in by clicking on a specific entry:
Manufacturing
Production Planning
Predictive material and resource planning (pMRP) - Material group constraints
Demand-Driven Replenishment - Projected On-Hand Alerts
Capacity Planning
Enhancements in MRP apps
Production Operations
Kanban Control Cycle Analysis
Enhancements in supervisor apps for Production Orders and Operations
Operations progress chart in Manage Process Orders app
New visual harmonized apps
Production Engineering
Production Resources/Tools
New visual harmonized apps
Quality Management
Manage Inspection Plans
New visual harmonized apps
Supply Chain
Advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP)
Enhancements to Manage Supply Protection
Product Substitution in Sales Order Requirements
Product Allocation Consumption Directions
Inventory Management
Serial numbers in the goods receipt process
Extensibility for Adobe Output Forms of Material Documents
Warehouse Management
Synchronous Goods Receipt Postings For External Procurement
Mobile Warehousing
Handling Unit Management
Situation Template: Handling Unit IOT
New visual harmonized apps in Handling Unit Management
Enhancement of Post Goods Movement - Handling Units App
Delivery and Transport
Enhancement to Outbound and Inbound Delivery - International Trade Tab
Flexible Delivery Document Numbering
Watch my video in which I present the following innovations:
- Define flexible constraints for multiple materials and production lines in pMRP
- Projection of on-hand alerts in Demand Driven Replenishment
- Kanban Control Cycle Analysis in lean manufacturing
- Product Substitution and Supply Protection in aATP
- Packaging proposal in Post Goods Movement
Video 1: Release Highlight Video on Manufacturing and Supply Chain
The functionalities mentioned in this video are only a selection of the many innovations in the area of Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Let us start with Manufacturing.
Manufacturing
Production Planning
Predictive material and resource planning (pMRP)
Provide flexible constraints for material groups and production lines
Already in my 2011 release blog I mentioned that in the Define Flexible Constraints app, you can create constraints for multiple materials, for example materials of a material group, supplied materials or materials of a production line. With the 2102 release the enhancement of the Define Flexible Constrains app is finished: The system now saves a draft version of your work. This prevents any loss of work before saving, for example.
Fig.1: SAP Fiori app Define Flexible Constraints
Watch the next video which shows how to add a constraint for materials procured from a supplier.
Video 2: Define flexible constraints for multiple materials (note: no audio voice available)
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Planning configurable products - Planning Strategy P6
You can now use a new planning strategy to create inactive planned independent requirements for configurable materials. These planned independent requirements are only used by pMRP during the simulation process.
Fig.2: SAP Fiori app Manage Product Master Data - New Planning Strategy P6
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Demand-Driven Replenishment
Projected On-Hand Alerts
With the new Projected On-Hand Alerts app, a production planner can monitor the occurrence of material stockouts closely and hence ensure that optimum quantities of stock are maintained. This app is designed to display stock alerts in the future till the decoupled lead time (DLT) before the actual replenishment takes place.
Watch the next video in which a production planner uses the new Projected On-Hand Alerts app to monitor material stockouts:
https://youtu.be/fjtittxiSDk
Video 3: Monitor material stockouts with the Projected On-Hand Alerts app (note: no audio voice available)
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Capacity Planning
Already with the 2011 release, the SAP Fiori app Schedule Production allows you to set an offset value before and after the current date in the Horizon filter based on which the dates are calculated (see my 2011 blog).
Now, the flexible time horizon is also available in the SAP Fiori app Manage Work Center Capacity. As a result, you can select a date range or set an offset value before and after the current date in the Evaluation Horizon filter to narrow down your search.
Fig. 3: Flexible Time Horizon in SAP Fiori apps 'Manage Work Center Capacity' and 'Schedule Production'
Additionally you can now choose the Bucket Type and set an overdue horizon using the Overdue For filter in the Manage Work Center Capacity app. The application is rounded off by configuration options for the overdue time frame and the overdue time is visible in the object page as shown in the screenshot.
Fig.4: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Work Center Capacity' - 'Bucket Type' and 'Overdue For' filter
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Enhancements in MRP apps
Intraday Supply
Now, Material Planner for External Procurement and Production Planner can display the intraday supply with two decimal places in the following apps:
- Monitor Material Coverage - Net Segments
- Monitor Material Coverage - Net and Individual Segments
The new intraday supply is a combination of days' supply and a statistical statement about how long (evenly averaged over the day) the final previous days’ inventory will be sufficient relative to the aggregated daily requirement. You can filter and sort the displayed list in these apps by this new column.
Fig. 5: Monitor Material Coverage app with new Intraday Supply
Production Planning with Alternative Plant
With this feature, you can display information on the supplying / receiving plant in the Manage Material Coverage and Manage Production Orders or Process Orders apps if a material is planned and produced in two different plants. The new column with this information is only visible if a material is relevant for this scenario, this means the material to be produced must be assigned a special procurement type that indicates the production in another plant.
The information on the special procurement type has been added to the material info and the material quick view of the apps.
Fig. 6: Information about production in alternative plant in the Manage Material Coverage and Manage Production Orders or Process Orders apps
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Production Operations
Kanban Control Cycle Analysis
The new SAP Fiori app Kanban Control Cycle Analysis is a graphical analysis tool which provides an aggregated overview of the status of kanban containers in selected control cycles. By selecting measures and dimensions you can create evaluations to visualize the overall replenishment situation and identify errors or critical situations in the kanban process.
As a production supervisor in lean manufacturing, this app supports you to
- analyse kanban control cycles to check container statuses within the plant and production supply area, or based on additional filter criteria,
- use different chart types and personalization options for quick insights into the overall kanban replenishment situation,
- take prompt actions based on your analysis results, for example, check the container information on the SAP Fiori kanban board.
Watch the video to get an impression of the new Kanban Control Cycle Analysis app in the system.
Video 4: A production supervisor in lean manufacturing analyses kanban control cycles with the new SAP Fiori app Kanban Control Cycle Analysis (note: no audio voice available)
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Enhancements in supervisor apps for Production Orders and Operations
As an Production Supervisor in Discrete Manufacturing or in Process Manufacturing you will surely be happy about the following enhancements in the supervisor apps Manage Production Orders and Manage Production Operations:
- Display parallel and/or alternative sequences for your standard sequences in a graphical representation in the Order Schedule section on the detail screen of both apps.
Fig. 7: Graphic for sequences in the supervisor apps Manage Production Orders and Manage Production Operations
- Use a new filter to display whether production resources/tools (PRTs) are assigned to any operation of an order. In the Order Schedule section on the detail screen of both apps, you can open a dialog to display the PRTs for the current operation or all PRTs for the order.
Fig. 8: PRTs are displayed in the Order Schedule section within the supervisor apps Manage Production Orders and Manage Production Operations
- Display the batch number of the produced material in the Manage Production Operations app.
Fig. 9: Batch number in 'Manage Production Operations' app
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Operations progress chart in Manage Process Orders app
With the Manage Process Orders app, you can now calculate operations in progress based on the activities recorded during time ticket and time event confirmations. You can use the new Business Add-In (BAdI) PP_PI_MNGPROCORDOP_CALCTPRGRS to customize the logic of calculating the progress of operations for Manage Process Orders app expressed as a percentage.
Fig. 10: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Process Orders' with new Operations Progress Micro Process Flow Chart
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New visual harmonized apps
With the 2102 release, product assistance has been made available for the following apps:
- Create Prod. Order w/o Material (CO07)
- Create Process Order w/o Material (CORO)
- Create Prod. Order with Sales Order (CO08)
- Call Up Missing Part List (CO24)
- Monitor Production/ Planned Orders (COOIS)
- Monitor Process/ Planned Orders (COOISPI)
- Pick Components for Production Orders (CO27)
- Pick Components for Collective Availability (COIK)
- Check for Planned Orders (MDVP)
A further app for order confirmation is now available:
- Reprocess Confirmations (CO16N)
Also new apps for creating, displaying and processing shift notes have been made available:
- Create Shift Note (SHN1)
- Change Shift Note (SHN2)
- Display Shift Note (SHN3)
- List Shift Notes (SHN4)
- Shift Note Cockpit (SHN5)
Additionally you have access to several new apps for repetitive manufacturing:
- Display Reporting Point Quantity (MF26)
- Reset Reporting Point Confirmations (MF4R)
- Confirm Repetitive Manufacturing for Handling Units (MFHU)
Production Engineering
Production Resources/Tools (PRTs)
Since the 2011 release, you can use miscellaneous PRT and document PRT in SAP S/4HANA Cloud (see my 2011 blog).
Now you can maintain and use also Material PRTs.
For this purpose, you can create or edit a production resource/tool as a product in the Plants section of Manage Product Master Data app. You can create or edit production resources/tools (PRT) master record for a product with the product category FHMI and maintenance status F. A plant can have a PRT (1:1 mapping).
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New visual harmonized apps for Production Engineering
The following apps are now available:
- Manage Standard Text (transaction CA10)
- Usage of Work Centers in Routings (transaction CA80)
- Usage of Resources in Master Recipes (transaction CA81)
- Replace Work Centers in Routings (transaction CA85N)
- Replace Resources in Master Recipes (transaction CA86)
- Display Task List Changes (transaction CA60)
- Delete Task Lists without Archiving (transaction CA98)
With the enhancements to PRTs, Master Recipe and Routing apps the user is able to
- assign Standard Text to PRTs, Master Recipe and Routing,
- assign Material PRTs to Routing and Master Recipe.
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Quality Management
Manage Inspection Plans
With the Manage Inspection Plans app, you can now:
- Copy dependent characteristic specifications along with the header, material assignments, operations, and characteristics from one inspection plan to create another
- Assign dependent characteristic specifications for the characteristics assigned in inspection plans
Fig.11: 'Manage Inspection Plans' app - dependent characteristic specifications
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New visual harmonized apps in Quality Management
Apps for Inspection Point Quantities
Quality Technicians have now access to new apps for displaying or editing inspection point quantities:
- Change Inspection Point Quantities (transaction QA22)
- Display Inspection Point Quantities (transaction QA23)
Listing Missing/Unusuable Inspection Plans
As a Quality Planner you can now use the following apps to determine which materials have no valid inspection plans assigned to them:
- Display Inspection Plan - Missing or Unusable (transaction QP06)
- Display Inspection Plan - Missing or Unusable in Procurement (transaction QP07)
Apps for QM in Procurement
The following apps are now available for QM in Procurement:
- Assign QM Control Keys for Procurement - Process Manually (transaction QI05)
- Quality Info Record Procurement - Collective Processing (transaction QI06)
- Source Inspections - Worklist (transaction QI07)
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Supply Chain
Now coming to line of business Supply Chain, starting with two highlights in Order Promising that were already introduced in the last release and have now been enhanced.
Advanced Available-to-Promise (aATP)
Supply Protection
In chapter New ATP-check method for supply protection of my past blog I have explained the idea of supply protection (SUP) and the principle of Horizontal and Vertical Protection. The next picture shows you an example of use in fashion industries with the changing importance of different distribution channels like eCommerce, Retail, Wholesale, Outlet over the course of the season.
Fig. 12: Supply Protection Scenarios - Protecting a Season
Enhancements to Manage Supply Protection
The Manage Supply Protection app has been enhanced with the following features:
- Business partner integration
It is now possible to define supply protection groups for dedicated business partners. The business partners have been included in the characteristic catalog. - UI improvements
Among other usability improvements, supply protection now has a combined maintenance table for characteristic values and protected quantities. This increases the usability and transparency. - Restricted number of time buckets
The maximum number of time buckets is now 55, which avoids that users run into performance and usability issues.
Fig. 13: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Supply Protection'
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Product Substitution
Chapter Product Substitution in Sales Order Requirements of my past blog summarizes the key features of Product Substitution. Now validity data for Product Substitution are introduced:
Validity Data for Product Substitution
With this feature, you can define validity periods to enable the substitution and exclusion of products during availability checks.
In the Manage Substitutions - Products app, you can use the Valid From... and Valid To... fields for date and time in the product master data to define the time periods during which an alternative product is used to substitute a product requested in a sales document.
Equally, in Manage Exclusions - Products app, you can use the Valid From... and Valid To... fields for date and time to exclude a product from being considered when an availability check is executed for a product requested in a sales document.
Fig. 14: SAP Fiori app 'Manage Substitutions - Products' extended with the new validity data (yellow highlighted in the animated image)
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Product Allocation Consumption Directions
With this feature in the Manage Product Allocation Sequences app, you can choose between two options for the order in which the backward and forward time periods in a product allocation sequence are checked for available allocation quantity to fulfill a sales order requirement.
- Backward then Forward (previously available)
- Backward with Earliest First then Forward (new as of SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2102)
Fig. 15: Consumption Direction in Manage Product Allocation Sequences app
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Inventory Management
Serial numbers in goods receipt process
With the past release, we started the support of serial numbers in the inventory analytics and goods receipt process (see my blog post) which allows you as an inventory manager or warehouse clerk to reach the Display Serial Numbers app by navigating from the following SAP Fiori apps:
- Stock- Multiple Materials
- Stock – Single Material
- Post Goods Receipt for Purchasing Document
- Post Goods Receipt for Production Order
With the 2102 release, further SAP Fiori apps support serial numbers in the goods receipt process:
- Material Documents Overview
- Post Goods Receipt for Inbound Delivery
- Post Goods Receipt without Reference
Now, also post goods receipt for purchasing document with subcontracting process including subcomponents with serial numbers is supported.
Fig. 16: Support for post goods receipt for purchasing document with subcontracting process including subcomponents with serial numbers
Extensibility for Adobe Output Forms of Material Documents
Although we live in a digital world, printing material documents is important in practice.
This enhancement enables you to add the Serial Number and Equipment Number fields to a selection of printouts in Inventory using the Maintain Form Templates app. The What's New document lists the form template names which can be enhanced. The next picture shows you an example, how to add the serial number field with the Adobe LiveCycle Designer.
Fig. 17: Adobe LiveCycle Designer - Add the serial number field to the goods receipt printout
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Warehouse Management
Synchronous Goods Receipt Postings for External Procurement
Packing proposal from packing instruction in Post Goods Movement app
My 2011 release blog describes the Synchronous Goods Receipt Postings for External Procurement that allows you to post goods receipt for products arriving from external procurement in the Post Goods Movement app in inventory management and warehouse management at the same time without creating delivery and warehouse request documents.
Since the 2011 release, the tab strip for goods receipt with handling units is available in the Post Goods Movement app which allows you manual packing. Now, the app supports also packing with proposal from packing instruction.
The packaging material to be used and quantity to be packed is derived from the packing instruction. The corresponding packing instruction for the packing proposal is determined via the determination record.
Fig. 18: Post Goods Movement app with packing proposal for handling unit creation
Not supported yet, but planned with future releases is the Quality Management inspection lot creation.
If you use the new posting, be aware that the following scenarios are out of scope:
- Mixed handling unit creation
- One handling unit creation for several batches of one product
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Mobile Warehousing
Enhancement of APIs
Warehouse Inbound Delivery API
With the OData service Warehouse Inbound Delivery - Read, Update (A2X) (API_WHSE_INBOUND_DELIVERY), it is now possible to perform the following actions
on warehouse inbound delivery header level:
- Post goods receipt
- Reverse goods receipt
- Update carrier
and on warehouse inbound delivery item level:
- Change item quantity
- Edit goods movement bin
- Adjust delivery quantity (reduces the delivery quantity to the picked quantity)
You can also retrieve the serial numbers assigned to inbound delivery items.
Fig. 19: Overview of APIs in the Warehouse Management area
*Note: The screenshot of the smartphone app shows an example call of the Warehouse Inbound Delivery API as it could be built by a customer / partner. There are no prebuild mobile apps available for Cloud WM by SAP.
Warehouse Storage Bin API
- Stock removal block
- Putaway block
- Inventory active
- Capacity of storage bin
- Weight used of materials
- Maximum weight
- Weight unit
- Loading volume
- Maximum volume
- Volume unit
- Storage bin aisle description
- Storage bin stack description
- Storage bin level description
- XYZ Coordinates
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Handling Unit Management
Situation Template: Handling Unit IoT
You can now enable Situation Handling based on the new situation template Handling Unit IoT for monitoring handling units. SAP Internet of Things (SAP IoT) sensors added to the handling units inform you directly in the Monitor Handling Units app about, for example, an exceeded temperature or humidity value for a product packed in the handling unit. You can then react fast and get, for example, a replacement on the way.
With the new feature, the transportation and storage conditions of Handling Units (HUs) can be monitored based on IoT Data. It can automatically create HU related situations and notifications in S/4HANA to inform and alert Warehouse Clerks, Shipping Specialists as well as Sales Reps, Production Planners and QM Managers.
The following system demo video with a length of three and a half minutes shows you how a handling unit is connected with sensor data and how the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system informs the user automatically that a critical value for the acceleration is detected.
- First, the user opens the Monitor Handling Units app in SAP S/4HANA Cloud and search for the handling unit 1000001202 which is connected with an IoT sensor.
- Second, the user opens the digital twin 1000001202 of the handling unit 1000001202 in the Thing Modeler app on the SAP® Internet of things - Business Technology Platform.
On the Measured Values tab sensor data values for condition monitoring like acceleration, relative humidity, temperature, and for location tracking the latitude and longitude are displayed. Input fields allow the user to maintain the critical limits of negative and positive acceleration.
The Connectivity tab shows the sensor mapping and the device properties.
At 01:17 minutes, the demo video shows the Rule Projects app with the monitoring condition for the IoT event name 'Shock detected'. The condition will be true if the measured acceleration exceeds one of the maintained limits.
At 01:29 minutes, the user opens the action 'HUM_Create_Situation' in the Actions app. Here you see that the action is defined to be triggered by the event from the rule. Additionally the HTTP information of the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system in which the situation will be triggered is displayed.
At 02:26 minutes the user publishes via a sensor data test tool an acceleration value which exceeds the critical limit of the acceleration. As a result, you can see in the Action and Rule Execution log app that a new event for the thing 1000001202 is raised. - Back to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the demo video shows the system notification triggered by situation handling which informs the user that an IoT sensor reported an issue with handling unit 1000001202. At the end of the demo the user has the option to close the situation by picking a reason like 'Resolved', 'Obsolete', or 'Invalid'.
Video 5: The video shows how a handling unit is connected with IoT sensor data and how the SAP S/4HANA Cloud system informs the user automatically that a critical value for the acceleration of a handling unit is detected. (note: no audio voice available)
Find more information about SAP IoT and especially about the Thing Modeler, and about situation handling in the SAP Help Portal.
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New visual harmonized apps in Handling Unit Management
Apps for Handling Units in Discrete Manufacturing (BJ5, 4MM)
With this feature, you have access to several new apps for creating handling units and planned handling units based on production orders and for posting the goods receipt via handling units.
The following apps are now available (corresponding on-premise transaction codes in brackets):
- Create Handling Units (COP2)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (COP23)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (COP22)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (COP24)
- Create Handling Units - Without Reference (COP21)
- Create Planned Handling Units (COP1)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (COP13)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (COP12)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (COP14)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Without Reference (COP11)
- Enter Goods Receipt for Handling Units (COWBHUWE)
Apps for Handling Units in Process Manufacturing (BJ8, 4MM)
With this feature, you have access to several new apps for using handling units in material staging and in packing material produced as last step of production.
The following apps are now available for material staging:
- Pick Components with Handling Unit (COPAWA)
- Post Goods Issue with Handling Unit (COWBHUWA)
The following apps are now available for packing material produced:
- Create Handling Units (COP2)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (COP23)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (COP22)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (COP24)
- Create Handling Units - Without Reference (COP21)
- Create Planned Handling Units (COP1)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (COP13)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (COP12)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (COP14)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Without Reference (COP11)
- Enter Goods Receipt for Handling Units (COWBHUWE)
Apps for Handling Units in Repetitive Manufacturing (BJH, 4MM)
With this feature, you have access to several new apps for creating handling units and planned handling units and posting produced material quantities goods receipt based on HUs.
The following apps are now available:
- Create Planned Handling Units (MFP1)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (MFP13)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (MFP12)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (MFP14)
- Create Planned Handling Units - Without Reference (MFP11)
- Create Handling Units (MFP2)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Deliveries (MFP23)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Sales Orders (MFP22)
- Create Handling Units - Reference to Stock Transfer Orders (MFP24)
- Create Handling Units - Without Reference (MFP21)
- Confirm Repetitive Manufacturing for Handling Units (MFHU)
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Enhancement of Post Goods Movement - Handling Units app
As an inventory manager or warehouse clear, you can now move handling units from one storage location to another within the same plant in one step.
Fig. 20 : Post Goods Movement - Handling Units app
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Delivery and Transport
Enhancement to Outbound and Inbound Delivery - International Trade Tab
Fig. 21: New tab page International Trade on Change Outbound Delivery app
Flexible Delivery Document Numbering
With this feature, you can assign additional number range intervals and, optionally, number range prefixes to delivery documents that fulfill specific criteria. Refer to the What's New document for more information about the new configuraton steps.
Fig. 22: Manage Your Solution app - Configure Your Solution
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Thanks for reading this blog post. Stay tuned!
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For more information on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, check out the following links:
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud release info: http://www.sap.com/s4-cloudrelease
- Latest SAP S/4HANA Cloud Release Blogs here and previous release highlights here
- Product videos on our SAP S/4HANA Cloud and SAP S/4HANA YouTube playlist
- SAP S/4HANA PSCC Digital Enablement Wheel here
- Early Release Webinar Series here
- Inside SAP S/4HANA Podcast here
- SAP S/4HANA Microlearning (OP/CL) – The ultimate collection blog
- openSAP Microlearnings for SAP S/4HANA for Supply Chain here
- Best practices for SAP S/4HANA Cloud here
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud Customer Community for Manufacturing here
- Feature Scope Description here
- Help Portal Product Page here
- Implementation Portal here
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