Personal Insights
Freight Collaboration with SAP Logistics Business network (LBN) and its integration with SAP Transportation Management ( TM )
SAP has developed & released a cloud application called as ‘Logistics business network (LBN)’ to network and communication with partners (Shippers, Carriers, Customs authorities etc) involved in logistics (warehousing & transportation) operations. LBN has 3 components
- Freight collaboration
- Global track & trace (GTT)
- Material traceability
LBN can be integrated with SAP ECC , S/4HANA, Transportation management ( TM ) and Extended warehouse management (EWM) . Refer URL https://www.sap.com/sweden/products/logistics-business-network.html for an overview and business benefits of LBN.
My present blog is to discuss on two important operations on Freight collaboration and its integration with Transportation management.
- Creation and award of Request for Quotation (RFQ) to the carrier
- Send Freight order (after Award) and subsequent confirmation from the carrier
A typical process for Freight RFQ to the carrier and its confirmation has been depicted chronologically in below image.
Activities or operations as depicted in above image have been described below in chronological sequence alongwith relevant screenshots from SAP TM and LBN.
- A RFQ (5100000417) is created from Freight order (6100002573) in Transportation management as shown in below image.
2. RFQ is transferred to the LBN Carrier through XML message as triggered from the freight order and as shown below.
3. Concerned carrier accesses the RFQ in its LBN portal and reviews & accepts the same through App ‘ Freight request for quotations’ as shown below.
4. Confirmation from the carrier is reviewed and subsequently awarded to the carrier as captured in below image of the freight order.
5. Freight order is sent to the carrier through XML for the confirmation as shown in below image.
6. Carrier reviews the freight order and confirms the same through App ‘ Freight orders for confirmation’ as captured in below image.
7. ‘Confirmation Status’ of the freight order is depicted as ‘ Confirmed’ as in below image.
We can very well ascertain that LBN will ensure the freight collaboration to be very transparent, fast and efficient. We also see very high demand for demos of LBN from the customers.
This is my first blog on LBN and based on my personal tests , observations and insights . Will appreciate your views / comments.
Thanks Mrinal. Would expect you to shed some light over Global track & trace capability of LBN in future...
Thanks . Yes, will write blog on GTT soon ..
What are additional business benefits from using LBN besides transparency?
How is procurement function aligned with them?
Hi Adi,
Traceability is another major business benefit with LBN. We also expect Sutainability features (Monitoring of actual carbon emission etc) in future release.
With regards,
Mrinal
Thanks for leading with EWM-TM integration and now LBN Mrinal Kanti Roy Lets get the customers interested in the value LBN brings.
Great Info
Hi Mrinal,
Thanks for this post.
I believe as of now, in LBN FC option, there are only a couple of expected events--departure and arrival available to report. In case a customer wants to have multiple expected events besides these two, is track and trace option(GTT) a recommended option?
Also, LBN FC supports the option of carriers reporting events via EDI, right(such as EDI214)?
Akshat
Hi Akshat,
Custom events can be implemented with BADI. Standard SAP provides web sevice / XML for exchage of messages with LBN, probbaly that is better than EDI.
With regards,
Mrinal
Very well explained , Thanks Mrinal.
one query- can freight booking be in integrated with LBN. I means there is no such tendering function is FB for RFQ.
Kind Regards
Gautam S
Hi Guatam,
Sorry to take advantage of your question to Mrinal and I am current studying this solution,
Its possible to have Freight Booking integrated in LBN.
Please take a look in Feature Scope Description document in SAP LBN page , and in Freight Bookings for Confirmation topic in SAP LBN Help page also.
I hope it help you 🙂
Alexandre Freitas
Hi Alexandre,
Thanks for your info. However, I do not find any app for FB in LBN as of now. Probably, it is still in SAP's roadmap i.e not yet released.
Regards,
Mrinal
Mrinal Kanti Roy great blog 👍 - a blog post about "how to connect a ecc to lbn to use gtt" would also be great
br
Patrick
Hi Mrinal,
Thank you. Do you know if we can integrate LBN with basic TM? If yes how will the process flow will be? Since in Basic TM there is no RFQ or Quotation is possible.
Hi Mrinal,
Very nice explanation.
We can integrate LBN with basic TM?
Thank you.
Thanks for your blog Mrinal Kanti Roy
I have one question regarding step 3 for a Test Environment. How can I invite a carrier if I have the Submit button deactivated in the Invite Business Partner app?
Thanks!