Jul 167 min read

Process-Oriented Storage Control Configuration Steps

Process-Oriented Storage Control Configuration Steps

This blog will discuss steps to configure Process-Oriented Storage Control.

Process-Oriented Storage Control

Process Oriented Storage Control (POSC) in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) is a method that allows the execution of warehouse processes in a predefined sequence. POSC is used when there are complex handling requirements for goods that need to be moved through several process steps before reaching their final storage location or destination.

Key Features of Process-Oriented Storage Control:

1. Sequential Process Steps: POSC enables the definition of a sequence of process steps that goods must go through. These steps might include quality inspections, repacking, labeling, or consolidation.

2. Warehouse Tasks (WT): Each process step in POSC generates specific warehouse tasks that guide the movement of goods through the warehouse. These tasks ensure that each required process step is completed in the correct order.

3. Work Centers: Specific areas or work centers within the warehouse are designated for each process step. These could include inspection areas, repacking stations, or staging areas.

4. Control Parameters: Control parameters are defined to determine which process steps are required for different types of goods. These parameters help in customizing the process flow based on product characteristics, handling unit type, or other criteria.

5. Integration with Warehouse Processes: POSC integrates with other warehouse processes such as inbound processing, outbound processing, and internal warehouse movements. This ensures that goods move seamlessly through the required process steps without disruption.

6. Customizable Process Chains: Users can define and customize process chains to meet specific business requirements. This flexibility allows warehouses to adapt to different operational needs and product handling requirements.

Steps for Process-Oriented Storage Control:

1.1 Define Process-Oriented Storage Control

In this IMG activity, you define the storage process with its individual storage process steps. The storage process step determines to where a handling unit (HU) is to be taken. To do this, you enter storage types, storage sections, and storage bins. These can, for example, belong to work centers where the product is to be counted, packed, or deconsolidated. You can also enter a warehouse process type that is to be used to create the warehouse task (WT).

Prerequisites

Process-oriented storage control only works with HUs. The relevant HU must be known to storage control. You can only use process-oriented storage control for the goods receipt process, goods issue process, or internal movement.

You have defined source, destination, and interim storage types

You have defined HU type groups (optional).

You have defined warehouse process types.

You can only enter internal storage process steps in the following sequence.

For the put-away process:

a) Unload

b) Count

c) Deconsolidate

d) Quality Inspection

e) Perform Value-Added Services

f) Put Away

For the stock removal process:

a) Remove from Stock

b) Perform Value-Added Services

c) Pack

d) Stage

e) Load

For internal movement:

a) Remove from Stock

b) Pack

c) Deconsolidate

d) Perform Value-Added Services

e) Put Away

Activities

1. Define external storage process steps that you require for your goods receipt or goods issue process. Assign internal storage process steps to the external storage process steps.

2. For each external storage process step, define the intermediate locations, that is the determination of destination data.

Select the source storage type.

This enables you to control whether the HU is to be moved using a special intermediate storage type.

Choose an HU type group.

If you have defined this accordingly, you can use this assignment to specify that, for example, wire baskets or boxes must always be moved using this intermediate storage type.

Choose the warehouse process type to use for creating the warehouse task to the interim storage type.

By doing this, you specify which activities are to be performed during warehouse task processing.

Choose an intermediate storage type.

This enables you, for example, to specify a staging area or work center.

You can also enter an intermediate storage section or an intermediate location (storage bin).

This allows you to specify in more detail where the HU is to be moved.

If you do not enter an intermediate section or bin, Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) uses the defined put-away strategies to find the necessary data. You can specify whether data is necessary using the WT Generic indicator under Put-away Control when you define storage types.

If you want the system to search for the intermediate storage type, section, or bin using specific rules, set the Rules-Based indicator.

3. Define a storage process and assign it individual storage process steps.

If the confirmation of the warehouse task, and therefore the confirmation of this storage process step, is to trigger the automatic creation of a warehouse task for the next storage process step, choose Auto. WT (Automatic Creation of Subsequent Warehouse Task).

If the system is to simultaneously create the HU WT and the put-away WTs, choose Create Put-away WTs or TCD HU WT.

Enter a time duration and unit for the planned execution of the storage process step.

4. If required, set the customs block indicator in the dialog structure under External Storage Process: Control per Warehouse Number.

5. Set the storage process in the Warehouse Process Type for the Goods Receipt Process.

6. Set the storage process in the Warehouse Order Creation Rule for the Goods Issue Process

Example

For the goods issue process, a product must be picked, packed, staged, and loaded. Pick, Pack, Stage, and Load are storage process steps that are executed in various areas or work centers during the goods issue process.

Step 1: Define External Steps

We can define our external steps by copying SAP Standard External Steps and can use the same. We are using SAP standard External Steps for Inbound Process.

IB01: Unloading

IB02: Deconsolidation

IB03: Put-away

Direction as

IB01: Put-away

IB02: 4. Put-away Internal Movement

IB03: 4. Put-away and Internal Movement

Step 2: Storage Process Definition

Step 3: Click on New Entries, Enter Warehouse Number, Storage Process Name 4 digits and save

Step 4: Assign Storage Process Steps and Save

1.2 Define Warehouse Process type

In this Customizing activity, you make the settings for the warehouse process type. You assign various process types to your processes in the warehouse.

The warehouse process type provides the information required by SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) for put-away, stock removals, or internal stock transfers and stock postings.

Activities

For each warehouse number, define the warehouse process types you require.

If you are working with stock identification, SAP recommends that you create a user-defined index (Z index) in the table for open warehouse tasks (/SCWM/ORDIM_O) and in the table for stock (/SCWM/QUAN). This allows faster search queries by SAP EWM.

Create Warehouse Process Type- 1011 for Complex Inbound

Step 1: New Entries, Enter Warehouse Number, Warehouse process Type 1011, and Description

Step 2: Warehouse Process Category- Put-away, Activity- PTWY-Put-away, confirm select Immediately check box, No automatic replenishment check box.

Step 3: Enter Storage Process Control and availability group and save

Create Warehouse Process Type- 3065 for Unloading HU movement

Step 1: Warehouse Process category- Put-away

Step 2: Activity: PTWY- Put-away

Create Warehouse Process Type- 3060 for Unloading HU movement

Step 1: Warehouse Process category- Put-away

Step 2: Activity: PTWY- Put-away

Create Warehouse Process Type- 3040 for Unloading HU movement

Step 1: Warehouse Process category- 3. Internal

Step 2: Activity: INTL- Internal

1.3 Define Control Indicator for Warehouse Process Type Determination

You can define the product-specific control indicator for determining the warehouse process type. You can use this indicator to group products for which you always want to use the same warehouse process type.

You can assign the control indicator to the relevant products under Warehouse Number Data in the product master.

If Extended Warehouse Management creates a warehouse request document, it takes this product master attribute when determining the warehouse process type.

Activities

Define the control indicator.

Define the Determination of Warehouse Process Types for this control indicator.

Assign the control indicator to the relevant products during master record maintenance.

When you create a delivery, Extended Warehouse Management determines the warehouse process type automatically and also takes these settings into account automatically.

Step 1: Click on New entries, Process Type Determination Control and description and save

1.4 Determine Warehouse Process Type

In this Customizing activity, you the configure automatic determination of the warehouse process type.

When Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) creates a warehouse request, it automatically determines the warehouse process type.

The system also determines a warehouse process type for special processes, such as the following:

Goods receipt with synchronous goods movement in Inventory Management and EWM

Goods receipt of items from external manufacturing execution systems (MES)

Field logistics processes

Prerequisites

You have defined warehouse process types.

You must define at least the warehouse number.

You can also use the following determination criteria:

The document type ( Define Document Types for the Inbound Delivery Process, Define Document Types for Outbound Delivery Process)

The item type ( Define Item Types for the Inbound Delivery Process, Define Item Types for Outbound Delivery Process)

The delivery priority ( Define Delivery Priority)

The control indicator for determining warehouse process types

The process indicator to additionally differentiate processes, for example, to find appropriate warehouse process types for a merchandise distribution process.