EWM Warehouse Organization Structure Q&A

In this blog we are going to discuss some questions and answer on Extended Warehouse Organizational Structure.

Q-1: What are the components of warehouse structure?

Answer: Warehouse Number, Storage Type, Storage Section, Storage Bin Quants.

Q-2: What is Storage Type?

Answer:

Define Storage Types

In Extended Warehouse Management system, a storage type is a physical logical subdivision of a warehouse complex. Storage types are characterized by their organizational form function, space required or warehouse technologies.

A Storage type is a four-character name and shows a physical or a logical subdivision of a warehouse. A Storage type can consist of one or more storage sections and bins. A storage type is defined by the role it is used for in a warehouse. Standard Storage Type − Physical area where products are stored in a warehouse.   

In this Customizing activity, you define the various storage types within a warehouse number. A warehouse number is divided up into various storage types. A storage type is defined by its spatial or organizational attributes (for example, high rack storage area, bulk storage, goods receipt zones).

A storage type has a short description but no address.

Activities

For each warehouse number, create the required storage types and define the necessary criteria for the storage type.

Q-3: What is IMG path to create EWM Warehouse?

Answer:

You create warehouse numbers with a corresponding description.

In Extended Warehouse Management, a warehouse complex is mapped as a warehouse number, which you can use to identify the warehouse complex. An essential factor for defining a warehouse number is the physical location. A warehouse number summarizes storage types and storage bins that are organized and managed together.

All operations in warehouse management, such as put-away or stock removal of products, are always executed within a warehouse number.

A warehouse number has the following attributes:

• A warehouse number has a short description but no address.

• You can store warehouse-specific product data.

• Within a warehouse number, stock is managed on a quantity basis and not on a value basis.
  

Q-4: What is the IMG path to create Storage Type?

Answer:

Q-5: What are some commonly used Storage Type?

Answer:

• Fixed Bin Storage Type

• High Rack Storage Type

• Low Rack Storage Type

• General Storage Type

• Floor Storage Area

• Bulk Storage Type

• Pallet Storage

• Box/Carton Storage We can Create storage types to control:

• Interim Bins for inbound and outbound movements

• Pick Points

• Identification Points

• Staging Areas

• Work Center

• Doors

• Yard Bins (for inbound and outbound trailers)

Q-6: What are general settings available at the storage type level?

Answer:

Storage Type Role

HU Requirement: Allowed but not required, Required, and Not allowed.

Max no. of Bins: The number of bins that can be assigned to a product within a storage type

Check Max no. of Bins: Check this option if the max bins setting in storage type or product master needs to be considered.

Use Fixed Bins: to only use fixed bins for products

Storage behavior: Standard WH, Pallet Storage, and Bulk Storage.

Available qty Batches: If Batch-specific search needs to be activated.

Quality Classification

External Step: Assign the POSC indicator

Default Distance: Used during labor management, based on Bin coordinates.

Q-7: What are the Put-away control available at the Storage Type Level?

Answer:

Confirm Put-away: If WT needs to be confirmed while doing Put-away.

HU type Check: if HU Type needs to be checked before putting away

Define HUT using the path External Warehouse Management • Cross-Process Settings • Handling Units • Basics • Define HU Types for Each Storage Type. Each Bin should have SBT if HU Type is activated for Storage Type.

Storage control/Put-away completed: Check this option if the Bins in storage type are final bins and POSC’s last step will end in this storage type.

Put-away Rules: Addition to stock, consolidation group, general storage area, and empty bin

Add to Stock Permitted: Allowed, Not permitted, and Product Putaway Profile decided.

Storage Section Check

Split During Putaway: If quantity can be moved to multiple bins during putaway. ( allowed, not allowed, and Product master dependent)

Threshold Addition: If a split is allowed and this option is checked, the split will only happen if the threshold level is crossed.

Put-away Storage Control: Based on POSC, only HU WT is allowed, or only Product WT is allowed for the put-away process.

WT generic: This option allows which data will be determined during put-away — Storage Type, Section, and Bin or Storage Type and Section or Storage Type only.

Mixed Storage

Mixed Storage in HU

Quant_Addition to stock GR date/SLED Date: Allowed — Most recent date, allowed — Earlier data dominant, not allowed, and Product put-away profile decides.

Do not put-away HUs

Search Rule Empty Bin: Sorting as per data defined in storage bin master data, near to fixed Bin, and Product decides.

Add to stock level: At bin level or At HU level.

Capacity Check, Mixed Storage Mixed Owners, and Mixed Special Stocks

Q-8: What are Stock Removal Control available at Storage Type level?

Answer:

Confirm Removal: If confirmation on picking is required.

Stock on resource: Stock available on resources or equipment will be considered while picking stock.

Negative Stock

Stock removal Rule: FIFO, LIFO, FEFO or BBD

Q-9: What are Goods Movement Controls available at Storage Type Level?

Answer:

Availability Group, No GI, Non Dependent Stock Type, and Post Change Bin

Q-10: What are Replenishment Controls available at Storage Type Level?

Answer:

Replenishment level, Fixed Bin Level or Storage Type Level and Tolerance Percentage

Q-11: SAP table to see storage types maintained for WH?

Answer:

Q-12: What is storage section?

Answer:  A storage section is an organizational unit within the storage type, which summarizes storage bins with common attributes for the purpose of put-away.

The use of storage sections in a storage type is only mandatory if you use storage section control or storage section search in the storage type.

Activities

Create your storage sections with the appropriate descriptions.

Example

For put-away, the following storage bin attributes might be important:

• Distance to load transfer point

• Load-bearing capacity

• Temperature

Q-13: What is the IMG path to create storage section?

Answer:

Q-14: SAP table to see storage sections maintained for WH?

Answer:

Q-15: What are storage bins?

Answer: Storage bins are smallest unit of storage in warehouse where we can store the goods.

Q-16: What is storage bin type?

Answer: You can define your storage bin types.

You can divide your storage bins into groups according to their physical attributes (for example, large bins, small bins).

During slotting, you can have the system determine a preferred storage bin type.

In combination with the handling unit type, a suitable storage bin is suggested to you during put-away.

Activities

1. Decide whether you want to use storage bin type determination or slotting.

2. Create your storage bin types with the relevant descriptions.

Q-17: What is IMG path to create storage bin type?

Answer:

Q-18: What is the T-code to Create Storage Bin?

Answer:

Q-19: What is menu path to create storage bin automatically?

Answer:

• Click Create and Save

Q-20: What is Bin Sorting?

Answer:

Q-21: How to Print Bin Labels?

Answer:

Q-22: SAP table to see storage bins?

Answer:

Q-23: What is Activity in warehouse and how we can define activities for Activity Area in SAP EWM?

Answer:

Q-24: What are Activity Area in SAP EWM?

Answer:

In this Customizing activity, you can define your activity areas. You can define as many activity areas as you require for each warehouse number.

Activities

Define an activity area for your warehouse and add a description.

If you want to join activity areas together, select the Joined Together checkbox. For more information, see Join Activity Areas Together and Joined Together.

If you want Extended Warehouse Management to create activity areas and sort sequence automatically, use the report /SCWM/R_AREA_LGTYP_CREATE. This report creates the sort sequences and creates the activity areas 1:1 from the storage types. This means that in Customizing, you only need to define activities. For more information, see /SCWM/R_AREA_LGTYP_CREATE and Define Activities for Activity Areas.

Activity area is a group of storage bins are grouped for a special purpose we can assign bins to activity areas trough T-code:/N/SCWM/SBST

Q-25: What is Staging Area and IMG path to create Staging Area?

Answer:

In this Customizing activity, you define staging area groups and staging areas.

Staging areas are storage sections that fall within a storage type with role D. The staging area corresponds to a storage section, while the staging area group corresponds to a storage type.

Staging areas are used to provide interim storage for goods after unloading or before loading. During loading, the sequence of the bins in the staging area can be used as a loading sequence.

In a staging area, you can perform either only inbound activities, only outbound activities, or both kinds of activities.

You can also select a loading rule. Possible options:

• The handling units should be sent to the warehouse door immediately after arrival.

• All handling units must arrive before loading can begin.

• There needs to be a wait of 24 hours before loading can begin.

Prerequisites

If you want to define your own staging area groups and staging areas, you need to maintain storage types with role D and storage sections in the Customizing activities Define Storage Types and Define Storage Section.

Q-26: Define Staging Area and Door Determination Group?

Answer:

In this Customizing activity, you can define staging area and door determination groups.

Staging area and door determination groups are indicators that act as additional criteria for the system to use when it determines a staging bay and door in the transactions Staging Area and Door Determination (Inbound), Staging Area and Door Determination (Outbound), and Access Sequence to Staging Areas and Door Determination.

You can use the staging area and door determination group to indicate the requirements of a product during loading and unloading. For example, you can define a staging area and door determination group for products that need to be kept cool (so the system will determine a refrigerated staging bay), or for products that need to be loaded or unloaded with a forklift.

You can enter the staging area and door determination group under Warehouse Data when you maintain a product. The system will then refer to this information when it determines a staging bay and door for this product.

Q-27: What are Work Center?

Answer:

A work center in SAP EWM is a physical unit in a warehouse where warehouse activities are performed, such as packing, distribution, or weighing. It is assigned to a storage type and a physical unit. You can configure more than one work center in a storage type.

Q-28: How to specify a Work Center Layout?

Answer:

In this Customizing activity, you create work center layouts with a corresponding description.

The work center layout is used in the work center, and controls which areas and tab pages appear on the interface. You can decide which of the available tab pages the user should be offered.

The layout of a work center is divided into the following areas:

1. Tab pages in the scanner area These tab pages appear in the upper right screen area. If you work in the work center with a keyboard scanner or without a mouse, then these tab pages are necessary.

If you cannot find a suitable tab page for a repacking transaction, there are three tab pages available for a BAdI implementation.

2. Tab pages in the detail area These tab pages appear in the lower right screen area. Here you can, for example, see detailed information about the storage bin and the HU. The detail area can only be used in connection with tree control. When you double-click on the object in the tree control (HU, storage bin, and so on), the system adds the detailed information to the tab page.

3. Tree control The tree control appears in the left screen area of the work center. Here you can, for example, perform repacking transactions using Drag & Drop.

Prerequisites

You have defined a warehouse number.

Activities

Specify a transaction type.

Q-29: How to Define a Work Center?

Answer:

In this Customizing activity, you create work centers with a corresponding description.

Each work center must be assigned to a warehouse number, a storage type, and a storage bin.

The storage bin and scales cannot be assigned in this Customizing activity. Make this assignment in the SAP menu under Extended Warehouse Management -> Master Data -> Work Center -> Define Master Data Attributes.

A work center has the following attributes:

• Assign an inbound section or outbound section

• Store an external storage process step (if you are using process-oriented storage control). Doing this defines which process step is set for an HU when you choose function 'Close HU' in the work center.

• Store your own warehouse process type for the repacking transactions (if the proposed warehouse process type under Warehouse Number Control is not the correct one)

• Store a Print Determination Procedure

• Store a return storage type and a return storage section, if this work center should be used as a pick point.

Prerequisites

You can only use storage types that have the storage type role 'Work Center' (E), 'Pick Point' (B), 'Work Center in Staging Areas Group' (I) or 'Identification and Pick Point' (C).

Standard settings

Setting: 'Save in Work Center After Each Action':

In the production system, you must save after every action. Deactivating this function is only permitted for testing (in the test system, for example).

Rajesh Sharma

SAP WM/EWM Functional Consultant

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