Production integration with EWM describes the process of providing materials from the warehouse to the production lines. The challenge here is to identify the right integration scenarios and staging strategies for the respective company and to map them in the system. In SAP EWM, there are basically two types of production integration available to the user: delivery-based production supply and extended production integration. With the Kanban and box part replenishment processes, SAP also provides two options for keeping a defined quantity of certain materials in stock in production at all times.
Both types of production supply are capable of mapping both order-specific and cross-order material requirements. However, they use different documents in some cases and are therefore suitable for different processes.
The following staging types are available to the user for delivery-based production supply:
Picking part: This staging type is used for order-related staging. This means that the exact quantity required for the production order is picked and staged. A separate staging is initiated for each order.
Call-off parts result from the sum of the total order requirements across several orders. It is therefore a joint provision.
Extended production integration works with order-specific or cross-order provision. The idea of order-specific staging is similar to delivery-based production supply via picking part, as staging is carried out in relation to a specific order. In contrast to delivery-based staging, the reference to the order is also updated in the stock. With cross-order staging, requirements are totaled in a similar way to staging via the call-off part, although both types of extended production integration are mapped differently in the system.
In addition to delivery-based and extended production integration, the following replenishment strategies are available:
Kanban: staging via Kanban boards is a special type of staging in which materials are staged in containers. When the container is empty, a provision in the form of a delivery or directly a warehouse task is triggered and the container is refilled.
Crate part replenishment is similar to the Kanban process in the sense that a quantity is defined for the production supply area that must be available at the respective PVB regardless of the order situation. If the quantity falls below this level, replenishment is triggered.
The following applies to both scenarios: Communication between SAP ERP and SAP EWM takes place in both embedded EWM and decentralized EWM in a similar way using queues, with the only difference being that data exchange in embedded EWM takes place in the same system, while communication in decentralized EWM takes place between two separate systems.
The document flow of delivery-based production integration begins in ERP with the creation of a production order. When the order is released, material staging is started and an outbound delivery is then created. This is replicated to EWM and arrives there in the form of a posting change delivery or outbound delivery, depending on the storage location scenario. On the basis of the delivery, warehouse tasks are created for staging and the stock is physically moved to the production supply area when the warehouse tasks are confirmed. Confirmation of the warehouse tasks is reported back to the ERP. The goods issue of the stock is triggered here, an outbound delivery is created and replicated to EWM. The goods issue posting then takes place in the warehouse and is also transmitted to the ERP system.
Watch our free webinar to find out how material provision is controlled and what needs to be considered in the individual steps of production supply.
The system-side mapping of extended production integration differs from delivery-based mapping in some areas. Here, the process also begins with a production order in ERP, which triggers material provision, but this is not followed by a delivery system in ERP. Instead, a production material request is sent directly to EWM upon release. This document reflects the entire production order including the component list. When the staging warehouse tasks are confirmed, the stock is physically moved to the production supply area, where, in contrast to the first staging scenario, the goods issue is posted directly from EWM. The goods issue posting is transferred to the ERP and stored there as a material document. In newer S/4HANA releases, the goods issue posting can also be posted in the ERP via the synchronous goods movement - even retroactively if necessary. If the status of the production order in the ERP is set to "Technically completed/completed", this status is replicated to EWM and the staging process is completed.
Which type of production supply is the right one for your company should be checked with an experienced partner such as CONSILIO. Our free webinar on 15.05.2024, which will cover the following topics, will provide initial assistance:
- EWM deployment types at a glance
- EWM-PP integration scenarios in comparison
- Innovations in S/4HANA
- The simplified production deployment
You will also see a live demo of various production provisioning scenarios.
Do you have further questions about production integration with SAP EWM? We will be happy to advise you!
