Requirements Planning: Logistical Variants 

 

Use

When a generic article has logistical variants, the procurement variant can differ from the sales variant. When this is the case, you run a forecast for the sales variant only, but not for the procurement variant. Requirements are also planned for the procurement variant only. The system determines the requirement for the procurement variant on the basis of the forecast values for the sales variant.

Prerequisites

·        You can only use logistical variants if you use SAP Retail.

·        You can only use this function if time-phased planning is active. You must enter the same RP type for time-phased planning in the logistics data of all the logistical variants of the generic article.

·        All the logistical variants of the generic article must have the same period indicator.

·        The same number of forecast periods should be maintained for all logistical variants of the generic article.

·        For technical reasons, the procurement variant must have consumption values. These are not, however, used for calculating requirements. We therefore recommend entering a reference article for the procurement variant.

Example

The following variants exist of a generic article:

·        Sales variant: "Piece"

·        Procurement variant: "Carton" (= 100 pieces)

Requirements are planned as follows:

...

       1.      A forecast is run for the sales variant

Consumption figures for the last periods (in pieces) were: 185, 190, 195, 190. A forecast is run for the variant "piece". On the basis of the consumption figures, the forecast requirement for the next period is 190 pieces.

       2.      Requirements are planned for the procurement variant

Requirements are planned for the variant "carton". The system uses the forecast requirement for the variant "piece". The requirement (190 pieces) is rounded off to multiples of the procurement variant "carton". This results in a requirement of two cartons (i.e. 200 pieces).