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Function documentationConsolidation Group

 

You can use consolidation groups in the outbound process to determine which delivery items can or cannot be picked or packed together into a handling unit (HU).

Integration

The use of consolidation groups is determined by the setting of the Packing Consolidation checkbox of the outbound delivery item, which the system takes over from the Order Combination checkbox of the outbound delivery in SAP ERP.

If you use Outbound Processing: Transportation Planning in TM-ERP-EWM or Outbound Processing: Transportation Planning in EWM-ERP-TM, do not use cross delivery HUs in this process. Either leave the Order Combination checkbox of the outbound delivery empty in SAP ERP, or create a Business Add-In (BAdI) implementation for BAdI Determine Consolidation Group (/SCWM/EX_CORE_CONS), which prohibits the packing consolidation in SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM). For more information, see Outbound Processing: Transportation Planning in TM-ERP-EWM and Outbound Processing: Transportation Planning in EWM-ERP-TM.

Prerequisites

You have made the following settings in Customizing for SAP EWM:

  • You have defined if you want to work with consolidation groups in the outbound process of your warehouse and if so, what attributes influence the creation of the consolidation group per outbound delivery item. The attributes that the creation of the consolidation group can depend on are the following:

    • Warehouse number

    • Route

    • Ship-to party

    • Priority of the delivery item

    For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Start of the navigation path Goods Issue Process Next navigation step Define Consolidation Group End of the navigation path.

  • You have defined number ranges for your consolidation groups and assigned them to the different use cases of consolidation groups.

    For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under the following:

    • Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Define Number Ranges Next navigation step Define Number Range Intervals for Consolidation Group End of the navigation path

    • Start of the navigation path Goods Issue Process Next navigation step Assign Number Range Intervals to Consolidation Groups End of the navigation path

  • In the Customizing of the work center, you have defined on which of the following levels you want to check the consolidation group during packing.

    • Check while repacking products

    • Check while repacking handling units (HUs) and products

    • No check

    For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Work Center Next navigation step Define Work Center End of the navigation path.

Features

During the creation of outbound deliveries, the system determines the consolidation group for each delivery item. Depending on the setting of the Packing Consolidation checkbox, the system determines the consolidation group in the following way:

  • If the checkbox is selected, the system tries to find an existing consolidation group from the Maintain Consolidation Group transaction.

    If there is no appropriate consolidation group yet, the system creates a new one and adds it to the Maintain Consolidation Group transaction for later reuse.

  • If the checkbox is not selected, the system creates a new consolidation group but does not add it to the Maintain Consolidation Group transaction. Therefore, the new consolidation group cannot be reused.

After determining the consolidation group for the outbound delivery item, the system transfers it to the corresponding warehouse tasks.

Depending on the setup of the warehouse order creation rule (for example, on the setting of the value limit), it is possible to group only warehouse tasks with the same consolidation groups into one warehouse order or to group warehouse tasks with different consolidation groups into one warehouse order. If you use more than one planned pick-HU within your warehouse order, it is possible to assign warehouse tasks with the same consolidation group to the same pick-HU, while the corresponding warehouse order can carry warehouse tasks with different consolidation groups. For more information, see Warehouse Order Creation.

After the confirmation of a warehouse task into the pick HU, the system assigns the consolidation group to the stock. In case of mixed stock in one pick HU with different consolidation groups, you can execute a repacking at a packing station to consolidate the stock in terms of packing together only stock with the same consolidation group into one HU.

After the confirmation of a warehouse task into a consolidation group unique HU, the HU carries the information about the consolidation group as well.

Using Consolidation Groups with Transportation Integration

Transportation integration offers you the following features:

  • When you change the door and the SAP EWM processing has not yet started, the system can redetermine the consolidation group with the new door.

    To use this feature, you have to maintain a separate consolidation group per door. To do so, on the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Start of the navigation path Extended Warehouse Management Next navigation step Master Data Next navigation step Maintain Consolidation Group End of the navigation path.

  • When you or the system change the transportation unit (TU) assignment of a delivery and the SAP EWM processing has not yet started, the system can redetermine the consolidation group with the new data.

    To use this feature, you have to maintain a separate consolidation group for each TU. For more information, see Customizing for Extended Warehouse Management under Start of the navigation path Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) for Extended Warehouse Management Next navigation step Goods Issue Process Next navigation step BAdI: Define Consolidation Group End of the navigation path.

Activities

You have to decide if you want to use consolidation groups in the outbound process.

During picking processes, the system checks whether the picking of warehouse tasks with different consolidation groups into a pick HU is allowed or not.

During processes of repacking stock or HUs with consolidation groups, the system checks whether they are allowed or not.

To start the Maintain Consolidation Group transaction, on the SAP Easy Access screen, choose Start of the navigation path Extended Warehouse Management Next navigation step Master Data Next navigation step Maintain Consolidation Group End of the navigation path

Example

Example with Order Combination

In Customizing for SAP EWM, you have activated the consolidation group determination for the warehouse number, the ship-to party, the route, and the priority. In SAP ERP, you have selected the Order Combination checkbox in the outbound delivery. You have created two outbound deliveries in the system within the same warehouse, for the same ship-to party, on the same route, and with the same priority. Since the Packing Consolidation is selected, SAP EWM assigns all the items of both deliveries to the same consolidation group. Therefore, all the warehouse tasks created for all those line items belong to the same consolidation group. Since all the warehouse tasks have the same consolidation group, you can pick and pack the requested stock into one HU.

Example Without Order Combination

In Customizing for SAP EWM, you have activated the consolidation group determination for the warehouse number, the ship-to party, the route, and the priority. In SAP ERP, you have not selected the Order Combination checkbox in the outbound delivery. You have created two outbound deliveries in the system within the same warehouse, for the same ship-to party, on the same route, and with the same priority. Since the Packing Consolidation is not selected, SAP EWM assigns the two deliveries to unique consolidation groups. Therefore, the items within one delivery belong to the same consolidation group but the items of the other delivery have a different consolidation group. This means that you cannot mix the requested stock for the two deliveries into one HU. You can pick and pack only the items of one delivery together.